UKVI Student Visa Credibility
Interview Guide
What is a credibility interview?
○ Credibility interviews are part of the Student Visa Application process and are conducted by an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) at the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration).
○ The Home Office aim to interview most students.
○ The purpose of the interview is to assess if you are a genuine and credible student.
In order to assess this, you may be asked questions about your future course and university, your research process, your future career plans, your finances and your immigration history.
The interviews are conducted in English and your ability to speak English is part of the assessment, regardless of your English language qualifications.
Your visa application can be refused if you fail to answer the interview questions to the satisfaction of UKVI staff.
How will the UKVI credibility interview be conducted?
These interviews may take place:
- In person at the Visa Application Centre
- By telephone
- By video call (most common).
You should receive an email asking you to attend an interview, so check your email and spam folder regularly.
Attendance is mandatory.
The interview will be conducted in English.
The interviewer will take notes during the interview.
Notify the interviewer immediately if:
- You are having technical difficulties e.g. the connection is poor or you cannot hear them
- You feel unwell.
What is a Cardiff Met Pre-CAS Interview?
The Compliance and Immigration team at Cardiff Met require certain students to pass a pre-CAS interview before being issued with their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
These are designed to check that we are satisfied with your intentions to study at Cardiff Met and are also to prepare you for a real UKVI credibility interview.
You will be invited to take part in the recorded interview via CAS Shield. Please complete this as soon as possible so as not to cause delay.
The interview will be conducted with the help of AI, and consist of 16-18 questions, which are selected at random. You will be allocated a time limit to record an answer to the question. When you have completed the answer, you can move on the next question.
Once completed, one of our Compliance team members will review your answers and either pass, fail or ask you to re-sit the interview.
You will be entitled to one re-sit if you have technical difficulties, like audio or video not working properly.
Important Guidance
- You will need to have your passport to
How to prepare for a Cardiff Met Pre-CAS and UKVI Credibility Interview
It is extremely important that you prepare for your interview in advance so that you have the best chance of having a successful visa application.
You will be assessed on the following areas:
○ Your ability to speak English (regardless of English language qualifications)
○ In depth knowledge of intended course of study
○ In depth knowledge of Cardiff Metropolitan University
○ Your academic/employment background
○ Your future plans and how studying in the UK/Cardiff Met can help you
○ Your finances and how you plan to fund your studies
Top Tips
Be specific - give examples. Vague and generic answers can lead to visa refusals
Provide detail - demonstrate that you have researched the course and that you have genuine reasons for coming to the UK
Be honest - make sure your application is personal to you. Do not quote general statements referring to our website.
Try to relax – we know this is a stressful experience, but this should be a natural conversation. Reading from a script will not be permitted and can lead to a failure of your credibility interview.
Check your audio and video equipment beforehand – should you have any problems during the pre-CAS interview, you may be entitled to a resit. During a UKVI interview, you should problems understanding the questions
Key areas and what to consider for your answers
Below are some key areas that you may be asked about. Remember, your answers should be personal, specific, and reflect your own experiences and reasoning.
1. Reasons for choosing to study in the UK
- What other countries did you consider and why did you discount them?
- Why is the UK a better option than studying in your home country?
- With extra costs involved in studying overseas, what are the benefits to you?
- What are the cultural differences between the UK and your home country?
- What are some places that you would be keen to visit in the UK?
2. Your University choice
- Why did you choose Cardiff Met over other institutions?
- How exactly did you research your different options?
- How does your future study plan relate to your most recent studies or employment?
- What are the campus facilities or location like? You should be able to name specific facilities rather than general facilities that are available at every university.
- What factors did you consider when choosing a university e.g. cost, ranking, location, course content
3. Your course choice
- What is it specifically about the Cardiff Met course that you liked?
- How does this compare to other similar courses at other institutions?
- How is your course assessed and what modules are covered?
• You may find it useful to refer to the course page on our website.
- How long does your course last?
• Check your CAS for dates and details
- What level is this course?
• Bachelors is level 6.
• Masters is level 7.
• PhD is level 8.
4. Your finances
- How do you plan to pay for your course? Is this your money or your parents’ money?
- How do you plan to save money whilst living in the UK?
- How will you handle any unexpected costs?
- Are you aware of the total living costs in the UK including how much your accommodation will cost?
5. Your future career goals
- What will you learn that will allow you to progress your career?
• You need to be able to explain why the course and its content will lead to your career goal.
- What are your plans after you graduate?
• Be specific about the sector and the types of companies you’d like to work for.
- How will you manage the transition from studies to the working world?
6. Your Immigration History
- If you have previously studied in the UK, why have you chosen to return? Think about how the new course relates to previous studies and how it might build on your previous learning.
- Have you had any prior visa refusals for any country?
7. Working in the UK
- Do you plan to work in the UK?
- Do you understand the restrictions around working in the UK?
Please note, you cannot rely on the funds from working in the UK to pay your course fees and living costs so you need to be aware of this. The main purpose for being in the UK is your studies. If you plan to work, be mindful that your working hours do not affect your attendance and progress. You need to demonstrate an understanding of the hours you are allowed to work.
Common Reasons for Refusal at Interview
Should you fail your UKVI Credibility Interview, you will automatically receive a visa refusal. Below are some reasons we commonly see as to why students receive a fail.
- Having pre-rehearsed answers or a script, and are therefore unable to answer follow up questions
- Providing limited reasons for choosing the university, or providing general reasons that apply to many other universities
- Not being able to detail the research process, timeline and how the university and course were selected
- Being unable to demonstrate that you sufficiently researched and considered other countries and university choices
What to do if you receive a visa refusal
Please update CAS Shield as soon as possible with your visa refusal notice so we can advise.
You have 28 days from the date on the Refusal Letter to submit an Administrative Review to the UKVI and contest the decision made by the ECO. This requires you to respond in writing to each of the points raised in the refusal. You must submit it from outside the UK.
Further Information and Guidance
For help or further information, please click on the web links below to take you to the relevant website
UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs): https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/
UKVI Student Visa guidelines: http://www.gov.uk/student-visa
If you have any questions about your visa application, pre-CAS interview or UKVI Credibility Interview, please contact the Immigration and Compliance team by sending a message on CAS shield or emailing immigrationregs@cardiffmet.ac.uk