The UK has a points-based immigration system. For an overview, in English and several other European languages go to: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-uks-points-based-immigration-system-information-for-eu-citizens
Student route visa
If you’re coming to study at RCS for a degree and you’re not from the UK or Ireland, you will need a visa to study. You should apply for a Student route visa in your home country and only travel to the UK on or after the ‘valid from’ date printed on your visa. You will be applying for what is called “permission to enter” from the UK Home Office via their online application form.
To apply for a Student route visa you will need a CAS number (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) to enable you to apply. The CAS number is valid for a period of six months and is issued to those successful applicants who:
- have accepted an unconditional offer
- paid their deposit
- completed and submitted the Student Route CAS Evidence Request Form
- completed and returned the Student route parental consent form 2023 2024 (under 18s only)
- submitted a copy of the ID page of the valid travel document* you intend to use to travel to the UK to international@rcs.ac.uk
If you have met the requirements above, we will start the CAS issuing process from May 2024. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU CANNOT APPLY FOR YOUR STUDENT ROUTE VISA BEFORE YOU HAVE BEEN ISSUED WITH YOUR CAS.
When your CAS is issued by RCS you will be sent a detailed information guide with instructions on how to apply for your visa. The fee for applications made outside the UK is currently £490. Please also refer to the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website, where there is useful information about this process.
You should apply for your visa at https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/apply
We have put together a guide to Studying in the UK – The Student Route
*from 1 October 2021 only the following groups of people can use their EU, EEA or Swiss national ID card to enter the UK:
- those who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme
- those who have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme but not yet received a decision
- those who have an EU Settlement Scheme family permit
- those who have a frontier worker permit
- S2 Healthcare Visitors
- Swiss nationals who have a Service Provider from Switzerland visa
Students coming to RCS on Erasmus+, International Exchange or Study Abroad for 6 months or less
If you are coming to RCS in September 2024 or January 2025 as an Erasmus+, International Exchange or Study Abroad student for a duration of less than six months you should enter the UK as a Standard Visitor. To assess whether you can apply for permission to enter on arrival in the UK or whether you must apply prior to leaving your home country will depend on a number of factors. Please see the guidance below for further information.
Studying in the UK – The Visitor Visa
Before you arrive
All Student route visa holders should make sure that they have the right permission to enter (i.e. a visa) before leaving home to travel to the UK. If you notice that you have been issued with a visa that contains an error (e.g. your name, nationality or ‘valid from’ date) please email international@rcs.ac.uk immediately.
Student route applicants on courses of more than 6 months in length are issued with a vignette (sticker) in their passport which is valid for 90 days and permits entry to the UK. Once you arrive in the UK you have 10 days in which to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) from your local Post Office this will be listed on your decision letter. However, we advise that you do this as soon as possible as you will be asked to provide your BRP at matriculation.
UKVI are currently in the process of switching to Electronic Visas (evisas). Your BRP will likely be valid until 31st December 2024 and you should keep it safe in your accommodation. If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss national you may be given an electronic visa, in which case there will be nothing for you to collect from your Post Office.
When to arrive
Student route vignettes have a ‘valid from’ date which is 30 days before the start of your course, or 7 days before the date that you stated on your application as your intended date of travel to the UK, whichever is later. When you receive your visa decision, check the valid from date on your vignette as you are eligible to arrive in the UK from this date onwards. Your vignette will be accompanied by a letter which you should keep and bring with you to the UK in your hand luggage.
Visitor vignettes and Student route vignettes for Student route permission for courses under 6 months or less have a ‘valid from’ date which is 7 days before the start of the course.
If you are a Student route student and a national of the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or Japan, you can use the electronic entry gates (eGates) at the airport if your passport has a ‘chip’. Please retain evidence of your arrival in the UK, such as your flight tickets, as you will be asked to show these at matriculation (enrolment).
If you are a non-visa national coming here as a Visitor for a period of study lasting 6 months or less, and you decided not to apply for permission to enter before leaving your home country, there is no need to arrive in Glasgow any more than a few days before the start of your course.
On arrival
On arrival in the UK you will need to pass through Immigration Control. This is different from Customs. After you have been through Immigration Control and collected your luggage you will proceed through Customs. Please see the following website link for information on restricted and prohibited items when entering the UK.
Remember to carry the following in your hand luggage:
• a valid passport
• Permission to enter (i.e. a visa, if required) – for most people this is a vignette (sticker) in their passport
• documentary evidence submitted with your visa application
• documentary evidence of sufficient financial support for the duration of the academic year
• a note of your UK address, if obtained
• a Tuberculosis (TB) certificate, if required
If you have any problems at Immigration control or are refused entry to the UK you should call the International and Student Experience team on (+44) 0141 270 8206 or email international@rcs.ac.uk.
Sometimes there are errors on the vignettes and/or the BRPs. If you notice an error on your visa vignette in your passport and you notice this only upon arrival in the UK, you should collect your BRP before your vignette expires. The BRP will probably have the same error as the vignette. Once you have collected your BRP you must report the error online (unless the error is related to the condition to register with the police) within 10 days. The International and Student Experience Team can report errors on your behalf. Please contact them at international@rcs.ac.uk
Arriving via Ireland
You might decide to travel to the UK via the Republic of Ireland. If you do so, it is critical to understand that both the UK and the Republic of Ireland are part of a Common Travel Area (CTA). This means that there will be no immigration control on arrival in the UK from the Republic of Ireland. There are some particular requirements for those choosing to fly to the UK via Ireland. Please read this guide on arriving via Ireland for further information.
Healthcare
As part of the Student route visa application you will be asked to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. It costs £776 per year of your course. To calculate how much you will need to pay, use the calculator at this UK Government link. This will grant you free access to the National Health Service (NHS) on the same basis as anyone who is ordinarily resident in the UK, for the whole of the period shown on your Student route Biometric Residence Permit. Information about the NHS and what it does can be found here.
If you are in the UK as a Visitor for full-time study purposes with 6 months’ permission to be in the UK then you can also access the NHS free of charge. However, for any periods when you are not a full-time student you should take out private medical insurance.
For swiss students, please use this link for further information.
Please see NHS Inform for further information
Insurance
Being insured is important for students, even in a safe city like Glasgow. There are several different types of insurance (health insurance, travel insurance as well as insurance to cover your property and your possessions within it).
Some things that students might want to get insurance for are:
- health – although you will have free access to the NHS does the service offered meet your particular needs? For most people it definitely will, but if you have a pre-existing medical condition that requires specialist treatment, you might want to consider other options.
- Travel – are you going to be travelling around the rest of the UK and/or overseas? If so, you’ll need to take out your own travel insurance
- Buildings and Contents – are you going to be living in a privately rented flat-share? If so, you should take out a policy to cover damage to your property and/or theft of the contents within it
Some useful websites about insurance are:
- https://www.endsleigh.co.uk/student/international-student-insurance/
- https://www.gocompare.com/student-insurance/
- https://www.moneysupermarket.com/health-insurance/
Please direct all enquiries relating to your visa to international@rcs.ac.uk