Pre-arrival Guide

Welcome

Hello and congratulations on your offer to study at the Muslim College

This guide aims to help you prepare to leave home and travel to UK. It will answer many of your questions, from what to pack in your suitcase, to who to contact when you arrive. Please read it carefully and carry it with you when you travel to UK.

We look forward to meet you in London.

Best wishes.

International Student Support

Checklist: Before you leave home
Immigration Advice
Documents to bring with you
Documents to put in your hand luggage
What to Pack
How much money will you need?
Opening a Bank Account
At the airport - After landing
Passport Control
Airport Security
Collecting your luggage (baggage)
Airport Pick up Service
Onward travelling to College
Arrival & Enrolment
Attendance & Student Progress
Police Registration

Checklist: Before you leave home

	Obtain any necessary student visa/entry clearance for study in the UK.
	Check information and fees for your course and cost of living in London.
	If you have a disability, contact College for special arrangements.
	Buy travel tickets.
	Check your government’s restrictions on taking money out of the country.
	Check with your bank about regulations concerning transferring money to the UK.
	Check your luggage weight against your airline’s allowances.
	Obtain travellers’ cheques and British currency for use during first few days or weeks.
	Obtain a letter of explanation from your doctor for any prescribed drugs you may need to bring with you.
	Visit the dentist/optician as care can be expensive in the UK.
	Photocopy the personal details pages of your passport and visa stamp and keep them in a safe place.
	Visa Letters offered from British High Commission / British Embassy in your country, confirming your Student Visa.

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Immigration Advice

If you are a national of a country which is not in the EU or Switzerland, and you want to study in the UK you must have permission to come to the UK as a student, before you travel. This permission is called ‘entry clearance’ or a student ‘visa’. When you are granted entry clearance the immigration officer in your own country, will put a visa sticker into your passport. If you arrive in the UK and do not have the correct entry clearance or visa, the immigration officer will not allow you to enter the UK and you will have to return home immediately. To get this entry clearance as a student, contact the British Embassy, Consulate or High Commission in your home country and check exactly what kind of entry clearance you need at the time you want to travel, and how to apply in your country. There are different ways to apply for example on-line, by post or through an agency. You must also check whether there have been any changes to the immigration rules, requirements and procedures for students applying for entry clearance to study in the UK.

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Documents to bring with you

Please bring the following original documents with you when you come to the UK to study at the Muslim College.

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Documents to put in your hand luggage

If you are a national of a European Economic Area (EU) country or from Switzerland:

	Your valid passport (or national identity card).
	Any letters from the Muslim College offering you a place on a course.
	Original certificates of your qualifications, or certified copies.
	Enough money (in pounds sterling – cash and/or travellers’ cheques) to pay for your expenses over the first few weeks in the UK.
	If you are eligible, proof that you have applied for a tuition fee loan.
	The address and telephone number of where you are going to stay.

If you are a national of a country not in the European Economic Area (EU) or Switzerland:

	Your valid passport.
	The correct entry clearance (if required) in your passport, to allow you to enter the UK.
	Any letters from the Muslim College offering you a place on a course.
	Original certificates of your qualifications, or certified copies.
	Enough money (in pounds sterling – cash and/or travellers’ cheques) to pay for your expenses over the first few weeks in the UK.
	Documents to show that you have enough money to pay for tuition fees and living expenses for you and any family dependants coming to UK with you.
	Certificates of health, vaccination or x-ray reports, if you need them.
	Documents to show insurance for your journey.
	The address and telephone number of where you are going to stay.
	Visa Letters offered from British High Commission / British Embassy in your country, confirming your Student Visa.

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What to Pack

British weather changes throughout the year. Temperatures can rise up to 28ºC in the summer and may go down to -2ºC in the winter. The warmest time of the year is between June and August, the coldest between November and February. Clouds and rain can be followed by sunshine and blue skies, sometimes all in the same day.

You will need some warm and waterproof clothes for when you are outside. Pack clothes that you can wear in layers, for example, thermal underwear, t-shirts, sweatshirts and sweaters.

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How much money will you need?

You can bring as much money as you like into the UK, but you will have to tell customs. You may also need to check how much your country will let you take out. British currency is made up of pounds and pence and is known as sterling. 100 pence make one pound. Pounds are represented by the sign ‘£’ and pence by the sign ‘p’.

There are 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2 coins and £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes. In the UK, it is very unusual for large sums of money to be carried in cash. We would advise you either to pay by credit card or to open a bank account and arrange a standing order or direct debit payment for regular bills.

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Opening a Bank Account

Soon after you arrive in UK, you will need to access money to pay for rent, living expenses and tuition fees. Many students bring a credit card which has been issued in their own country and use it to pay for items and get cash from their bank in their home country. Check with your bank before leaving home that you will be able to use your credit card at cash dispensers (ATMs) in the UK.

If you are in the UK for more than a few months, you will probably need to open a bank account. Ask for advice from your own bank before leaving home as they may have a special arrangement with a bank in the UK.
It may take two to three weeks to open an account, so make sure you have access to any money you will need during this period. Bring travellers’ cheques or a bank draft with you to avoid carrying large amounts of cash with you. Most international students can open a bank account but the types of accounts vary so please check what each bank account offers before deciding. However, please note that no account will provide you with an ‘overdraft’ facility (to borrow money from a bank). Students who are in the UK for less than six months may find it difficult to open any type of bank account.

To open a bank account you need to be in the UK, and you will be asked to provide certain proof and documents.
Some of the main banks and building societies have websites which include information about opening accounts. Click on the icons below to follow the link of the banks listed.

Make sure when you open an account that you understand whether and when your bank will charge you bank fees. Some bank accounts may make you pay a fee if your account does not always have a certain amount of money kept in it at all times. Other bank accounts charge a standard monthly subscription.

When you arrive in UK, the Student Welfare Officer will give you more information about where you can open an account in London.

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At the airport - After landing

On leaving the aircraft, follow the signs for arrivals to go through passport control (international passengers only), baggage reclaim and Customs.

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Passport Control

Note that there is likely to be a queuing system in place so check that you join the right one!

The Immigration Officer will want to see that your documents are in order, that your passport is up-to-date, check your landing card and visa/entry clearance. Also have evidence of financial support, your admission letter and your accommodation confirmation, ready for inspection. Part of the immigration process may, if required, include evidence of a recent medical examination or international vaccination certificate.

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Airport Security

Click here to follow a link outlining application for student visitor

As part of the immigration process it is possible that you may be stopped and asked some additional security questions. If there are any problems, or if you have any concerns on arrival regarding your passage through immigration/passport control, ask the Immigration Officer to contact the Student Support Team on 020 8992 6636 within office hours (10:00-18:00 hrs). Have a pen ready just in case you have to take down details.

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Collecting your luggage (baggage)

Once you have cleared passport control follow the signs to the baggage collection point which will show your flight number and departure point. You may then proceed through Customs; follow the green light if you have nothing to declare but Customs Officers may ask you to open your luggage, so keep your keys accessible. If in doubt ask one of the Customs Officers for advice before proceeding.

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Airport Pick up Service

When you arrive to UK for the first time and if you don’t have anyone to pick you up from the airport then a meeting with the college representative can be arranged. This requires the students to give prior information to the student welfare officer. The following information need to be provided before the arrival:

• Name of the student
• Name of the airport
• Airline & flight number
• Date & time of arrival
• Contact details including email and mobile numbers

If the student arrives on a week day he may be taken to the college or to their lodging address in London which can be arranged by the college if it is booked well in advance. A non-refundable pick-up fee of £50 is collected from the arriving student.

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Onward travelling to College

We have provided below details of how you can make your own way to the College.

Click here to download a map to the Muslim College.

For advice on travelling to the College you can contact registrar@muslimcollege.co.uk

In the event of any difficulty when you arrive in the UK, you can contact the College on the following numbers:

Tel: +44 (0) 208992 6636 (Monday to Friday 9:00 – 17:00)

See http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube for underground (tube) journeys from Heathrow Airport.

Alternatively, you can pick up a taxi from the airport to help you make your way to your residence.

If you wish to take a taxi from the airport, you can always find an official airport taxi or ‘black cab’ from the taxi rank outside the arrival terminal. Do NOT accept rides from anyone who approaches you in the airport. You should agree the price with the taxi driver before you begin your journey.

You should make sure you have the correct money in UK currency. You should also make sure you have the address of where you are going written out clearly to show to the taxi driver.

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Arrival & Enrolment

Students travelling to UK can contact the college representatives in their own country and provide them with the Flight details. College operates Airport Pickup facility (please refer to Airport Pickup above)

Students new to London can attend a free induction session which is done 2 weeks before the course start date attendance to the induction is compulsory as it provides guidelines about Life in UK, Registration with the necessary authorities, opening up a bank account, registration with GP, Letter for National Insurance etc and the student will be issued with a Student Hand book which outlines the general rules and regulations of the college, students failing to attend this induction classes should intimate the college well in advance.

Students who misses the induction without informing the college and fails to attend the 1st day of their lecture will be taken seriously and their names will be included in the list of students not turned up to college after arriving to UK and the same will be intimated to the Home Office.

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Attendance & Student Progress

Student Attendance and progress is considered serious affair by the college, the students attendance is continuously monitored by the college, students who fail to attend the college without any prior intimation or permission from the student welfare officer will be reported to the Home Office on a weekly basis, and students whose attendance falls below 85% in month will be included in the list of poor attendance students and the same will be reported to the Home Office.

Students who fails to show good progress in studies or fails to pass examinations with external awarding bodies will be intimated to the home office as non progressing students. If the student fails to progress after continuous efforts will be expelled from the college.

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Police Registration

Students from the following countries need to register with the local police immediately after landing in UK.

Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria , Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, UAE, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

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