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If you are an international student attending your University of Gloucestershire graduation ceremony, you may need immigration permission to travel to the UK.
This page explains:
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I am outside the UK and want to return for my graduation
Do I need a Standard Visitor visa?
Standard Visitor visa
How do I get a University letter for my graduation visa application?
Bringing family or friends to your graduation
Can I apply for a Standard Visitor visa from inside the UK?
What should I carry when I travel to the UK?
Healthcare and travel insurance
If your Standard Visitor visa is refused
If you have completed your course and are outside the UK, you will normally need to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor to attend your graduation ceremony.
The Standard Visitor route allows you to visit the UK for purposes including tourism and visiting family or friends. A visit to attend your graduation ceremony is also an appropriate use of the Visitor route.
Depending on your nationality, you may need to:
Use the gov.uk ‘Check if you need a UK visa‘ service to check what applies to you.
If you still have valid Student permission, you can normally travel outside the UK and return while that permission remains valid, including during the ‘wrap-up’ period after you have completed your course.
However, if you have finished your course and then leave the UK, you should not assume that you can return for your graduation using your Student visa simply because it has not yet expired.
Your Student visa was granted so that you could study in the UK. If you have completed your studies and are returning only to attend your graduation ceremony, the purpose of your journey is now to visit the UK. For this reason, you may need to obtain the appropriate Visitor permission before travelling back to the UK for graduation.
If you do travel using your existing Student permission, the final decision about whether you can enter the UK will be made by a Border Force Officer when you arrive. They may want to be satisfied that you intend to carry out the activity you have travelled for and leave the UK before your immigration permission expires, or that you intend to make a valid application to extend your permission from within the UK.
You should carry relevant documents with you when you travel in case you are asked to provide evidence. For example, if you are returning for graduation, you should carry evidence confirming the date of your graduation ceremony. If you intend to make, or have already made, another UK immigration application, you should also carry any relevant evidence relating to that application.
This depends mainly on your nationality.
A visa national is someone whose nationality means they must obtain a UK visa before travelling to the UK as a visitor.
A non-visa national is someone whose nationality means they do not normally need to obtain a Standard Visitor visa in advance for a short visit. However, many non-visa nationals now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling.
For example, someone travelling on an Indian passport is normally a visa national, so they would need a Standard Visitor visa before coming to the UK for graduation. Someone travelling on a Canadian passport is normally a non-visa national, so they would not normally need a Visitor visa, but would need an ETA.
Use the gov.uk ‘Check if you need a UK visa‘ service to check what applies to you.
You must apply for and receive a Standard Visitor visa before you travel to the UK.
You cannot travel to the UK and apply for the visa when you arrive.
You will not normally need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before travelling. However, most non-visa nationals now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling to the UK.
An ETA gives you permission to travel to the UK but does not guarantee that you will be permitted to enter. You must still meet the Standard Visitor requirements when you arrive in the UK.
To come to the UK as a Standard Visitor, you must satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) that you are a genuine visitor.
You must be able to show that:
There is no fixed amount of money that every Visitor must have. UKVI will consider whether the money available to you is reasonable when compared with the length and expected cost of your visit and your personal circumstances.
If you need a Standard Visitor visa, the earliest you can apply is three months before the date you intend to travel to the UK. You should apply as early as reasonably possible once you are within this three-month period and have the documents you need.
A Standard Visitor visa for a visit of up to six months currently costs £135.
Processing times can vary, particularly during busy periods, so check the current processing time before making plans.
Check UK visa processing times on the gov.uk website.
Do not make non-refundable travel arrangements before your visa has been granted. UKVI recommends allowing sufficient time for your application and advises applicants not to book travel before receiving a decision.
If you need a Standard Visitor visa before travelling, you must apply online through gov.uk.
As part of the application process, you will normally need to:
The application form will ask for information including your proposed travel dates, where you intend to stay, the estimated cost of your visit, and information about your personal and financial circumstances.
There is not one fixed document checklist that is appropriate for every Standard Visitor application.
Your evidence should help UKVI understand three main things:
For a graduation visit, this could include:
Your evidence should make the purpose and planned length of your visit clear.
You should provide evidence showing that you can meet the reasonable costs of your visit without working or accessing public funds. Depending on your circumstances, this might include:
Your financial evidence should be consistent with what you declare on your visa application. For example, if a large amount of money has recently appeared in your account and its source is not clear, you should provide appropriate evidence explaining where it came from.
If somebody else will pay for your visit
Another person can pay towards your travel, accommodation or living costs. If you are relying on financial support from another person, consider providing evidence of:
UKVI will consider both whether the support is genuine and whether the person providing it can afford to support you.
A Visitor must satisfy UKVI that they intend to leave the UK at the end of their visit. Evidence will depend on your personal circumstances but could include evidence of:
For example, if you are employed, a letter from your employer confirming your job, salary, length of employment and authorised leave can help demonstrate your circumstances outside the UK.
You can provide details of your intended travel arrangements and where you plan to stay, but you should not feel that you need to purchase flights or hotel accommodation simply to provide evidence for your visa application.
Current UKVI guidance specifically identifies hotel bookings and flight bookings as documents that are generally less useful as evidence in a Visitor visa application. Instead, concentrate on evidence showing:
Documents that are not in English must be accompanied by a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office.
The translation must include:
Once you have booked your place at your University of Gloucestershire graduation ceremony, you can download a personal invitation letter through your graduation booking, by logging into Student Records Online, select Ceremonies Booking, and access your personal invitation letter.
The letter can be included with your Standard Visitor visa application as evidence of the reason for your visit.
Visit our ‘Graduation booking, tickets and visa letters‘ webpage for further information, or contact the University’s Graduation Team for additional support.
The University cannot guarantee that a visa application will be successful. UKVI will consider your complete application and your individual circumstances when making its decision.
Family members and friends who are travelling to the UK to attend your graduation must meet the UK’s immigration requirements in their own right. They are not included on your immigration permission simply because they are attending your graduation.
Depending on their nationality, each visitor may need to:
They should use the gov.uk ‘Check if you need a UK visa‘ service to check what applies to them.
For further information, review the ‘visa nationals and non-visa nationals‘ guidance in the relevant sections above.
The University does not provide an individual invitation letter addressed to each family member or friend attending your graduation. Your guests can instead include a copy of your University graduation invitation letter with their application, as evidence of the reason for their visit.
You may also wish to write your own personal invitation letter for them, explaining who is visiting, why they are coming, where they will stay and how the visit will be funded.
Your invitation letter can include:
The letter is written and signed by you. It does not need to be signed or authorised by the University. You can give the letter directly to your family member or friend so that they can include it with their application.
Their application should reflect their own circumstances.
They should provide evidence of three main things:
For example:
For example:
If you or somebody else will pay for some or all of their visit, they should also explain this and provide appropriate supporting evidence.
For example:
The purpose of this evidence is to help demonstrate that they are a genuine visitor and intend to leave the UK at the end of their visit.
Standard Visitors are generally not permitted to work in the UK, whether paid or unpaid, except for specific activities expressly permitted under the Immigration Rules.
Visitors must also be able to support themselves without relying on employment in the UK or accessing public funds.
You should not plan to switch from a Student visa to the Standard Visitor route while remaining in the UK, simply so that you can stay for your graduation. You may prefer to consider switching from a Student visa to a Graduate visa, if eligible, in order to remain in the UK beyond your original Student visa expiry date.
If you need Visitor permission to return for your graduation, you should leave the UK and obtain the appropriate permission to return as a Visitor.
Even if you have already received a Standard Visitor visa or ETA, Border Force can ask you about the purpose of your visit when you arrive.
It is sensible to have access to documents that explain your visit, such as:
If you are a non-visa national travelling with an ETA, remember that an ETA gives you permission to travel, but does not itself guarantee entry to the UK.
Visitors do not have the same access to NHS healthcare as somebody who has paid the Immigration Health Surcharge through a longer-term visa. You should therefore arrange appropriate travel and medical insurance for the whole period of your visit.
UKCISA recommends that Visitors obtain private medical insurance covering the duration of their stay.
If your application is refused, read the visa refusal notification carefully. It should explain why UKVI was not satisfied that you met the Visitor requirements.
Do not simply submit the same application and documents again without addressing the reasons given for the refusal.
If you are a University of Gloucestershire graduate and need advice about a refusal relating to attendance at your graduation ceremony, contact International Student Services and provide a copy of the refusal notice.