Registration Issues/Passport Scanning
If you’ve entered the UK on a Tier 4 Student Visa, or you have any other type of visa, the University is required to take a copy for our records and you will need to attend a passport copying session as a condition of your registration at Sussex. If you obtain a new visa at anytime during your studies you will also need to provide us with a copy of this.
New students can begin the registration process online from 1 September. However, in order to complete your registration the university will need to take a scan of your passport and visa. This can be done at in-person registration when you arrive at Sussex.
You will need to bring the following original documents to in-person registration at the relevant time:
- Your passport
- Your visa, leave stamps or immigration status document showing your permission to stay in the UK
- Your biometric identity card (if you have one).
You will be able to collect your University ID card at this session but, please note, that your ID card will not be released until you have completed all elements of the registration process. If you are required to have your passport/visa scanned but you are unable to attend one of the above sessions, you should take your documents to the International and Study Abroad Office (Friston building) or the Student Progress Office (Sussex House). The University has an obligation to tell the UK Border Agency (UKBA) if students holding a Tier 4 visa to come to Sussex do not arrive on time (there will be a latest registration date that admissions will set for your course), so you should make sure we scan your visa as soon as possible.
*** If you have not provided your details we will assume that you have not arrived and report this to the UKBA. ***
If you extend your visa at any point during your studies, or switch into another immigration cetegory, you must inform us immediately and we will need to take a scan of your new visa.
- Students switching institutions from within the UK (including ISC students)
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If you are currently in the UK on a non-Sussex Tier 4 student visa which is tied to another institution (this includes students who have been studying with the International Study Centre) and want to enrol at Sussex, the registration procedures are different. These procedures also apply to people in the UK on a work related visa who then switch into Tier 4 and have a pending application.
If you applied for your current Tier 4 student visa before 5 October 2009 and you still have leave remaining which you want to use to study at Sussex, you will need to obtain permission from the UKBA by completing a Permission to Switch application form (cost £160). Details on how to do this can be found in the Tier 4 policy guidance paragraphs 337-341. It will be necessary for Sussex to see proof that you have sent this application before we can enrol you, so please keep a copy of the postage receipt or acknowledgment letter from the UKBA and bring it to registration with you.
If you applied for your current Tier 4 student visa on or after 5 October 2009, this visa will be tied to your previous Tier 4 sponsor, and we will not be able to register you at Sussex on this visa. Before we can enrol you at Sussex, we will need to see proof that you have made an application to the UKBA using a University of Sussex CAS. You will need to bring the following documents to registration:
- cover sheet from online visa application showing submission date
- copy of previous visa so we can see that you submitted the application before your current visa expired
When you finally receive your Sussex visa from the UKBA, we will need to take a copy to complete your registration. If your visa application is ultimately refused, or you made the application after your visa expiry date, it may not be possible for you to remain registered on your current course.
Please email immigration@sussex.ac.uk if you are unclear about any of the above procedures.
- Students with a Sussex visa which is about to expire
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If you have been studying at Sussex (for example with the Sussex Centre for Language Studies) and have a Tier 4 student visa which is about to expire, you will be given a provisional registration so you can enroll on your new course. However, you will need to submit a valid Tier 4 student application before your visa expires and provide us with the following proof that you have submitted this application:
- cover sheet from online visa application showing submission date
- copy of previous visa so we can see that you submitted the application before your current visa expired
If you submit your application after your visa expiry date, or you are not in a position to submit a valid application (for example because your finances are not ready), then it may not be possible for you to remain registered.
- IMPORTANT - other terms and conditions for registration
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If you have a pending visa application in any other immigration category we will not be able to register you. You will need to obtain the visa first (except in the case of a Tier 4 application, see above). Also, under Sussex policy if you have a work related visa (such as Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 5, Turkish ECAA Businesspersons etc.) you will not be able to register on a full time course of study, and will be permitted to register on part-time courses only (unless you have a pending Tier 4 application).
Furthermore, all visit categories, other than student visitors and child visitors, have a requirement that the applicant does not intend to undertake study in the UK. Those granted leave on or after 6 September 2012 in a visit category are also subject to a condition prohibiting study. This means that if you enter the UK as a general visitor or a business visitor for example, you will not be able to study and Sussex will not be able to register you on your course.
If you are in any doubt, please contact the immigration advice team to discuss your case further.