Your responsibilities

Your responsibilities to the University are:

• Arrive at the University at the start of your course and by no later than the last date of arrival on your CAS.
• Provide the University with your passport and visa/Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)/visa share code when you register.  You will also be required to present these documents at any checkpoint arranged and any other time requested by the University.
• Ensure that your visa is valid for study at Keele University, updating Immigration Compliance and Advice if there are any changes to your visa and/or passport.
• Keep your contact details for the UK and your home country up-to-date via eVision (KLE portal).
• Study whilst you are in the UK and ensure that you attend all of your classes, tutorials and lectures.  You should seek prior permission from your School(s) of study/Research Institute/Faculty Research Office for any absences.  
• Follow the University's procedures if you need to take a Leave of Absence or withdraw from your course at Keele.
• Leave the UK if you do take a Leave of Absence, withdraw or are teminated from your course, or if your course is terminated.
• Comply with the conditions attached to your visa regarding working in the UK and registering with the Police (if required).
• Seek immigration advice from Immigration Compliance and Advice before you consider changing your course of study, adding a work placement/year abroad or repeating any part of your course.
• Check your Keele University email account regularly, undertaking any instruction given to you by the University.

Keele University students are required to keep their own copies of their visa, passport and correspondence from the UK Home Office.  In addition, students are required to keep their own personal copy of any documentation they submit to the UK Home Office, for example: when applying for a new visa or extending their current visa.  Original versions or copies of these documents can be requested by the University at any point during a student's time at Keele.

All students are reminded that it is their responsibility to ensure that they adhere to the conditions of their visa (leave to enter/remain) in the United Kingdom, and that Keele University is required to report on a student's status and activity to external agencies, including the UK Home Office.  Please note that if you are sponsored for a visa by Keele University (for example under the student visa route), we reserve the right to cancel this sponsorship if you do not adhere to the conditions of your visa (leave to enter/remain) and/or the University's regulations.

Checkpoints

Keele University can request students to attend one or more checkpoint events each academic year.  You will be given notice of this via email your University email account.  These checkpoints are run centrally for international students and are separate to your attendance on your course of study.  At a checkpoint, you will be required to present an original copy of your visa and passport for inspection.  You may also be required to present copies of your academic and English Language qualifications. 

Failure to attend a checkpoint will be deemed as failure to comply with the University's immigration responsibilities and students who do not attend, or fail to present the required information will be terminated from the University.  This will result in cancellation of the student visa.

Terminated students

Students who are terminated by the University (for example academic failure or non-payment of fees) will have the sponsorship of their visa by Keele cancelled.  The University is required to inform the UK Home Office (UKVI) of this within 10 working days from the date of termination; this is known as curtailment of your visa.  Students in this situation will be served a curtailment notice from UKVI, stating that they will have a set period of time to either leave the UK, find a new student visa sponsor or a new immigration category that they can apply to move into.  This period of time is expected to be either 60 days from the notice of your visa being cancelled or the end of your current leave to be in the UK, whichever is the sooner.  The University recommends that you leave the UK or find a new immigration sponsor within 28 days; this is to ensure that you are not refused under general grounds by UKVI if you subsequently choose to make a new visa/immigration application.

Note: there is no 28-day grace period of overstaying.  A student is an overstayer if they remain in the UK after the expiry date of their visa unless they submit a new, in-time visa application, which would meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules.

Students and staff are reminded that anyone in breach of the UK Immigration Rules (for example, those that are an overstayer) will not be allowed to undertake/continue studying at Keele University.

Council tax exemption

You are only exempt from paying council tax for the period you are registered as a student at Keele.  Once your programme end date has passed, you are no longer exempt from paying council tax, even if your visa is still valid.  You should update your local council on your change of circumstances at the end of your course. 

If you are living with students but you yourself are now working after your programme end date, the property is no longer exempt and you must updated your Borough Council of the change in circumstances.

Keele University has a duty of care to all its students and must, by law, comply with the immigration rules and the requirements of the UK Home Office Visas & Immigration (UKVI).  Our responsibilities are:

• Cancel your student status resulting in the termination of your Student Visa if you do not arrive and complete the required UK Home Office document checks by the last date of arrival on your CAS.
• Check and keep copies of your original passport and visas/Biometric Residence Permit(BRP)/visa share code when you register.  Reviewing these documents at contact points (checkpoints) throughout the year and recording any changes (for example, passport renewal).
• Keep your UK and home contact details up-to-date and keep a record of any changes of address.
• Ensure that we only register students with a visa/immigration status valid for study at Keele University.
• Report to UKVI those students who do not register on time.
• Monitor student attendance, reporting unauthorised absences to UKVI and terminate students who do not attend.
• Monitor and report to UKVI any change of status, such as Leave of Absence, change in course length, termination or exclusion/expulsion.
• Notify UKVI of any significant changes in your circumstances, such as a change of course or completion of your studies where this is earlier than expected.
• Notify UKVI if we are aware that you are in breach of your immigration conditions.
• Keep a copy of your ATAS certificate if your programme of study requires one.
• Any other duties required by the UK Home Office, including supporting immigration control.

Note: this is not an exhaustive list but provides examples of the nature of the University's responsibilities and the types of circumstance in which the University will need to capture information on students and reporting it accordingly.

When a student enrols at the start of their course, the University must ensure that it adheres to its requirements as a UK Home Office student visa sponsor.  When enrolling at the University, students need to show us their passport and visa, which we are required to copy and keep for our records.  When you have completed enrollment and presented your passport and visa, we will then give you your Keele Card.

Note: you will only have a Keele Card available to collect from us if you have submitted a passport photograph during the pre-enrolment process.

Prior to coming to Keele, you must log in to your Keele email account, using the username and password which you use to log into eVision.  Important messages from schools will be sent to your Keele email address throughout your time at Keele, so it is important that you check it daily.  All students will be able to view their timetable on eVision and the Keele app by the start of the semester.