Student Route Visa Responsibilities

For all students: 

You are required to attend all timetabled classes, meetings with tutors or supervisors, and any other arranged sessions.  You must inform your School of any temporary absence. Your School will check and confirm your attendance and engagement during the year for the International Student Census. If we are unable to confirm that you are attending and engaging with your course of study, we must notify the UKVI of this, resulting in the early cancellation of your visa.  

Important information for Master's students: 

Postgraduate taught students are normally required to attend their programme during semester 1 and 2 and also over the June-September period until their dissertation submission date.

Holiday entitlement is limited to the standard Christmas and Easter closures. Exceptionally, by discretion, you may apply to take a further 2 weeks' holiday in the summer period.

International students are required to seek approval from their academic School or this vacation in advance and are advised to take this leave as early as possible in the summer period (June). This is particularly important if you intend to travel outside the UK, as your visa eligibility to return to the UK to complete your studies may be affected. 

Important information for Postgraduate Research students: 

Unless your programme is a split-site PhD, you are expected to be based in the UK throughout your studies, aside from any required periods of overseas research or fieldwork as well as any vacation periods.

If you have a Tier 4 or Student visa for the Submission Pending period, you must continue to actively and consistently progress your thesis during this period and engage with your academic supervisor about your progress on a monthly basis at the very least. If you choose to work in the UK during Submission Pending, you can still work no more than 20 hours a week, paid or unpaid.

The UKVI concession on remote study ended on 30 June 2022. If you want to progress your writing up from outside the UK during SubP, sponsorship of your Tier 4 or Student visa can be maintained only temporary absences from the UK of up to 60 days in a 12 month period. If you choose to remain outside the UK for a longer period, you will lose your Tier 4 or Student visa status and will need to obtain a further visa to return to the UK, for example for an in-person viva. The Standard Visitor visa route is available for students seeking to return to Manchester for up to 6-months the viva and corrections, however this visa type cannot lead to eligibility for the Graduate route visa on successful completion of your degree.  

Your Student or Tier 4 visa allows limited working rights. It will be stated on your visa if you can work and the amount of hours you are allowed to work per week. A week is defined as a 7-day period starting on a Monday and ending on the following Sunday:

• If your course of study is at degree level or above you are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week during term time, and full time during vacations.
• If your course of study is below degree level you will be able to work 10 hours per week during term time and full-time during holidays

You can work full-time during vacation periods and after you have completed your course of study. This depends on the level of course you are studying:

• Undergraduate course: You can work full-time during vacation periods outlined here
• Postgraduate Taught course (Masters): You can work full-time during Christmas and Easter vacation periods but not during the summer as you should be working full-time on your dissertation.
• Postgraduate Research course (PhD): You cannot work full-time during standard University vacation periods, but you are permitted a maximum of 8 weeks’ vacation period each academic year as agreed with your supervisor.

Your weekly limit includes any paid work, unpaid work, voluntary work or otherwise and internships. You must not work beyond your allowed working hours or carry out any prohibited work. Breach of working rights can result in cancellation of your visa, fines and/or a ban on entry to the UK. For further information on work that you cannot do with a Student visa visit our webpage.

If you change your contact details at any time during your studies you are required to provide us with updated details through MyManchester. You must also inform UKVI directly of any changes. 

If you change your personal details (such as your name), or receive a new passport, you must update us as well as UKVI. 

This webpage on changes to your personal details explains more about what you should do.

We are required to report any significant changes in your studies to UKVI, such as a change in programme, study location, addition of a work placement, or course duration. Changes to your course may affect your visa and could require you to leave the UK to apply for a new Student visa. You must contact the Student Immigration Team for advice before submitting a formal request for a change to your School, Department, or Faculty.

We are also required to report you to UKVI if you withdraw from, or interrupt your programme of studies for more than 60 days. In this case your student status will cease (including your right to work), your visa will be curtailed (shortened) and you will be expected to leave the UK. 

Please read this section of changes during your studies for detailed guidance about different changes and how these may affect your visa.

Your ATAS certificate will remain valid for your programme of study, provided that your subject area does not change. If you wish to switch to a programme which requires ATAS clearance you must obtain an ATAS certificate before you can transfer to that new programme. If your area of research or programme is likely to change to one still affected by the requirement to have ATAS clearance, then you must not register on the new programme or start the new area of research until a new ATAS certificate has been obtained. If your programme end date is postponed by more than three months, you will need to apply for fresh ATAS clearance within 28 days.

Please see this section on ATAS for more guidance.

If you change your immigration status by moving into another visa category you must contact us immediately and provide a copy of your new visa so we can update your records including your new visa expiry date. See this section for more information about changes to your immigration category.