What is a withdrawal or an interruption?
Please read our article How can I take a break from my course? for more information.
Your department will need to approve any interruption request, so it's worth discussing this with them before you submit a request.
Studying in the UK on a Student visa
If you're studying in the UK on a Student visa, you need to think carefully before making changes to your registration status as it's likely to have an effect on your immigration status.
I'm withdrawing from my studies
If you withdraw from your studies, then King’s College London is required to report this to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI). Your visa will then be cut short, and you’ll be required to leave the UK, or apply for further leave under another visa category. For more information, see What happens if the university is required to report to UKVI that I’m no longer studying?.
I'm interrupting for more than 60 days
If you’re taking an interruption for more than 60 days, King’s College London is required to report this to UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI). Your visa will then be cut short. You'll be required to leave the UK, or apply to stay in the UK under another visa category. For more information, see What happens if the university is required to report to UKVI that I’m no longer studying?.
You'd need to re-apply for a new Student visa when you’re ready to return to the UK. Please see our Student Visa Interactive Guide for more information.
Approximately 3-4 months before you're due to return to your studies, we recommend that you:
- Request a new CAS after reading our article How do I change information in my CAS?
- Contact our International Student Advice team if you'd like support with your next Student visa application.
I'm interrupting for less than 60 days
If you’re taking an interruption of less than 60 days and you can still complete your programme within the validity of your current visa, the immigration rules will usually allow us to continue to sponsor your Student visa during this time.
If you’ve recently taken an interruption, this might not be the case.
This is subject to your department approving an interruption of less than 60 days.
What if I'm a postgraduate research student?
If you received the automatic 3-month extension in 2020 due to COVID-19 or you've previously taken a 59-day interruption during this academic year, it's likely that an interruption could impact your end date and therefore your Student/Tier 4 visa sponsorship may be withdrawn.
If you plan to study outside the UK for a period of your research, you may be able to arrange off-campus study without this impacting on your Student visa. We recommend that you discuss this with your supervisor in the first instance. This would need to be officially recorded on your student record and reported to the UKVI, even if your visa is not impacted. See more information on the King's website.
If you need a short period of time away from your studies (for example, a holiday) and you don't believe it'll impact your end date, you could think about taking annual leave.
Important to know:
- Your annual leave entitlement of 8 weeks includes UK public holidays and university closure days.
- Your annual leave would need to be agreed with your supervisor.
- Annual leave would not change your submission date.
Graduate route eligibility
Immigration rules do change, so we advise you to check our article on the Graduate route up to 3 months before you’re due to apply for this visa to make sure you remain eligible for it.
A break from your studies doesn’t directly impact your eligibility for the Graduate route, as long as you get a new Student visa when you return to your studies.
The current Graduate route Caseworker guidance states:
"For the purposes of assessing the Study in the UK requirement, the caseworker must consider all periods of Student permission which were granted to study the eligible qualification that the applicant subsequently successfully completed. This means that an applicant who was unable to complete their studies in one period of Student permission, for reasons such as maternity leave or sickness, and who consequently deferred their studies and completed the course of studies at a later date with Student permission, will have all those periods counted."
This means you'll need to return to the UK to complete your course on a Student visa and meet all other requirements for the Graduate route.
You’ll receive an email from the Visa Compliance team confirming that you’ve been reported to UKVI.
UKVI will contact you by letter or email to confirm the date that your visa has been shortened to. We'd usually expect this to be 60 days from the date they inform you, but UKVI may cancel your visa with immediate effect. If you receive a cancellation with immediate effect and you haven't left the UK, please contact the Visa and International Student Advice team urgently, or seek external specialist immigration advice.
We can’t confirm how long it'll take UKVI to cancel your visa. Therefore, we advise you to make plans to leave the UK, or apply to stay in the UK under another visa category, within 60 days of being reported by the university.
Remaining in the UK on a Student visa for a long period after you’ve finished studying could have a negative impact on your immigration history, even if your visa hasn’t been shortened yet.
If you're unable to leave the UK, please seek external specialist immigration advice from professionals authorised by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). You can find authorised immigration advisers on the government's website under 'Find an immigration adviser'.
Important to know: The immigration rules only allow you to study for a limited time on a Student visa - see the UKCISA website for more information.
EU/EEA or Swiss students not on a Student visa
If you’re an EU/EEA or Swiss student not on a Student visa, and you're looking to either take a break from your studies, transfer to another course or withdraw from your studies, please refer to our online module EU/EEA/Swiss students and Change of Circumstances.
Studying on another immigration permission
If you’re in the UK on another type of immigration permission, you should make sure you’re aware of any implications before proceeding. You may need to seek external specialist immigration advice from professionals authorised by the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). You can find authorised immigration advisers on the government's website under 'Find an immigration adviser'.
Transferring to another institution
The rules around moving to a new institution are complex and depend on what visa you have. Students on a Tier 4 or Student visa aren’t allowed to transfer internally or externally without first speaking to Visa Compliance or the Visa & International Student Advice Team.
Important to know: If you've read this article and you have questions about the possible impact on your visa by your change of circumstances, please contact our Visa & International Student Advice team before you take any action.