Important information for visa applicants

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Dear ‎,

We are looking forward to welcoming you to King's.

To help you get ready for the start of term, please read the following important information about coming to the UK on a Student visa:

Before you travel to the UK
Entering the UK and using the eGates
Generating your eVisa

Before you travel to the UK

You must wait until your Student visa has been issued before you can travel to the UK, otherwise you will not be able to complete your enrolment at King’s. Do not travel to the UK before receiving your Student visa, or before its start date.

Once your application is approved, you'll receive a temporary short-term travel vignette (visa sticker) in your passport allowing you to enter the UK.

The visa sticker will be valid for 90 days, during which time you can travel to and enter the UK. It will display a ‘valid from’ date and expiry date on it. Be sure not to travel to the UK before the 'valid from' date.

Check your Student visa for any mistakes as soon as you receive it. For more details, read our article Checking your Student visa.

As you get ready to arrive in the UK, make sure to read our article I need to travel to the UK.

Entering the UK and using the eGates

You must enter the UK during the validity of your travel vignette to be eligible to enrol at King’s.

If you travel before the start date of your travel vignette or before your Student visa is granted, you will enter the UK as a Standard Visitor and you will not be able to enrol at King’s.

The Student visa application process must be completed before traveling to the UK; it cannot be finalised once you are inside the country.

As a national eligible to use the eGates (electronic gates), you must keep evidence of the date that you entered the UK, such as a flight ticket or boarding pass.

You will need to provide this evidence to successfully complete the Right to Study check as part of enrolment. If you have questions regarding Right to Study, contact the Visa Compliance Team and we will be glad to help.

If exceptional circumstances mean you are not able to be in London and ready to attend your in-person classes by the start of teaching, you need to let your faculty know as soon as possible. See our article What should I do if I am arriving late? for further information.

Once you have arrived in the UK, you will need to create your UKVI account to generate your eVisa if you have not already done so. Follow the steps below to create your account.

Generating your eVisa

An eVisa is your visa status that you can view online using a UVKI account. It is replacing physical visa documents like Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs).

If you provide your biometrics at a Visa Application Centre overseas after 31 October 2024, you will receive a 90-day vignette instead of a BRP.

While the 90-day vignette will allow you to travel to the UK, you must create a UKVI account. This account will enable you to:

Access your eVisa
Verify your immigration status in the UK.

Please visit the UK government's eVisa website to create your account. You don’t need to pay a fee or submit a new visa application to do this.

Once you create your UKVI account and link it to your eVisa, you can view your eVisa by logging into your UKVI account through the UK government's view and prove webpage.

To learn more about the process of creating a UKVI account and accessing your eVisa, watch the guidance video available on the UK government’s website.

If you have any questions or concerns about the length of your visa, or how any changes to your study might impact your visa, please contact the Visa & International Student Advice team.

Best wishes,
King's Visa Compliance Team

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You are receiving this email because you are either a current student or due to begin a programme of study at King’s College London from January or February 2025.

If these emails are being sent to your personal email address, we will use this address to send you information about joining King’s until 15 February 2025. After this date we will stop using your personal email address and contact you via your @kcl.ac.uk email address.

If you are a new student and required to undergo further eligibility checks for your programme, such as DBS and/or Occupational Health clearance, ATAS or obtaining a Student Visa, please ensure you complete these processes as soon as possible before the start date. If you have requested to change programme on King’s Apply, King’s Admissions will get back to you as soon as possible.

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