The Student Room Group

Enter the UK without Student Visa?

Hello,

I am attending university in the UK starting in the fall as an international student. I am currently a Canadian citizen which means I can visit the UK without a visa, but nonetheless I need to apply for a student visa. However, it is possible that I will not receive my student visa before having to arrive in the UK. Thus my question is, is it possible to arrive without a student visa and simply as a Canadian citizen until I receive my student visa? Do I need the student visa to attend university, move in, etc?
I was told that I need the visa to begin studies. My firm uni will accommodate students who arrive up to a month late due to visa delays, so you might email the international officer for your uni and ask about the policy for students with late visas. Also, I thought I would receive my visa late too, but the international officer said I would likely get mine in time (from their experience). Have you applied for the visa yet?
You could enter the country using a different visa and stay for a short period.
But you need to check if you would need to leave the country and re-enter when your visa is issued in order to meet the requirements of your visa. You university visa team should be able to help you understand if that’s required (and whether it can be met by leaving the UK to a nearby country like France and returning or if you’d have to go home to Canada and return on your student visa).
I have had students in the past who tried this - and when they tried to enrol at their Uni, they did not have the right visa and were deported, so please do not do this.

Phone your Uni for advice - they will have a team who deal with student visas / issue CAS etc, and they will be able to give you the best advice.

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