If you want to leave the UK or local area for a short period of time, it is important that you obtain permission from the University in order to ensure that your attendance record is accurate.
One of the conditions of your visa is that you are engaged in full-time study whilst you are in the UK. Any periods of absence from the University during term-time must be authorised. Anyone requiring Authorised Leave needs to fully complete the form below including dates and reasons for the request. Please note that completing this form does not mean your Leave has been approved.
If your travel plans fall entirely in University holiday times, you do not need to complete this form and we do not need to know about your travel plans.
Once the form has been submitted, a member of the International Student Support team will contact either your Award Leader or your PhD Supervisor who will assess the request and make a decision whether to approve or reject your request. If the request is rejected, the Student Support and Experience team will email you with a certificate confirming the approval of the leave. You should carry this with you when you travel. Only when you have received the certificate is your leave approved and authorised.
The Visa Compliance team and your tutors will not authorise any leave if they feel that you have not been attending or engaging with your studies to a satisfactory level or if they feel the leave period will significantly impact on your academic progress based on their academic judgement. A tutor’s academic judgement cannot be contested and is final.
Important information
- International Authorised Leave must be no longer than 10 working days – this is non-negotiable. If you wish to request leave for a longer period – please speak to the Student Support and Experience team.
- You MUST complete an International Authorised Leave form before leaving the country for any reason. Failure to seek approval before leaving the UK would be deemed to be a breach of the University's Student visa regulations and could result in your withdrawal from your course. Any student withdrawn from their course would subsequently be reported to the UKVI and the University sponsorship of their Student visa would cease.
- Read more about how this applies to you and your course, please have a look at our Sharepoint
Should you have further questions regarding this procedure, please contact us by emailing student-support@staffs.ac.uk.