I'm on a Student Visa, can I travel abroad during my studies?

A travel letter is a document you can use to support your application for a visa to travel overseas while you are student. This confirms your enrolment status and is addressed to the embassy you are applying to for your visa.

• Any taught student studying at King's on a visa, wishing to travel out of the UK during term time.
  • Reading weeks and assessment periods are included as term time.
• Any research student studying at King's on a visa, wishing to travel out of the UK at any time during the academic year.

• Read the Foreign travel checklist on GOV.UK for further guidance on how to prepare for international travel, and to ensure you understand your responsibilities when travelling overseas.
• Check foreign travel advice for your chosen destination before booking your flight, as this may be subject to change at short notice.

For the steps you need to take to request your letter, please refer to the guidance in the section  'I need a letter to support my application to travel abroad' within our article I need to prove my term dates & course attendance.

If you need to travel during term-time, you’ll need to inform your academic department. This should not impact your current visa if:

• Approval is given from your academic department
• Your academic department is still able to effectively monitor your engagement with your studies in accordance with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and the university's attendance and engagement policy.

If you’re a current student wanting to apply for the Graduate Route, and your course was longer than 12 months, you must have held a Student visa for a minimum of 12 months. During those 12 months, all of your study must have taken place in the UK.

If your course duration was 12 months or less, you must have held a Student visa for the whole length of your course, and all of your study must have taken place in the UK.

UKVI will ask for your travel history as part of their eligibility checks for your Graduate Route application. Please note that we can't advise how UKVI will assess study in the UK criteria in applications and in relation to any periods spent outside the UK during your course.

Have a look at our article What is a Graduate visa? for more information.