Enrolment

Step 1: Prepare your immigration documents before arrival 

Before travelling to the UK, make sure you have: 

• Your Student Visa or other valid UK immigration permission that allows study for your course 

• Access to your digital immigration status (eVisa), if applicable 

• Your passport, used for your visa application 

Most UK immigration permission is now digital only, and you are unlikely to receive a physical visa sticker or BRP.  

Step 2: Provide evidence of your UK immigration permission  

To allow Imperial to verify your immigration status, you must: 

1. Generate a UKVI share code for your digital immigration status  
   1. Select the purpose as “Other / something else” 
   2. Do not choose “work” or “rent” 
2. Enter the share code details in the My Visa section of My Imperial 
3. Imperial staff will check and verify your immigration permission. This process may take time during busy periods.  

Step 3: Complete online enrolment on My Imperial  

All students must enrol online via My Imperial. Online enrolment opens 30 days before the start date of your course. 

In order to enrol online, you must have: 

• Uploaded a copy of your passport 

• Completed the My Visa section with details of your immigration permission 

• Had your immigration permission verified by a member of staff at Imperial

You should complete online enrolment before your course start date, even though additional checks may still be pending.  

Step 4 (Student Visa holders only): Arrive in the UK on or after your visa start date 

You must enter the UK on or after the start date of your Student Visa.  

If you enter the UK before your visa start date, you will normally be classed as a Visitor 

• Visitors are not permitted to enrol or start studying 

• In this situation, you would need to leave the UK and re‑enter on or after your visa start date

Keep evidence of your entry to the UK, for example: 

• Passport entry stamp 

• Boarding pass 

• Flight ticket or booking confirmation 

You will be required to provide this as part of the enrolment process.  

Step 5: Provide evidence of your date of entry to the UK or Permission to Stay status  

Once your immigration permission has been verified, you will need to provide evidence of your date of entry to the UK via an online form (the link to the online form will go live in mid-August).

You must be logged into your Imperial email address to complete the form.

If you applied for your visa overseas. 

You must provide one of the following: 

• Passport entry stamp 

• Boarding pass 
• Flight ticket or booking confirmation 

If you applied for your Visa within the UK you must provide one of the following: 

• decision letter from UKVI which confirms you have "Permission to Stay" (if your application has been decided) 

• your visa application form (if your application decision is still pending) 

This step is mandatory and forms part of your Full Right to Study check.  

Step 6: In-person Compliance Check (Student Visa holders only) 

Once you have provided the requested evidence you will be invited to book an in-person appointment during the first two weeks of your programme. It is essential that you book and attend one of these appointments. You will need to bring with you:  

• Your passport 

• Evidence of your date of entry to the UK (where required) 

You will only be regarded as fully enrolled once all the following have been completed and approved: 

• ✅ Verification of your UK immigration permission 

• ✅ Verification of your date of entry to the UK (where required) 

• ✅Completion of in-person compliance check (Student Visa holders only) 

Until this point: 

• Your enrolment is incomplete 

• Imperial may restrict access to certain services 

• Imperial is legally required to follow up and, if necessary, report non‑enrolment to the Home Office 
  

If you are coming to the UK on Visitor permission in order to study a short course, as an exchange student, for a short period of research or for a face-to-face element of a distance learning programme - how you obtain your visitor permission depends on your nationality. Please refer to the Immigration Rules to check if your nationality means you are a visa national. 

All nationals 

✅ You must upload a copy of your current passport to your My Imperial record. 

Visa nationals 

You will be granted Digital Immigration Status (an eVisa) once your application is approved.  

Provide evidence of your UK immigration permission  

To allow Imperial to verify your immigration status, you must: 

1. Generate a UKVI share code for your digital immigration status  
   1. Select the purpose as “Other / something else” 
   2. Do not choose “work” or “rent” 
2. Enter the share code details in the My Visa section of My Imperial. You will need to select the visa type as “Short-Term Other” 
3. Imperial staff will check and verify your immigration permission. This process may take time during busy periods.  

Non-visa nationals 

You will need to upload a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket to the UK to the My Imperial Visa Tile.   

• Visa type: “Short-Term Other”.  

• Visa number field: enter either “boarding pass” or “travel ticket”.  

• Start date : the date you enter the UK  

• End date: +6 months from the arrival date.  

• Attach a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket. 

Staff at Imperial will check and verify your visa record and will then clear you to complete your online enrolment. Please be patient whilst this process happens as we have lots of records to check. You just need to complete your enrolment prior to your course start date. 

Complete online enrolment on My Imperial 

All students must enrol online via My Imperial. Online enrolment opens 30 days before the start date of your course. 

In order to enrol online, you must have: 

• Uploaded a copy of your passport 

• Completed the My Visa section with details of your immigration permission 

Had your immigration permission verified by a member of staff at Imperial

If you already hold immigration permission for the UK that permits you to study (such as a Student Visa, Skilled Worker Visa or Dependant Visa) and your current visa expires no earlier than 28 days before your new course start date, you can submit a new visa application in the UK, complete your enrolment and start studying on the basis of your submitted visa application. 

In order to complete enrolment you will need to: 

• Have submitted the new visa application in the UK prior to your new course start date 

• Send a copy of your submitted visa application form (in full) to the International Student Support team with your CID number  

• See our guidance for more information. 

Please note: if you currently hold a Graduate Visa, you cannot enrol on the basis of a pending Student Visa application, as study is not permitted on Graduate permission. Therefore, you will need your new Student Visa issued before you can enrol. 

You will be contacted with arrangements around collecting your Imperial ID card. When you go to collect your card, you will need to take with you some form of photographic I.D such as a passport.

• Check your Imperial email account regularly 

• Upload requested documents promptly 

• Keep copies of all immigration and travel documents for your records