If you are submitting original documents, such as qualifications, birth certificate or bank statements which are not in English or Welsh you must provide an official translation.
If you are in the UK
The original must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. This translation must include:
- Details of the translator/translation company’s credentials.
- Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document; and the translator/translation company’s contact details. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.
Please contact visa@gcu.ac.uk or visa@gculondon.ac.uk for details of translation companies available in Glasgow and London.
If you are outside the UK
The original must be accompanied by a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office. The original translation must contain confirmation from the translator/translation company that it is an accurate translation of the original document, the date of the translation, the translator/an authorised official of the translation company’s full name and signature, and the translator/translation company’s contact details.
You are considered to be a low-risk national by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) if you are from certain countries. If you're a national of one of these countries, you don't have to provide your qualifications or evidence of your maintenance funds.
However, immigration officials reserve the right to request the full range of documents in all cases. Therefore you must have these documents just in case. You will be asked to provide evidence of sufficient maintenance funds before your CAS can be issued.
UKVI changes the list of low-risk nationals throughout the year, so please check your country is still on the list of countries before submitting your application.
If you are required to register with the police and hold a police registration certificate, this must be submitted with your application. You must ensure that it is completely up to date:
- Course and place of study
- Address
- Visa details
Students residing in Scotland should review the Police Scotland Overseas Visitor Registration (OVRO) website for full details.
For more information about Police Registration Certificate please review the Home Office guidance online.
Nationalities that usually need to register:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
You may be required to apply for an ATAS certificate when you apply for a visa for a new course or if you are extending your visa to continue your course. Your CAS will state whether this is required.
It can take 20 days for FCO to issue your ATAS certificate once you apply online. Further information on how to obtain ATAS can be found online.
You will be required to submit your current and any previous passports with your application. It is your responsibility to check when your passport expires and renew it if necessary.
The University will monitor your passport expiry date and you will be emailed a reminder to renew your passport before it expires. We will also check your passport expiry at Attendance Monitoring Checkpoints in line with GCU's Sponsor Duties.
No travel can be made outside the UK before you receive a decision on your visa. Doing so will cancel your visa application.
Applicants under the new system keep their passports throughout the application process. If you leave the Common Travel Area (the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and travel on the passport you used in your application before the Home Office makes a decision, you are automatically treated as having withdrawn your application.
Your Immigration Health Surcharge should be refunded, but your application fee will not be refunded. You will usually have to make another immigration application before returning to the UK.
You must speak to an advisor before you withdraw your application as doing so is likely to have consequences both for your current immigration status and for any future immigration you may make.
