Visas and international student advice

International Student Advisers provide confidential and specialist support for all Queen Mary students, applicants and offer holders. We have specialist training to offer you professional advice on visa and other international student issues. Immigration rules change frequently, and advisers must attend regular training and development.  We are the only Queen Mary staff who are authorised to provide visa advice to international students.  

Our aim is to advise you about possible solutions and options relating to these issues, so that you can concentrate on your academic progress. Our advice to you will be based on your individual needs and priorities. This means that you control the process and we will not impose decisions on you. Our role is to explain your rights and any options and solutions available to you, and you can then choose what to do. 

 We will usually offer you advice and information about your rights and entitlements so that you can pursue options or achieve solutions yourself. However, sometimes you will need our help to achieve a solution. If this happens, we can advocate on your behalf, with your permission; for example contacting UK Visas and Immigration to challenge a decision. We can also contact other staff at Queen Mary on your behalf if you would like us to. If there is not a solution to your issue,  we will advise you about the implications of your situation and options that you might need to consider. 

 The advice we provide is based on the information you give us about your situation, so it is important to let us know all of the relevant facts so we can give you accurate advice. Please note that the UK immigration rules change frequently and without notice, so the advice we give is correct at the time but could be subject to change - if you are not using the advice immediately, you should check back with us nearer the time to see if it is still correct.  

International Student Advisers and Welfare Advisers at Queen Mary  are regulated to give immigration advice under Immigration Advice Authority (IAA) guidelines. The IAA is an independent organisation that monitors immigration advice and services. Advisers must attend regular training to be able to do this. 
 
However, law, regulations and policies can change quickly. The information on our website is given in good faith and has been carefully checked. However, the University  cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Queen Mary is not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites which are provided for further information. 

If you ever need to complain about the immigration advice you receive, the Advice and Counselling Service has a complaints procedure. Alternatively, you can complain directly to the IAA - information about how to do this is on the gov.uk website. 

The IAA requires Welfare Advisers to have Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII). The purpose of PII is to cover any compensation we may need to pay to correct a mistake or to cover any legal costs due to negligence, misrepresentation and/or inaccurate advice which may cause, or contribute to, financial or other loss to you. Welfare Advisers at Queen Mary are covered by a PII Policy for Queen Mary staff. 

We have a lot of guidance on our webpages that we encourage you to read. If after reading the guidance you have questions about it, or you could not find the information you need, please contact us. 

Please check our contact page for our location, phone number, and web form. The web form asks you to explain your question(s). We can then reply to you by email. Or we can offer you an appointment. You can choose whether this takes place online (Teams), in person (at the Mile End campus), or by phone. Or, if you have a quick query, you can book yourself a 15 minute online drop in slot for current students and applicants.  

Please note that we may not always be able to answer your questions in the appointment. Sometimes (especially if your situation is more complex) we may need to check information after the appointment and then email advice to you. Or we can offer you further appointments if that would be helpful.  

There is no limit to the number of advice appointments you can have. Students often come back for further advice later in their course. This might be because a new issue has come up, or there is something still unresolved from the first time they contacted us. 

Please contact us as early as possible so that we can provide you with timely and accurate advice. It is important to avoid overstaying your visa in the UK. However, don’t hesitate to contact us, at any stage: we are here to help.

Practical issues can impact on our wellbeing. For example, they can cause or exacerbate feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. In the Advice and Counselling Service we also offer wellbeing support, including counsellors, mental health advisers, and wellbeing advisers. Our website explains all these confidential services, as well providing some useful self-help resources, and how to request an appointment.