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4.14 Extending Leave to Remain

The length of time for which you are given permission to stay in the UK will be clearly stated on the visa in your passport.

You should therefore:

• Check the date on which your Leave to Remain is due to expire and make a note in your diary or on a calendar to ensure you remember. There could be severe problems or penalties if you allow your Leave to Remain to expire, as you will be in violation of the law.
• Apply to the Home Office for an extension of stay before your Leave to Remain expires. The Home Office will not process applications until there is only five weeks of Leave to Remain remaining. Applications for an extension of leave to remain can be made in person, by post or processed through the College Batch scheme. However, keep in mind that you will have to submit various documents with your application, so you should begin to prepare your application several weeks in advance.

To extend your Leave to Remain, you must complete a Form, FLR(S). Copies of this form and notes on how to correctly complete it are available from Founders W139 or online at www.rhul.ac.uk/prospective-students/international-students/visa.html.

Personal Applications

A charge of £500 will be made for applications made in person at the Immigration Department's Public Enquiry Office. Applications made in person will normally be dealt with on the same day as long as the application is complete and the IND Does not need to make further enquiries. The office is busy and you need to book an appointment for an interview a couple of weeks in advance. The Immigration and Nationality Department office closest to the College is in Croydon. The address is as follows:

Immigration and Nationality Department
Wellesley Road
Croydon
Surrey CR9 1AT
Tel: 0870 606 7766

Postal Applications

There is a charge of £295 for applications made by post. The Home Office has stated that applications by post will be dealt with within 13 weeks of receipt at the IND. Remember to keep copies of all documentation sent by post and send your application by recorded or special delivery through the Post Office.

Batch Scheme

Under this scheme Higher Education institutions may submit applications for an extension on leave to remain on behalf of their international students. Your application is submitted to a member of staff on campus, there is no need to travel to Croydon or pay special postage. A Home Office official who only deals with student visas will review your request. The cost for processing this way is the same as the postal application, £295. In many cases applications submitted in this way are processed quickly and with fewer problems. For further details please contact Denise Keable at D.Keable@rhul.ac.uk.

Payment may be made through the following methods:

Postal Service or Batch scheme

• personal cheque (in £ sterling, drawn on a UK bank)
• postal order
• debit or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Delta, Switch and Solo only)

Premium Service (Application in person)

• banker's draft (drawn on a UK bank only)
• postal order
• debit or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Delta, Switch only, must be registered in the UK)

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate has stated that they will not accept payment by any other means, including sterling drafts drawn on foreign banks.

More information and visa extension application forms FLR(S) are available from the Home office website: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

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