Suspension and withdrawal
Information for Tier 4 International Students
Any change to your student status, such as suspension or withdrawal from your studies, could affect your immigration status in the UK. The University is required to report any changes in your status to the Home Office UK Visas and Immigration and you may be advised/required to leave the UK.
If you intend to study at another institution you will need to obtain a new Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies and a new Visa for that institution before being allowed to start.
Before you decide to withdraw or suspend you should contact the Immigration Advice Service to get advice on what this means for you. Find out more about accessing the service.
The Home Office UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that universities monitor the attendance and academic engagement of International students who hold Tier 4 student visas sponsored by the University. Students should ensure they attend all academic learning events and engage in all aspects of their course, for which their visa was issued for. Failure to academically engage in the course may put a student’s visa status at risk.
Schools monitor designated academic sessions/meetings/coursework that all students would be expected to attend/submit as a normal part of their studies. Students who do not academically engage with their course would be communicated with and given the opportunity to improve their engagement before action to withdraw sponsorship for this purpose was take. In cases of persistent and/or prolonged absence with no extenuating circumstances or authorised absence present, Tier 4 visa sponsorship would be withdrawn for a student, causing a student’s visa status to be curtailed (cancelled) by UKVI.
Some schools have chosen to record attendance/engagement data for all students (home, EU and International) and some schools at present will only record this data for International Tier 4 students. The University expects to roll out monitoring the attendance and engagement of all students (home, EU and International) as a requirement across all schools in the medium term.