Do I need ATAS clearance before I start my course at King's?

What is ATAS Clearance?

ATAS clearance is a background check to ensure that the knowledge gained from these courses does not contribute towards the development of weapons of mass destruction.

International students who require a visa to study in the UK may need to obtain ATAS clearance to study certain Postgraduate science & engineering courses and integrated Master's courses.

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Do I need an ATAS certificate?

Your offer letter from King's will confirm whether you need to obtain ATAS clearance as one of your offer conditions. Contact the Admissions team through the King's Apply portal if you are unsure.

If you are applying for a new visa (either in the UK or overseas) to continue a course you are currently studying, or to resume studies that you interrupted, it is likely that you will need to get new ATAS clearance.

How do I apply for ATAS?

ATAS clearance applications are made on the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) webpages. You will need your offer letter and your CAH code (a code for classifying academic subjects), which will be stated in your offer letter.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office have provided some helpful guidance on completing the ATAS application.

When should I submit my application?

ATAS clearance is valid for 6 months, so if your course starts in September, you could make your ATAS application any time after April.

We would recommend applying as early as you can, to avoid delays in receiving your ATAS certificate. Please be advised that you will not be able to apply for your visa until you have received your ATAS certificate.

When will I receive my ATAS certificate?

ATAS applications take at least 20 working days to be processed. Between April and September applications can take over 30 days.
Each ATAS application is specific to the course you applied for. If you have applied for more than one course that requires ATAS, you would need to submit a separate ATAS application for each course.

What happens once I get my ATAS certificate?

Your ATAS clearance will be emailed to you as a PDF. You should check it carefully to ensure that all the information is correct. If everything is correct, include it with the supporting documents for your visa application.

If you notice a mistake, contact the Visa & International Guidance team.

Once you have received your ATAS clearance, you simply need to remember to submit your visa application before your ATAS clearance expires.

Important to know: You will also be asked to provide your ATAS certificate before you can enrol for your course.

What if my ATAS clearance is refused?

If your ATAS application is refused, you will need to contact the Admissions team, so that you can discuss your options with them. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to challenge the decision; however, you can ask the ATAS team to review the decision if you think your application has been treated unfairly.

Changes after you have received your ATAS certificate

If the provider and/or your course details change or your course end date is postponed for more than 3 calendar months you must apply for a new ATAS clearance within 28 days of being notified of the change.

You will also need a new ATAS clearance if:

There are changes to the course content or research proposal (changes include changes other than minor changes to areas of research of the use of a new research technique)
You apply for a visa extension to continue your course
You want to start a new course that requires ATAS
You move to another institution
You need further permission to stay for writing up your thesis

Please see Page 22-23 of the Student Sponsor Guidance for more details.

You should take note of the date your visa is due to expire to allow enough time to apply for a new ATAS and to extend your visa. The ATAS team recommends that you apply at least 4 months before your visa expires.

Keywords: ATAS Clearance, Offer letter refusal

Do I need ATAS clearance before I start my course at King's?

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