What is your BRP?
Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is a highly important form of identification that you must always keep on you as it will confirm your identity and your right to study at the university. You will also be required to provide it at your face-to-face enrolment appointment with the compliance team.
How to collect your BRP?
If your immigration application was successful, you will be informed on your decision letter. Your decision letter will also have the location to collect your BRP from (Usually a post office with a name and address).
When can you collect your BRP?
Your BRP will be ready to collect after you have been in the UK for 10 days.
Do you need to bring anything when collecting your BRP?
Yes, you must bring either your Passport or your travel documents (with the vignette sticker) as proof of your ID and valid entry into the UK.
Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is an important document issued by the Home Office (UKVI) which shows evidence of your immigration permissions. It is imperative that you keep your BRP safe so if you lose it or if it is stolen, you will need to report this immediately.
Lost or Stolen BRP
Error on BRP Card
If you believe that there is an error on your BRP card, you must report this to UKVI within 10 days of collecting it. You can do this via the below link.
Biometric residence permits (BRPs): Report a problem with your new BRP – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
If you are unsure, please contact us and we can discuss this with you.
Visa Expires on 31 December 2024
Please note that if your BRP expires on 31st December 2024 but you are aware it should be longer, this is not an error.
From 1st January 2025 you will be able to prove your immigration status online without a BRP.
UKVI should contact you on how to update your BRP in early 2024. Otherwise, you do not need to do anything and your immigration status will not be affected.
BRP Sent to Ulster Main Campus (Belfast)
If you have accidentally requested for your BRP to be sent to the University’s main campus in Belfast, please inform us immediately. We will be able to ask for it to be sent to your respective campus if so.
What is my Student ID Card?
Your Student ID card must be always kept on you while attending the university. It will be required to enter the university and will contain your student ID number, which will be necessary to access your student resources.
Where can I collect my Student Card?
Your student ID card can be collected from the Student Services Desk.
When can I collect my Student Card
You can collect your Student ID card once you have been attending your classes for 2 Weeks, it is important that your attendance is good in your first 2 weeks of classes otherwise your ID card will be delayed.
If you are struggling to find accommodation, our accommodation team is here to help. Please contact them via email at QAHEAccommodation@qa.com.
What discounts are available?
During your studies you can receive discounted travel (Bus and train) and student discounts on a range of items including clothes, technology and food.
How do I get discounted travel?
Depending on if you travel by bus or train the requirements will be different. If you would like discounted bus travel, you can apply for a bus pass. You will need to provide proof of being at full time education within 10 days of ordering your bus tickets. You can request for an enrolment letter from student services which you can provide as proof.
If you would like discounted travel for trains, you can apply for a 16-25 railcard by filling in the form and attaching a passport style photo to the form. Once completed, bring the form to Student Services where it can be stamped and validated. The form can then be given to the train station.
How do I access more student discounts?
There are many websites which provide student discounts. These include UNiDAYS and Student Beans. They require verification checks so you will have to login with your student email address to access these discounts. They also have apps available which you can download on your phone.
Change of programme
If you are thinking about changing your programme, there needs to be a valid reason to make this request.
Please be mindful that you will be permitted to change to a programme if the duration of that programme is either the same or less duration of the programme that you are currently enrolled in.
Approval of the request is subject to space availability.
You will be required to contact our Finance Team to understand the financial consequences of this change, as this change may apply additional fees or an admin charge. You can contact our Finance Team via email: QA.UlsterFinance@qa.com
You will need to confirm to the compliance team by writing that you understand the financial implications of this change and you still wish to proceed with your request.
In order to proceed with your request, it must be approved by all relevant departments such as Compliance, Registry, Finance and Academics.
If you wish to drop your Advanced Practice module – All of the above information is applicable in this case. Please note that if you proceed with this request, as soon as you pass your modules of your 1st and 2nd semester, you will go straight to dissertation which means that you will not be eligible for the holiday.
We have a duty to report this change to UKVI; when you complete your programme (without AP) and if this is earlier than your normal course completion date, we are required to report to UKVI that you have completed the programme earlier than expected, which may lead to a curtailment of your current visa.
If you have successfully completed the programme, and your intention is to apply for a Graduate Route scheme, if your student visa is still current (you have not received a curtailment letter, or if you have there is still time on your curtailed leave), you will still be able to make the application for the Graduate Route.
Change of Campus
Please note that change of campus is subject to the above information.
We will check if at the time of your CAS application, you had enough funds to leave in Birmingham or London, depending on your request.
In case your intention Is to change from Birmingham to London campus and at the time of your CAS application and you have not demonstrated that you have enough funds to pay the fees and live in London, your request will be rejected.
For any further queries, please contact our Registry Team via email: QAHE.Registry@qa.com
Click here to see a visual guide on how to access timetable and navigate.
According to UKVI regulations, students are only allowed to work full-time during their official vacation period or after they have submitted their final assessment. For confirmation of your vacation periods, please refer to your academic calendar. During term time, including the resit period (students will have revision sessions), students are allowed to work 20 hours per week.
A letter authorising full-time work is unnecessary during your official holiday period. It’s important to note that travel or engaging in full-time work is only sanctioned within the dates specified on your academic calendar.
Should you choose to work full-time or travel during your designated holiday period, it’s crucial to know that employers or immigration officers may request documentation verifying your visa status and work authorisation. Your student portal provides access to your term letter and academic calendar, both of which serve as valid documentation for full-time work or travel during official holiday periods.
Once you have completed your coursework and entered the holiday period, you are permitted to work full-time. For travel or full-time work purposes post-course completion, please consult your CAS statement.
It’s important to highlight that if you fail any modules and need to resist, you forfeit eligibility for a holiday period. Your term letter serves as confirmation of your current student status at Ulster University and your student visa holder status. Additionally, the academic calendar is a useful reference for confirming approved holiday periods allowing international travel and full-time work.
Letters that students can request from Student Services
There are different kinds of letters our students can request from Student Services– Holiday, Term Letter, Emergency Travel Letter, Bank Letter and Council Tax Letter.
Please contact our Student Services team to request these.
Travel Letters can only be approved by Compliance if the dates fall during your official academic holiday period – this can be found in your academic calendar (Term Letter). Please note once your letter has been approved, it will be uploaded onto your student QA Portal and you will be informed by Student Services of this.
Your Term Letter can be found on your student portal and can be provided to confirm your status as an international student and prove your right to work to an employer.
A Council Tax Letter can be provided to your local council to prove your student status and exempt you from paying council tax.
The Bank Letter can be used to set up a UK bank account.
Emergency Travel Letter
You can request an emergency travel letter during your term time if you need to leave the UK due to an urgent family matter. Please fill out an emergency travel request form here.
We aim to review your request within 2 working days. Please note, we would need your Course Director’s approval before issuing any emergency letters.
Once your letter has been approved, you will be notified by the Compliance Team.
Payment Options
You can make payment via several different methods:
London Campus – 11.30am to 3.30pm
Birmingham Campus – 11.30am to 2.30pm
Your Finance number (starting with 10) should be used as the payment reference.
| Beneficiary Name: | QAHE (ULST) LTD |
| Account Number: | 70533971 |
| Sort Code: | 20-55-34 |
| IBAN: | GB66BARC20553470533971 |
| SWIFT Code | BARCGB22 |
3.Payment Link. Please login to the link below and select “1 Instalment”. We will not accept instalment plans created without prior authorisation.
https://qa.ulster.ac.uk/apply/finance/payment/
Our Student Welfare Service are here to support your well-being during your studies. Our Welfare team can provide a package of holistic support to meet each student’s needs, offering services such as counselling, support for students in financial hardship, support for pregnant students, as well as support for other welfare issues.
Please email them at qahe.welfare@qa.com or call 0121 756 9578.
Resit/Retakes are decided by the Exam Board that convenes according to pre decided dates. If an Exam board gives you an academic code that necessitates a resit/retake, you would be provided with a CAS Extension if eligible.
For queries around your results, please contact your Academic Team below:
uuacademicenquiries@qa.com
Please note they aim to respond to queries within 5 working days.
Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing your course.
In order to be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa, you should have received Grade S1, meaning that you have successfully completed the course taken with your current Student visa or Tier 4 (General) student visa, having passed all modules. If a student exits their course with a lower award before their course end date, the university is obliged by UKVI to withdraw the student and they would not be eligible to apply for a Graduate visa.
You can only apply for a Graduate visa after completing your course and your student visa must still be valid when you make your application. You should have no outstanding fees. You should have already provided your immigration documents, eg. Stamped Vignette and BRP – these will be requested from you if the documents on our records are not up to date. Graduate visa applications must be made from within the UK.
Please see the link for more information – Graduate visa: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What is a course completion letter?
A course completion letter is a letter of completion stating that you have finished your course. This can be provided to your employer in order to work full time, free of charge. Once you have received your official exam board decision you can request for this letter. You need to have no outstanding fees to be eligible for a course completion letter.
Please note a transcript can be requested, however this is not the same as a course completion letter. You need to hold your original transcript before you can request for a replacement transcript. This will be processed at a charge which is listed on the website.
How can I get a course completion letter?
To request for a course completion letter, you will need to contact the graduation team. Their email address is Graduation@qa.com. You will be sent a link to the Ulster University website, click the option for a letter of confirmation – if you attended Birmingham or London campus. You will then be asked to complete the details required on the form. It can take approximately 2-3 weeks for the letter to be processed. Completion letters are handled by Ulster University directly, so if you have requested for a completion letter, please allow enough time for the University to provide this. The letter will be sent as a PDF to your email address.
Please note that once you submit a leave of absence or decide to withdraw from the programme, we are also required to withdraw your student sponsorship. This means that the UKVI will curtail your leave and you will be given 60 days to either leave the UK or make an application for further leave to remain in the UK. You will need to send us evidence of this (e.g., boarding pass, copy of passport with entry stamp, app of new visa application)
If you still wish to proceed with withdrawal you will need to contact our Registry Team directly via email: QAHE.Registry@qa.com
If you are considering making a complaint we strongly advise you to raise the issue informally with the relevant member of staff most concerned with the issue, it is anticipated that most complaints will be resolved at this stage. However, if we are unable to resolve the issue informally you can pursue a formal complaint. Please see QA Higher Education Complaints Procedure for the Complaints Policy and form.
AS per UKVI regulations, we must withdraw student sponsorship if you are not actively
engaging with your studies.
If you are not able to attend classes or you would like to defer or interrupt your studies, we
recommend that you submit a leave of absence.
To request a LOA you will need to contact the registry team QAHE.Registry@qa.com. The
registry team will send you a LOA form to complete. Normally, leave of absence must be
taken for a full academic year. The registry team will inform you when you will be expected
to return.
Please note that LOA will need to be approved by Compliance team to inform you what will
be the implications on your visa. You will need to provide evidence if applicable to compliance team ulstercompliance@qa.com of the reasons that you are requesting a leave of absence, so
we can advise you, if a later date we will be able to issue with a new CAS out of country. This
will be accessed on individual basis.
In case you submit a leave of absence we compliance must withdraw your student
sponsorship. This means that the UKVI will curtail your current leave. When the UKVI
process the withdrawal of sponsorship, they will contact you and at that point you will be
given 60 days to either leave the UK or make an application for further leave to remain
under a different immigration route. On this occasion in case, you cannot leave the country,
we will recommend that you contact an immigration adviser or a solicitor to find out what
other visa routes you will be able to apply.
When you are ready to resume your studies, if you do not have alternative permission that
give you a right to study, you will need to return home and request a CAS/visa from
overseas. You will need to ensure that you meet all UKVI requirements, including the
financial requirement that you can find here, at the point you request a CAS.
The UKVI guidance is clear if you will be out of studies more then 60 days and no longer
able to complete the programme within the timeframe of your visa, we would be required
to withdraw sponsorship.
If you choose not to take a leave of absence, it is important that you engage fully with your
studies, as non-engagement will lead to withdrawal of sponsorship, and will be unable to
issue a CAS a later stage should this be required to complete the programme. Please read
our attendance policy.