Students from certain countries who are in the UK for longer than six months are required to register with the police as stated on the entry clearance/visa stamped in their passport.

Registration is required within seven days of arrival in the UK. The Centre for International Education has the relevant form, which should be completed and taken to Ormskirk police station (if living in Ormskirk). Those living in other areas should contact their local police station. Failure to register as required could have a serious impact upon your eligibility to stay in the UK.

When registering with the police you will require the following:

• Passport
• Enrolment letter for Edge Hill University
• £34 registration fee, in cash
• Completed form
• Two identical passport-size photos

Students who have to register with the police are required to update the police with any change of circumstance, for instance:

• Change of UK address
• Change of Tier 4 sponsor
• Marriage
• Birth of a dependant child
• Passport/visa extension

Your visa stamp in your passport or biometric resident permit will list any permission you have to work whilst you are in the UK.  Below is a guide to work permission that can be expected to be given:

• Student Visitor: NO work allowed
• Tier 4 Student (courses at NQF level 3-IFP students): 10 hours per week term time, no restrictions during holiday periods.
• Tier 4 Student (courses at NQF level 6 and above- Bachelors, PMP, masters and PHD): 20 hours per week term time, no restrictions during holiday periods.

Those on other visas should check the stamp in their passport or contact the Centre for International Education, support office for advice.

Should you work more hours than your visa allows, this will mean you are in breach of your visa regulations and you will have your visa revoked, so please be aware of this before accepting any employment offer.

Unpaid work is also considered in the restrictions of your visa, therefore if you intend to volunteer please be aware of the work restrictions of your visa when agreeing to voluntary work.

International Students in the UK on a ‘Tier 4 student‘ or ‘Student’ visa are only allowed to remain in the UK for a limited time.

• For students studying courses below degree level (NQF level 3) the maximum time a student can stay in the UK to study at, or below this level is 3 years. The only course at Edge Hill University at this level is the International Foundation Programme.

• For students studying courses at degree level (NQF level 6) or above the maximum time a student can stay in the UK is 5 years.

The above time frames do not include time given on a visa before and after a course start and end dates. For instance if you have been given a CAS for a bachelors degree which indicates your course starts on 1st September 2012 and ends on 30th June 2015 you will have used 34 months of your 5 year allowance. If this was the only Tier 4 visa you had held then you would have 26 months left to study a masters level course if you wanted to.

For further guidance on the 5 year cap for studying at degree level in the UK please see our flow chart.

The Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) route opened on 6 April 2012 for graduates identified by Edge Hill University as having developed a world class innovative and entrepreneurial idea but who are not yet able to apply for a Tier 1 Entrepreneur visa.

The Tier 1 (GE) visa allows successful applicants to stay in the UK for 12 months to develop their business idea and apply for a further 12 month visa if the business is making satisfactory progress. Although you will be expected to spend most of your time setting up your business, you will be allowed to work up to 20 hours per week to support yourself financially. Edge Hill University will be your ‘endorsing’ institution therefore you will be required to have regular (at least every quarter) meetings with the supporting staff at Edge Hill to ensure your business is progressing as expected and successfully.

Edge Hill University is an ‘endorsing’ (sponsoring) institution and can endorse up to 10 Tier 1 (GE) visas per year.

Selection Process

To apply for the visa, applicants would need to have a business idea they wish to develop in the UK and go through the selection process at Edge Hill, run through the Business School. During the selection process you will be expected to show the aims & objectives, market knowledge, costs & expenditure and growth projections.

If you have an idea, it is important you find out whether it would be viable and develop this as soon as possible. Therefore, please contact the Business School for more details: Michael Banford, Enterprise Co-ordinator, Business School, michael.banford@edgehill.ac.uk .

Tier 1 (GE) Visa Application Process

Applicants should gain 95 points to be issued with a Tier 1 (GE) visa, should apply for the visa within 12 months of being awarded their qualification, be graduates of Edge Hill and be ‘endorsed’ by Edge Hill University.

You will need to be able to prove you have held savings of £900 for the 90 day period prior to making your application. You can only apply for Tier 1 (GE) whilst you are in the UK on a student or Tier 4 visa. If you have already held a Post-Study Work visa, you are not eligible for this scheme.

International Students who are eligible for the scheme and have successfully gone through the selection process should speak with Joanna MacSween, Student Support Officer in Centre for International Education for details about applying for the Tier 1 (GE) visa.

Time spent on a Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa will not count towards settlement in the UK.