Please note that as a Student (formerly tier 4) visa holder, there are some things that the University must consider before permitting you to transfer (change) to another course.
Before allowing you to transfer to any other course or level of study, other than that stated on your CAS, the University is required to justify to UKVI that this represents academic progression.
UKVI want to see that you are making progress on your degree by progressing through the stages, and that each course you undertake is higher up on the RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework) scale than your previous study in the UK.
Generally, any transfer that means you drop down a stage or an academic level would not be permitted as it does not represent academic progression. For example if you were currently studying in stage 3 and wanted to transfer to another course and start at stage 1.
In order to justify if a course transfer meets UKVI academic progression requirements, we would look at two main things; are you continuing your studies in the same subject area, or does the course transfer support your genuine career aspirations. Therefore, it is important to provide evidence to support why you wish to transfer, and we may ask you to write a detailed personal statement for this reason.
In some cases, we may not be able to support your request to change course, if we as your Student visa sponsor feel that it does not represent academic progression. You should be aware of these requirements and ensure that when making your initial application you have carefully researched your chosen course.
Please note that if you have previously been permitted to transfer course and that initial course was not completed, if you need to extend your visa in the future you will not be able to do this in the UK. This is due to the academic progression rules set out by UKVI.
Please note that if you transfer to a course that is longer than the original course we issued your CAS for, you will need to obtain new permission (a new visa) to cover the duration of the new course. This new visa must be obtained before you will be permitted to enrol on the new programme, so you should consider this if requesting a transfer to a longer programme.
If you transfer to a course that is shorter than the original course we issued your CAS for, we will report to UKVI when you have completed your studies and your visa will be curtailed at that point. This means that your visa will be cancelled and you will be expected to leave the UK at that point.
If you transfer onto a course that requires ATAS, or change your thesis title (postgraduate research students) then you will need to apply for an ATAS certificate or a new ATAS certificate if you already hold one.
Any course that you wish to transfer onto must be full time and meet UKVI requirements on courses that are suitable for students with a Student visa. If the course does not meet UKVI requirements you will not be permitted to transfer onto it.
