Correcting visa errors

Sometimes UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) make mistakes when issuing Student visas and if your visa is incorrect, you can apply to have it corrected.

It is important to check the details of your visa carefully.  Your visa might not have the correct expiry date, or you might have been given the wrong working restrictions.

This page explains what you need to check and how to get errors corrected.  If you are not sure your visa has an error then please contact the Student Visa Advice Team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk with your student ID number and a copy of your visa or eVisa Share Code and one of our advisers will check your visa for you and advise you what to do next.

Incorrect biographical details

The details of your visa must match your passport.  You should make sure that the following details on your visa are all correct:-

• Name
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Nationality
• Gender
• Photograph

If your name is long it may appear ‘cut off’ on a BRP.  This is not a mistake – it is because there is limited space on the BRP card. However, if there is a spelling mistake you must get this corrected.

Incorrect length of permission

The length of permission will depend on the type and length of your course.  You should always be granted permission that covers the full length of your course as stated on your CAS plus additional time before and after your course.  Please check the following table to see how long your visa should be valid for: 

Main course of study

Length of course - 12 months or more
Visa start date - Up to one month before the start date of the course
Length of stay allowed - The full length of the course plus four months after the end of the course

Length of course - Six months or more, but less than 12 months
Visa start date - Up to one month before the start date of the course
Length of stay allowed - The full length of the course plus two months after the end of the course

Length of course - Less than six months
Visa start date - Up to seven days before the start date of the course
Length of stay allowed - The full length of the course plus seven days after the end of the course

Type of course - Pre-sessional course before a main programme of study
Visa start date - Up to one month before the start date of the course
Length of stay allowed - The full length of the course plus one month after the end of the course

If your BRP expires on 31 December 2024

UKVI has stopped issuing new BRPs because the UK’s immigration system has become digital. If there is a mistake with your BRP, you will need to first create a UKVI account and get access to an eVisa before you can report the error to UKVI.

If you have a BRP that expires on 31 December 2024, and this is earlier than your permission should expire, this is not an error.  UKVI will not issue a BRP with a validity beyond 31 December 2024. You can now prove your immigration status online with an eVisa linked to your passport instead of using a BRP. Your immigration status will not be affected. If you have not already done so, you must create your UKVI account and link your eVisa now.

Find more information about the change from BRPs to eVisas, and what you need to do, here.

Checking your working conditions

The number of hours per week that you're allowed to work depends on when you made your last immigration application and the type of course you're studying. The amount of hours you can work during term-time will be stated on your visa/BRP.  If you have a BRP or eVisa you can also check your work conditions online using the ‘Prove your right to work’ service. You should check you have been granted the correct work conditions, and if not you must request a correction.  There are different rules for working in term time and during vacations.

For more information about what work you can do in the UK, please see our page on visa work restrictions.

Incorrect/missing sponsor licence number

If you have a BRP or an entry vignette sticker in your passport, the University of Leeds sponsor licence number H3GNC03A4 should be listed on your visa. If it is not, then your visa needs to be corrected.

Incorrect visa category

If you have applied for a Student visa to study at the University of Leeds then your visa will say ‘Student’ or ‘Tier 4 General’.  

If your visa states ‘Child Student’ or Tier 4 Child’ then this is an error which must be corrected.  Please contact the Student Visa Advice Team if your visa has this error.

How do I apply to have my visa corrected?

There are different ways you can apply to correct your visa depending on when and where you applied for your visa.

If you hold a vignette (visa sticker) in your passport and you have noticed an error before travelling to the UK:

If you apply for your visa from overseas at a UK Visa Application Centre you will receive a visa vignette in your passport.  If you spot any errors in this visa before you travel to the UK (such as the visa start date being after your intended date of travel), you must return to the Visa Application Centre to request a correction.

If your visa start date is after your intended travel date, you must get this corrected before you travel to the UK.  You cannot travel to the UK before your visa start date.

You can email a copy of your passport and visa vignette to the Student Visa Advice Team and an adviser will check if an error has been made and let you know if you will be required to correct it before you travel to the UK.

If you only hold a vignette (visa sticker) in your passport, and notice the error after you have arrived in the UK:

If you applied for your visa from overseas and your course is shorter than six months, you will only receive a visa vignette valid for the full length of your programme.

If there is an error on your entry vignette and you only notice it after you have arrived in the UK, please email the Student Visa Advice Team for help in getting the error corrected.

If you hold an eVisa (digital status):

Once you have got access to your eVisa, you can check your status online using the View and prove service on the GOV.UK website.  The conditions attached to your permission will also be confirmed in the decision notice that the Home Office emailed to you when they confirmed your application was successful.

If there are any mistakes in the details or conditions attached to your status, please report these errors to UKVI using their online eVisa error reporting form. 

If you applied for your visa from inside the UK, and there are mistakes in the length or conditions attached to your status, you are required to submit an application for Administrative Review within 14 calendar days of receiving the decision.  There is an £80 fee for this application which will be refunded to you is a mistake has been made.  Any errors in your personal details should be reported to UKVI using their online eVisa error reporting form linked above. 

After you have received your amended visa:

When you receive your new visa, email a copy of it to the BRP team via BRP@leeds.ac.uk so they can add the details to your student record. Please include your student ID number with your email.

Further information about visa errors:

You can find further information about visa errors at the below pages:

• UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Passport, visa and BRP problems