Entry Clearance Error Correction Scheme eligibility

Length of visa

If you applied for your visa overseas and provided the Entry Clearance Officer with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number, you may be able use this scheme to correct the information on the visa from the UK without charge. This can only be done if the Embassy or High Commission overseas did not follow the following guidelines:

• postgraduate students should be given the length of their course plus four months
• non-postgraduate students coming for courses of one academic year or more, that finish in the summer, should be given until 31 October following the end of their course
• non-postgraduate students coming for courses of one academic year or more that do not follow the standard autumn to summer pattern should be given the length of their course plus four months
• dependants of students should be granted the same length of visa as the student (main applicant).

Short term students:

• studying English or another course of 12 months or less but more than six months' duration, should be granted to the end of the course plus two months (to end of the month)
• studying a course of six months or less, should be granted to the end of the course plus up to a maximum of seven days
• taking pre-sessional courses of six months or less, should be granted to the end of the course plus up to a maximum of one month.

Work conditions

Your visa will also contain information about your permission to work. One of the following statements will appear on your visa:

• work (and any changes) must be authorised
• able to work as authorised by the Secretary of State
• work as in Tier 4 Rules
• restricted Work. Part-time term time. Full-time vacations
• restricted work term time
• work limited to max 20 hrs per week during term-time
• work limited to max 10 hrs per week during term-time

For details of the hours you should be allowed to work, visit the UK Council for International Student Affairs webpage. You must not work if your passport sticker says ‘no work’ or ‘work prohibited’.

Other errors

• Mistakes in the University of Oxford Sponsor’s Licence Number (UED4UGNF1) can also be corrected.
• If there is a mistake in connection with a Police Registration requirement (omitted or added in error) this can also be amended using the scheme.

How to apply

If you notice an error and think that you could be eligible to apply to the Entry Clearance Error Correction Scheme, contact Student Immigration as soon as possible. Do not wait until your visa is due to expire.

You will need to have available:

• your passport and Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if your visa is not in your passport
• a photocopy of your visa or BRP
• a photocopy of the photo / ID page of your passport
• a photocopy of the CAS email statement from your college or department
• your contact details - telephone, email and address
• any details of future travel plans.

If it appears that a mistake was made, the University’s Visa Advisers will produce a letter containing all of the details. You will be asked to sign a declaration on this letter confirming that it is correct. This letter together with your original passport, Biometric Residence Permit (if the visa is not in the passport), two recent photos with your name on the back of each and an original police registration certificate (if applicable) will be sent to the Home Office in the UK by the Adviser. The same information would be required for any dependant(s) with an error to be corrected.

The process could take several weeks. Either a new 'residence permit' sticker or an amended Biometric Residence Permit with the corrected information will be issued and returned directly to the University via the Adviser who will then contact you.

Any review is based on the documents submitted at the time of application. No further documents can be provided in support of a request for the decision to be re-considered. It is a mistake in the decision which is being reviewed, not a mistake in the documentation provided.

What cannot be corrected?

The scheme cannot be used to correct mistakes in length of visa or other conditions if the visa was processed by the Home Office from within the UK, or entry was granted by Border Force Officers at ports of entry to the UK. Only mistakes on visas that were processed overseas can be corrected. If you identify a mistake, other than the mistakes listed above, which cannot be rectified through the scheme then contact Student Immigration. This includes if you have changed course or institution since applying for your visa.

Students with leave due to expire in two months or less

If your visa is due to expire when you notice a mistake and you want to submit your documents under the above scheme, you should discuss your options with a Visa Adviser.