Arriving in the UK

From 1 January 2021, citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland will need to apply for immigration permission to enter or remain in the UK. If you are a EU/EEA/Swiss national entering the UK from 1 January 2021 to study on a degree course, you will need to make a Student visa application. Please visit our website for further details of how to do this. 

However, if you have entered the UK (or intend to) before 1 January 2021, you can apply for permission to remain in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme. Please take this into account before travelling to the UK. Note that this does not apply to nationals of the Republic of Ireland, who will not be subject to UK immigration control.  

If you are applying for a Student visa, it is very important that you do not travel to the UK before your Student visa is granted. This would be possible if you are a non-visa national as you could enter on your passport to visit for six months, for example, if you are a national of the USA, Canada or any EU/EEA country (as well as many others). 

The problem with doing this is that your Student visa is not 'activated' until you enter the UK after the issue date. If you enter the UK before the issue date of the Student visa, it will not be valid, and you can only stay in the UK for six months. We would not be able to register you on your course if this is found to be the case as your Student visa will not be valid. The only solution would be for you to leave the UK and re-enter on your Student visa, which would likely be expensive and inconvenient. 

If you are granted a Student entry clearance visa overseas (the vignette in your passport), you must ensure that you only enter the UK during the validity period of this visa.

If you expect to receive a digital visa (for example if you are a EU/EEA national), please also ensure that you do not travel to the UK before your Student visa is granted.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, over the course of the last two years there were additional rules and restrictions in place about travelling to the UK. For nationals of most countries, it is no longer necessary to complete a passenger locator form, take a Covid test or quarantine before travelling to the UK. 

However, please note that it was recently announced by the UK government in early January 2023 that people travelling from mainland China will now require a negative Covid test before being able to travel to and enter the UK. Full details of these requirements have not yet been published by the government but we will update our website as soon as these are released. 

You should carry all of these documents with you in your hand luggage just in case you need to evidence to a Border Force Officer why you are seeking entry to the UK. Please keep the documents very safe and do not lose them while travelling.

• Passport
• Visa
• A copy of your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) - you should print the email that we send you
• A copy of your offer letter for your course
• Details about your accommodation if this has been arranged (for example, your tenancy agreement)
• Covid test/vaccination details (see section above)

You may be asked some simple questions about your studies and your stay in the UK by the Border Force Officer. Do not be alarmed if this happens. You only need to answer the questions honestly. Your documents will also help confirm the reason why you are entering the UK to study with us.

There are some things that you should not bring to the UK.  We also do not recommend that you carry very large amounts of cash with you to avoid the risk of it being lost or stolen. For further advice about what things you can and can't bring to the UK, please visit the UKVI website.

Many of our international students arrive at Heathrow Airport, which is the UK's largest airport. Fortunately, this is also the closest airport to Brunel University. It is less than five miles away. There are many buses that can take you to the University or it is a short taxi journey. Please visit our website for further details of how to get here. This includes details of how to travel to Brunel University from other destinations.

In September, we also offer a free Airport Welcome Service and an orientation programme. Information about this will be provided in your registration instructions.