In this article:
- Do I need a visa assistance letter to attend my ceremony?
- How can I request my visa assistance letter?
- How will I receive my visa assistance letter?
The answer to this question will depend on your specific circumstances. If you are unsure as to whether or not you or your guests require a visa, please see the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) website for a full list of countries that require a visa to enter the United Kingdom.
For further guidance, please see our article Travelling to the UK as a Visitor.
Important to know:
- You can't apply for a Student visa for the purpose of attending a graduation ceremony. UKVI would expect you to enter the UK as a visitor if you're travelling for this purpose.
- Many non-visa nationals must now have an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before travelling to the UK. Please check if you're required to obtain an ETA under your nationality at the time you plan to travel. You can find out more in our article Travelling to the UK as a visitor under the 'Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)' section. This will apply to all non-visa nationals, including the EU, by 2 April 2025.
If you or your guests require a visa assistance letter to support a visa application (to allow you to attend your ceremony), please complete the relevant section when you book your graduation place. You can re-enter the booking system to do this up until the booking deadline.
We try to produce all visa assistance letters within 5 working days of receiving the request.
Visa assistance letters produced by the Graduation team cannot be used to support a visa extension application. For assistance with this, please contact the Visa & International Advice team.
Important to know: you must book your place at the graduation ceremony before we can produce a visa assistance letter for you, and you must purchase guest tickets for each of your guests requiring a visa assistance letter before we can produce these for your guests.
Your letter will be sent in an electronic format to the email address you requested in Student Records within 5 working days.
Guest visa letters will be emailed subject to the purchase of guest tickets.