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BRP Collection

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What is a Biometric Residence Permit?

A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) is a card the size of a credit card issued by the Home Office as evidence of your immigration permission. You will receive a BRP if you apply for your Student Route visa in the UK, or if you apply from outside of the UK for a programme longer than 6 months. Your BRP card is your visa and will contain personal and biometric information of your permission to be in the UK.

If you apply for your visa from outside of the UK you will be issued with a 90 day vignette in your passport which will allow you to enter the UK. Once you have entered the UK you will need to collect your BRP card from the Post Office you selected on your visa application form. When completing your visa application online, the application form asks where you would like to collect your BRP. You can choose one of the local post offices the form suggests (based on the postcode of your institution), or nominate a different post office if you know your UK address.

Please be aware that the post-codes of the Newcastle Campus- NE1 8ST and London campus- E1 7HT are not the same.

Northumbria University is not an Alternative Collection Location (ACL) and we cannot receive BRP cards on behalf of students. Post Office delivery and collection is the only option for your BRP. All BRPs will be sent to the Post Office selected by UKVI if not nominated by you, which will be specified to you by UKVI when they approve your visa application.

  

 

If I need to re-direct the BRP to a different Post Office how do I do this?

You can choose to pick up your BRP from a different Post Office branch. You’ll need to arrange this at the branch you want it to go to and pay a fee. Please contact your preferred Post Office directly about this.

Does my decision letter confirm where to collect my BRP?

Yes, check your decision letter for the details of where to collect your BRP from.

How do I collect at the Post Office upon arrival?

You will travel to the UK using your 90-day vignette (sticker) in your passport and then collect your BRP once you arrive.

You must take your passport/travel document and your vignette sticker. If you are under 18 and do not yet have a nominated adult, please speak to a member of the Welfare, Immigration and Funding team via your Student Portal. If you are required to quarantine, please only collect your BRP after you have completed your quarantine period. 

Do I need to do anything once I have my BRP?

Once you have collected your BRP please locate the enrolment tab on our Student Portal and upload the front and back of BRP so that we can complete your Right to Study check which releases your Smartcard.

What do I do if there is an error on my BRP?

When you receive your BRP card it is important that you check it for any errors. You should check the following points:

  1. Your personal details.  Check your name, date of birth and nationality are correct. Nationality and date of birth are stated on the back of the BRP card. 

  2. If your full name does not appear on your BRP card, please note that this is not an error. A BRP card can only hold a certain amount of characters therefore if you have a particularly long name, this might not fit onto your card.

  3. Under ‘type of permit’ this should state ‘Student Leave to Enter/Remain’.

  4. Under ‘remarks’ this should state ‘work 20 hrs max in term-time’. This is if you are studying a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate degree. If you are studying a lower-level programme, this should state ’10 hours’.

  5. Under working hours, you should see our sponsor license number. This is 4NPV8B1G7.  

  6. Where the card states ‘valid until’ this represents your BRP card expiry date. It may not be the full length of visa permission you have been granted. The full length of permission you have been granted is specified on your UKVI Visa Decision letter. You will need to check this against your course end date. 

The Home Office has taken the decision to ‘short date’ all BRPs to no later than the end of 2024. This means that your BRP may have an expiry date that is earlier than your course end date. This shortened date is likely to be 31 December 2024. Please be reassured that this is normal and does not reflect your immigration permission. This date reflects the fact that you will no longer need a BRP card from 1 January 2025. Prior to 31 December 2024 UKVI will contact you to explain how to prove your ongoing Right to remain, study and work in the UK via their online Digital system.

Please refer to your CAS Certificate details which will state your course information when checking your visa expiry date.  

  • Any course under 6 months will receive 1-month wrap-up period at the end of their expected course end date.

  • Any course over 6 months and under 12 months will receive a 2-month wrap-up period at the end of their expected course end date. 

  • Any course with a duration of 12 months or more will receive a 4-month wrap-up period.  

For example

Student A course dates:

27th September 2023 – 26th March 2024 = this course is under 6 months therefore your visa expiry date will be 26th April 2024

Student B course dates: 

27th September 2023 – 2nd July 2024 = this course is over 6 months and under 12 months therefore your visa expiry date will be 2nd September 2024 

Student C course dates: 

27th September 2023 – 9th July 2025 = this is over 12 months therefore your visa expiry date will be 9th November 2025

It is very important that you have been issued the correct leave by the Home Office. If you believe that your visa expiry date is incorrect, please raise an enquiry via your Student Portal.

For courses with an end date of 1st January 2025 onward:

*Please note if you have a BRP card that expires on 31 December 2024 but your course finishes on a later date, you do not need to report this to the Home Office. For confirmation of the dates of your immigration permission, check the decision letter that you received – the dates of your permission should cover the full length of your course + 4 months. The Home Office will release more information from the beginning of 2024.

Further information

The Home Office guidance on BRP collection can be found here.

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