Student Support and Success
International Student Success Team – Conditions of Service (Visa Advice)
The International Student Success team are authorised to provide immigration advice and services as regulated by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) The OISC sets the standards to which services and advice must comply and the visa advice provided by the University of Winchester is restricted to immigration advice and services provided free of charge by sponsors to people they are directly sponsoring (and, if applicable, their immediate family members) in connection with their application for entry clearance or leave to enter or remain in the UK on a sponsored work or study route.
Further details regarding Student Visa compliance at the University and issuance of CAS to applicants can be found here: Visa Sponsorship Policy (winchester.ac.uk)
Contact Information
Email: International.support@winchester.ac.uk
Intranet pages: International home page | Winchester (omniacloud.net)
Book an appointment: Appointments | Winchester (omniacloud.net)
Opening times: 9.00am – 5.00pm, Monday - Friday
What advice can we provide?
• Student visa eligibility and Right to Study checks
• Lost passports and Biometrics Residence Permits (BRPs)
• Student visa error corrections
• Working during and after studies on a Student visa
• Student visa responsibilities
• Sponsor duties
• Dependant and visitor visas
• Visa implications due to change of circumstances
• Schengen visas
• Graduate visa (successful completion reporting).
What advice can’t we provide?
• Asylum claims
• Applications related to illegal entrants, overstayers, removal or deportation from the UK.
• Family reunion applications, settlement applications or complex applications under Appendix EU.
• Appeals, tribunals and court work, including Judicial Review Case Management.
Who can we advise?
• Any currently enrolled student at the University of Winchester.
• Any recent Graduates of the University of Winchester (up to graduation).
Author: Amy Simcock, Head of International Student SuccessUpdated: February 2024
• Prospective/future students with a valid offer of study at the University of Winchester.
• Current students on an interruption in studies and considering returning to studies on a Student visa.
• Current or prospective students on a Study Abroad programme.
Privacy and Data Protection
The International Student Success Team will endeavour to respect confidentiality in most cases. However, to fulfil the University’s obligations to the Home Office, it may be necessary for the International Student Success team to share information with other members of staff and the Home Office.
Full information on the University’s privacy policy can be found here: Privacy and cookie policy - University of Winchester.
All immigration advice given to students by email, telephone and video/audio conferencing will be recorded accurately and in accordance with the University of Winchester’s Data Protection Policy. The OISC requires us to keep a copy of your case file for up to 6 years after your case is closed. After that this maybe destroyed, unless you make arrangements to collect it from us.
External Immigration Advice
Where immigration and visa advice above OISC level 1 is required, students will be advised to seek external advice.
• The UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA)
Telephone: +44 20 7788 9214 (Monday to Friday 1-4pm). UKCISA offers free confidential telephone advice on immigration matters.
• The Immigration Law Practitioner’s Association (ILPA)
You can find an immigration specialist in your local area through this website.
• OISC Regulated Immigration Advisers
OISC is an independent public body set up under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and is responsible for ensuring that all immigration advisers fulfil the requirements of good practice according to their Code of Standards.
Complaints
If at any stage you have any concerns regarding the conduct of your case, full details of our complaints policies can be found here: Policies and Regulations - University of
Winchester. If we are unable to resolve matters to your satisfaction or you wish to pursue your complaint through other channels, you are entitled to contact the OISC at any time. Their address is:
The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
21 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3HF
The OISC is the public body, which regulates immigration advice and services within the UK. The OISC may review your file as part of their regulatory role.