If you do not have existing, current immigration permission for the UK, you will need to apply for a Student visa to study at Queen's University Belfast if your course is a full-time course lasting longer than 6 months or an on-campus Pre-Sessional English course.

If you have immigration permission for the UK in a visa category other than the Student route, please contact isscompliance@qub.ac.uk to confirm you are permitted to study on your current visa.

Before you apply for a Student visa, you will need to have an Unconditional Offer to study at Queen's University Belfast. The University will issue you with an Unconditional Offer once you have met all of the admissions requirements and completed the admissions process.

If you have any queries about the Admissions process or receiving your Unconditional Offer, please contact the appropriate Admissions team:

• Queen’s University International Admissions & Access Service for Queen’s University courses
  Email: intl.student@qub.ac.uk
• Queen’s University Global Opportunities team for Study Abroad courses
  Email:  studyabroad@qub.ac.uk
• Queen’s University Belfast International Study Centre for pathway and English language courses
  Email: progression@qub.ac.uk 

After you have received your Unconditional Offer of study you will then be issued with your CAS Statement which you will need before you can apply for a Student visa. 

A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Statement is an electronic document containing a unique 14-digit reference number which confirms that Queen’s University Belfast has agreed to sponsor your Student visa application to allow you to study the course detailed on your CAS.

Your CAS Statement will include the following information which you will need to complete your Student visa application form: 

• Your unique CAS number
• The University’s Sponsor Licence number and address
• Your course title, course level and course start/end dates
• Details of your course fees, any deposits paid or any scholarships or stipends awarded
• Details of your entry qualifications which were used to make the decision to offer you a place or confirmation that you are continuing on the same course of study
• Confirmation if your course requires an ATAS certificate
• Work placement details if your course has a placement

Once you have received your CAS Statement and prepared your supporting documents, you can apply for your Student visa.  

You must not submit your visa application without a CAS Statement as your application will be refused.

New Students

Your eligibility to receive a CAS Statement will be assessed during the University Admissions process. Your CAS statement will be emailed to you once you have accepted your unconditional offer and met all other CAS eligibility requirements. 

Please note the earliest you can apply for your Student visa outside the UK is six months before the course start date listed on your CAS Statement.

Current Students

If you are a current Queen's University Student and you need to extend your visa to complete your course or you are beginning a new course at the University, you should contact the Immigration Advice team at immigration@qub.ac.uk for assistance.

We will then email you a CAS Request Form to complete which will ask you to provide your details and your course details.  When we receive your completed form, we will confirm the information you have provided with your School.   Provided you meet the eligibility requirements to be issued with a new CAS Statement, ISS will send you your CAS by email.   

Please note if you are applying for your Student visa in the UK, the earliest you can apply for your visa is three months before the Course Start Date on your CAS Statement. 

Courses below degree level

You can study courses below degree level for up to two years on a Student visa.  Any time spent studying a below degree level course under the age of 18, will not count towards this limit.   The time limit may be extended to 2 years and 11 months in certain circumstances. 

Courses above degree level

You can study courses at degree level for up to five years on a Student visa.   Any time spent studying a degree level course under the age of 18, will not count towards this limit.  The time limit may be extended to 5 years and 11 months in certain circumstances. 

Certain courses are exempt from this rule including Medicine, Dentistry, Architecture and certain Law courses. 

There are no time limits on study at postgraduate level or above. 

As part of the visa application process, you may be asked to undertake an interview with a UKVI caseworker, either in person or by telephone or video call.

The purpose of this interview is for UKVI to assess your credibility and determine if you are a genuine student. If UKVI is not satisfied that you are a genuine student, or if you cannot speak English to the required standard, it is likely that your application will be refused.

To prepare for this interview, you should review all of the information you have about your course, including the exact course title, course start and end dates as stated on your CAS, and the names and general content of the course modules. You are also advised to prepare some information on why you want to study in the UK, why you have chosen this particular course at Queen’s, and you should be able to talk about any research you carried out into studying at Queen’s and other UK institutions.

You can normally only extend your visa in the UK if you are 'academically progressing'. This means you where you have:

1. Successfully completed your previous course of study and

2. Your new course of study is at a higher level than your previous course. 

There are a number of exemptions to this requirement.  If any of the below circumstances apply to you, you would be permitted to extend your Student visa in the UK provided all other requirements are met: 

• you are applying to re-sit exams or repeat modules;
• you have previously re-sat exams or repeated modules and require more time to complete your course;
• you are applying to complete your PhD or other doctoral qualification;
• you are applying to undertake a role as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer, or to complete the course for which you were last given a Student/Tier 4 visa after a period as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer;
• you are applying as a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised Foundation Programme;
• you are applying to undertake a study abroad programme or work placement or you have previously completed a study abroad programme or work placement and require more time to complete your course.
• you are applying to undertake an intercalated Bachelor’s or Master’s degree course or PhD, or you are applying to complete your main course having previously completed a period of intercalation.

If you do not meet the academic progression requirement, you will need to return to your home country to apply for your Student visa. 

If you are applying for your Student visa outside the UK, you do not need to show you meet the academic progression requirement.

If you are unsure if you meet the academic progression requirement, please contact immigration@qub.ac.uk and an ISS Immigration Adviser will advise you.

If you are applying to extend your visa in the UK to start a new course of study, there must normally be no more than 28 days between the expiry date of your current visa and the start date of your new course.    

If there are more than 28 days between the expiry date of your current visa and the start date of your new course, you will need to leave the UK before your visa expires and apply for your visa outside the UK.  If you try to submit your visa application inside the UK it is likely that your visa application will be refused.  

If you meet the above eligibility requirements, it may be possible to switch to a Student visa from another visa type from inside the UK.  You cannot switch to a Student visa in the UK if you currently have one of the following visa types:  

• visitor
• short-term student
• parent of a child student
• seasonal worker
• domestic worker in a private household
• Immigration permission outside the Immigration Rules

If you currently hold one of these visas, you will need to apply for your Student visa from outside the UK. 

If you do wish to switch to a Student visa to study at Queen's University Belfast, please contact immigration@qub.ac.uk for advice.

If you are beginning a new course at Queen's University Belfast having studied previously at another institution, you will need to have applied for a Student visa sponsored by Queen's University Belfast, before you can enrol on your course.  

If you will be applying to extend your Student visa in the UK, you will need to meet the above eligibility requirements, including the Academic Progression requirements before you submit your visa application.

If you are switching to Queen's University Belfast from another institution, please contact immigration@qub.ac.uk for advice before applying for your Student visa.