For the purposes of your Student visa UKVI will consider your course end date to be the end date of your CAS. If you complete your studies and are awarded more than 2 weeks before your CAS end date you will be reported to UKVI as an early completer and your visa sponsorship will be stopped.
The Home Office will contact you, normally by email, to let you know that they are going to cancel your visa. Your new visa end date should still include your 'wrap up' period. For example, for courses of 12 months of more you should receive 4 additional months after your early course completion has been reported. The Home Office should give you 60 days notice before your new visa end date.
Please note that the decision to cancel a visa is ultimately down to UKVI, the University cannot confirm when your visa will be cancelled or how much notice you will be given.
Your visa end date will therefore change, it will be earlier than the date given on your BRP card or eVisa.
You can continue to use your visa to remain in the UK until your new visa end date. However, if you leave the UK whilst your visa is subject to cancellation, Border Force can refuse you re-entry, or can serve notice of cancellation when you request re-entry to the UK.
TRAVEL OUTSIDE OF THE UK
Once the University has reported you as an early completer and withdrawn sponsorship of your student visa it becomes liable for cancellation. Therefore, if you travel outside of the UK you may be refused entry when you try to return to the UK. This applies regardless of whether you have received a cancellation notice from UKVI or not as you may be served this at the border.
If you are planning on applying for further leave to remain in the UK, for example the Graduate route, we would suggest you remain in the UK and only travel outside the UK once you have applied for and received your new visa.
Once you have submitted a new visa application you must remain in the UK until it has been granted. Leaving the UK with a pending visa application will automatically withdraw your visa application.
WORKING AT THE END OF YOUR STUDIES
Once you have fully completed your studies and the University has reported your early completion to UKVI, you can work full-time hours, until your new visa expiry date. UKVI will contact you directly to inform you of your new visa end date.
The University is unable to provide a letter confirming your eligibility to work in the UK - it is the employer’s responsibility to carry out a right-to-work check for you.
If you want to work for the University of Hertfordshire after you have completed your studies, you will not be permitted to work full-time until the HR team has received confirmation that you have successfully passed your course and been awarded. Contact the HR team with any queries about working after studies: hrcompliance@herts.ac.uk
More information on working after studies can be found here
GRADUATE ROUTE
Once you have successfully been awarded and your result has been locked on your student record you are able to apply for the Graduate route if you meet the eligibility criteria. This will need to be submitted before UKVI cancel your visa. Further details about the Graduate Route can be found here
If you leave the UK after your early completion has been reported Border Force can refuse you re-entry, or can serve notice of cancellation when you request re-entry to the UK. We would therefore advise that you remain in the UK if you have completed early and are planning to apply for the Graduate Route.
GRADUATION CEREMONY
If you are leaving the UK, but want to return to attend the graduation ceremony, you can apply for a visitor visa. Further details are available at: https://www.gov.uk/general-visit-visa
If you have any questions about your visa situation, or about working in the UK, please get in touch with a Student Immigration Advisor at sitadvice@herts.ac.uk