UK Government 'Visa Brake' update

The UK Government has introduced a new ‘visa brake’ that affects student visa applications made outside the UK by nationals of:

• Afghanistan
• Cameroon
• Myanmar
• Sudan

This new restriction prevents applicants from these four countries from obtaining a student visa from outside the UK. The Government has stated that the decision is based on evidence showing a high proportion of asylum claims made by students from these countries after their arrival in the UK.

As a result of this policy change, we are no longer able to sponsor Student visa applications submitted from outside the UK by nationals of these countries.

If you require a student visa and are a national of one of the affected countries, we are unable to continue processing your application and it will therefore be withdrawn.

Exceptions

1. Students from South Sudan

This change does not apply to nationals of South Sudan.

You will need to provide a copy of your passport during the application process. If you are eligible for a student visa, we will continue to process your application as normal.

2. Applicants currently inside the UK

If you are already in the UK and are eligible to apply for a student visa from within the UK, we may still be able to process your application.

We will assess each case individually and may contact you for further information.

If you remain eligible, we will continue with your application.

You can contact us at any time with questions.

3. Applicants who do not require a student visa

If you do not need a student visa to study in the UK, or you believe this policy does not affect you, please send evidence to our admissions team at study@le.ac.uk.

They will review your documents as soon as possible.

If you are outside the UK

If you are not currently in the UK and are affected by this change, we are sorry that we are unable to support your ambition to study at the University of Leicester at this time.

If Government policies change in the future, we hope you will consider re applying.

Further information

You can read more about these changes on the UK Government website.

If you would like to speak with a member of our team, please email study@le.ac.uk.