How to complete the Right to Study check
- To access the task, you can click on the link that will be sent to your King’s email address once you've completed stage 1 of the enrolment process. You can also log in to Student Records directly using your K number and password (these are included in the welcome email sent to your personal email address).
- Once you've logged in to Student Records, click the button at the bottom of the page which says Click here to start your Right to Study Check.
- After you complete the task, a member of the Visa Compliance team will check your documents. This may take up to 3 working days.
- Once we've verified your information, you'll receive an email confirming that we've approved your Right to Study Check. After you've received this, you'll then be able to arrange your student ID collection.
- If we need more information, a member of the Visa Compliance team will contact you with more details.
Can I complete the Right to Study task outside of the UK?
The Right to Study task can only be successfully completed once you’ve arrived in the UK. This is because we need to see evidence of when you arrived in the UK.
If you select in the task that you’re outside of the UK, it’ll ask you to provide a UK arrival date. The task will relaunch to you on the date that you enter the UK.
Important to know: You can’t enter the current date or a date in the past. It must be a date in the future.
You’ll then be able to complete the task once you’re inside the UK with the relevant documents, including proof of entry to the UK.
What if I can't find or access the task?
There are several reasons why you may not be able to find the task. This could be due to one of the following reasons:
- If you're a British/Irish national (passport holder) or a distance learner, you're not required to complete the RTS check. You'll be able to go straight to the final stage of enrolment to collect your ID card.
- You've not completed online enrolment. The RTS task will only be launched to you once you've completed online enrolment, which is Stage 1 of the enrolment process.
- You've started the RTS task from outside of the UK and selected a future arrival date. The task will not appear until the date you selected for arrival in the UK. If you have arrived earlier, then please email Visa Compliance and let us know.
- If none of the above applies and you're still unable to locate the task, please contact the Visa Compliance team.
I'm unsure if I need to complete a Right to Study check, who can help me?
If you're unsure if your personal circumstances will require you to complete the Right to Study check, please contact Visa Compliance for further guidance.
Who can I ask for help with my Right to Study check?
If you have any issues with your Right to Study check, please contact the Visa Compliance team.
What documents you'll need to provide will depend on your nationality, the type of immigration permission you hold and where you applied for your visa.
Important to know: We require everyone to upload a copy of the bio page in their passport. This is the page that holds your personal information such as your name, date of birth and passport expiry date.
Student Visa - Entry Clearance Vignette & BRP
If you applied for your Student visa outside of the UK
If you applied for your current Student visa from outside of the UK and don't have a digital status, you'll have an entry clearance vignette in your passport.
For the Right to Study check, you'll need to provide the following documents:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A copy of your Vignette
- Proof of entry to the UK. You can do this by:
- Uploading a copy of your vignette with the entry stamp on it, or
- If you are eligible to use the e-gates and that is how you entered the UK, a copy of your flight ticket/boarding pass, which shows us the date you entered. (Only nationals that can use the e-gates can use flight ticket/boarding pass as evidence of entry to the UK)
- If you have already received your BRP – you can upload this as well. Make sure you upload both the front and the back of the BRP since UKVI regulations state that we must hold both.
Important to know: If you have not yet received your BRP, you just need to submit the documents 1-3 listed above and provide a copy of your BRP (front and back) to Visa Compliance once you've received it.
If you applied for your Student visa inside of the UK
If you hold a visa that allows study, have applied for your next student visa from inside of the UK and don't have a digital status, you'll need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
and
- A copy of both the front and back of your BRP for King’s College London or
- If you've applied for your visa inside of the UK but haven't yet received a decision, you can provide proof of your submitted application. For example, we can accept a copy of your Student visa Application cover sheet confirming a submitted application and fee payment to UKVI.
Once you've received a copy of your new visa, you must email a scanned copy of it to visa-reg@kcl.ac.uk.
Important to know: If you're currently in the UK holding a Graduate Route visa, you'll need to have received your new Student visa to be eligible to enrol.
Student Visa - Digital status
Applied outside of the UK
If you applied for your current student visa from outside of the UK and have a digital status, you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A government share code* (The code should begin with the letter 'S'. if it does not, you will need to obtain a new one from the GOV.UK webpages.
- Proof of entry to the UK - you need to provide a copy of your flight ticket/boarding pass, which shows us the date you entered the UK.
*Share codes are only valid for 90 days, so if you have obtained one more than 90 days ago, you will need to request a new one. You can request a share code on the GOV.UK webpages.
Applied inside the UK
If you applied for your current student visa from inside of the UK and have a digital status, you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A government share code* (The code should begin with the letter 'S'. if it does not you will need to obtain a new one from the GOV.UK webpages.
*Share codes are only valid for 90 days, so if you have obtained one more than 90 days ago, you will need to request a new one. You can request a share code on the GOV.UK webpages.
Important to know: You may have both a digital status and a BRP. You only need to provide us with either a share code or your BRP.
If you have Pre-Settled/Settled Status
If you hold Pre-Settled/Settled Status, you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A government share code*
*Share codes are only valid for 90 days, so if you have obtained one more than 90 days ago, you will need to request a new one. You can request a share code on the GOV.UK webpages.
Visitor Route - Courses that are less than 6 months in length
All non-British/Irish nationals who are travelling to the UK for courses that are less than 6 months in length, will enter the UK under the visitor route (Standard Visitor Visa). You will also need to complete the Right to Study check.
There are 4 different ways you can enter the UK as a visitor, depending on your nationality. How you enter will determine what evidence we need from you.
You'll either have:
- A vignette (visa sticker in your passport) and entry stamp from a border official
- Just an entry stamp in your passport from a border official
- You won't have a stamp/visa sticker, since you entered the UK through the e-gates and were not required to apply for a visa in advance.
- An Electronic Visa Waiver
A vignette (visa sticker in your passport) and entry stamp from a border official
If you are a Visa National* (i.e. you need to apply and be granted a visa prior to travelling to the UK as a visitor), your Visitor Visa will take the form of a vignette in your passport and you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A copy of your vignette
- A copy of the entry stamp from the border officer.
For a list of Visa Nationals, please refer to the 'Visitor Visa' nationals list on the Gov.uk webpages.
Only an entry stamp in your passport from a border official
If you did not need to apply for a visa before coming to the UK but you need to see the border officer when you arrive, you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- A copy of your entry stamp
You entered the UK through the e-gates
For those coming to the UK for up to 6 months, who don't need to apply for a visa in advance of coming to the UK and are eligible to use the e-gates, you're still entering the UK under the 'visitor route'.
This means that when you pass through the e-gates, you're entering the UK on the Standard Visitor Visa. You won't have a stamp or a visa in your passport. If this applies to you, you will need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
- A copy of your valid passport
- Proof of entry to the UK. You can provide a copy of your flight ticket/boarding pass/Eurostar ticket, to evidence the date that you entered the UK.
- An Electronic Visa Waiver
If you applied and were granted the Electronic Visa Waiver, you'll need to provide the following documents for the Right to Study check:
• A copy of your valid passport
• A copy of your entry stamp
Another visa type
If you're in the UK under a different immigration route (including those who hold Indefinite Leave to Remain), you're still required to complete the Right to Study check. You'll need to provide us with a valid passport and a copy of your current immigration status.
Under our legal obligations under the UKVI, we must check all non-British/Irish nationals immigration permissions before we can invite them to complete enrolment.
Once you've submitted the task, a member of the Visa Compliance team will review your documents. Once approved, you'll receive a confirmation email through your King's email account, which will provide information on how to collect your student ID card.
Important to know:
- At busy times of year, especially August and September, it may take several days for the Visa Compliance team to review your documents. Thank you for your patience - you will receive a confirmation email once the review is complete.
For further guidance on collecting your ID card, please read our article It's my first time on campus, how will I collect my student ID card?
How do I then collect my student ID card?
Please refer to our article It's my first time on campus, how will I collect my student ID card? for the latest guidance on collecting your student ID card once your Right to Study check is complete.
I’ve changed my course at King’s, will I need to complete the Right to Study check again?
If your request to transfer course has been authorised at King’s, and you've previously completed the Right to Study check during enrolment for your previous course, you won't be required to complete the Right to Study check again.