Your DMU Future - information for international students

To be able to study in the UK, you will need a Tier 4 student visa. We encourage you to get in touch with your education agent or the regional team in our friendly International Office for visa support and guidance for your country.

Due to restrictions that may be in place when you arrive in the UK, we would encourage all international students to make sure you have a credit card available to use (ideally not an American Express card as this is not accepted everywhere) for immediate payments and internet shopping. You will particularly need this if you are required to quarantine or self-isolate.

To make sure you've got everything you need before you depart for the UK, here's our handy 10 step checklist to help ensure you have a smooth journey and settle into life at DMU.

1. If you live outside of the EU, apply for your visa to study
   Make the most of your time at DMU and take the worry out of visa issues, take a look at our visa advice page or contact us if you have any questions about applying for a visa.
2. Book your room
   We guarantee accommodation to all international students starting with us this September. Following recent UK guidelines, students from some international destinations may need to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. If this still applies when you book your accommodation, we will give you 14 days rent-free if you book your room through the DMU Accommodation Service and arrive before the end of January 2021. Terms and conditions apply.
3. Arrange your travel to the UK
   We recommend you arrange your travel well in advance as flights may be reduced from some countries. You can take advantage of our free airport pick-up service from Heathrow Airport. If you're arriving at a different airport, find out how you can travel to Leicester.
4. Organise your documents
   Keep all your key documents safe and easily accessible on arrival into the UK, including your offer letter from DMU, evidence of financial support, your passport and your CAS letter if you are coming from outside of the EU.
5. Get travel insurance
   We recommend you arrange travel insurance for yourself, your luggage, personal belongings and valuables. The National Union of Students (NUS) recommends Endsleigh insurance packages for students.
6. Plan your finances
   Make sure you know the cost of living and studying in the UK so you can plan accordingly. Once you're on campus, our Student Finance team can provide advice on a range of student funding issues.
7. Do your online enrolment
   Before arriving, we'll email you details to complete your e-induction to prepare you for university life. You'll also get an email to register and complete our two-step online enrolment to DMU. Make sure you have accepted your offer in time if you haven't done so already.
8. Your DMU Welcome
   A welcome and information programme will be available to help you settle in when you arrive, with guidance on living and studying at DMU. Keep an eye out for more information about the DMU Welcome programme in coming weeks.
9. Pack your things
   UK weather can be changeable, so make sure you pack clothes for both cold and warm weather. Don't worry if you forget something, you can buy most things easily and cheaply in Leicester when you arrive.
10. Arrive on campus!
    Beginning your journey at DMU this year might be a little different with some students quarantining upon arrival, which is why we are committed to ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for you when you arrive.

DMU is offering a free pick-up service from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in January 2021 for new international students. Further details and online booking are available at www.dmu.ac.uk/heathrow.

We have also provided guidance and information on how to travel from the airport to DMU, including links to the National Express bus service and to taxi companies.

If you have any questions about travelling to Leicester or need further information or advice, please email us at arrivals@dmu.ac.uk and we'll do our best to advise you.

Fees

• When it comes to paying your fees it’s really important that you have you finances in order and everything planned out. As an International student you are required to pay 50% of your fees in advance of or on the day of registration. If the amount is not paid you will not be able to register and therefore your visa will be curtailed within the required time period. The remaining balance must be paid by a monthly/termly instalment plan that must be agreed with the Income Team within four weeks of registration.

Working in the UK

• Last year, the UK government announced the creation of a new immigration route which will enable international students to remain in the UK for two years once they have completed their studies. Any eligible student who graduates from the summer of 2021 or after will be able to apply for this route. Successful applicants will be able to stay and work, or look for work, in the UK at any skill level for a maximum period of two years. To find out more, please click here.
• Under Tier 4 visa regulations, students are allowed to work 20 hours a week during term time. However, please be aware that due to the current situation with COVID-19, there may be reduced working opportunities in the UK.

Self-isolation guidance

We have put together a guidance document for international students on self-isolating which we encourage you to take a look at.

It includes:

• The rules on self-isolating
• What to do before you travel
• Buying food in quarantine
• Information on bedding and kitchen equipment
• How we can support you

Registration will take place online for those students joining the university in January 2021 and October 2021.

You will need to book a video appointment with a member of De Montfort University staff. In this video appointment, we will confirm your identity, your current location and your intended arrival date in the UK if you are not in the UK at the time of the appointment. We will also need to check that we have all the right copies of your passport and visa documents on file.

You can register with the university even if you have not yet travelled to the UK so you should not wait to travel in order to register online, pay your fees and book your appointment.

Please read the following details carefully and ensure you follow all the instructions:

What you need to do before you book your appointment

Complete online registration and pay 50 per cent of your first year fees. If you have not done so, you will not be able to book an appointment and finalise your registration, so it is important you do this as soon as possible so that you do not risk losing your place.

The requirement to pay 50 per cent fees excludes students joining DMU International College (DMUIC) and those progressing to DMU from the International College.

Provide copies of your visa and passport documentation by email to internationalregistration@dmu.ac.uk. What you need to send will depend on your situation:

• If you are in the UK at the time of registration we will need a copy of the visa sticker in your passport that has been stamped at the border AND your Biometric Residence Permit Card - both sides (if you have been able to collect it)
• If you are outside the UK and have had your passport back following a visa application we will need a copy of the sticker in your passport.
• If you are outside the UK and have not yet applied for your visa we will need a copy of your passport - we should have this on file from your application, so you do not need to send this again unless you are asked to do so.

Photographs of your documents are acceptable - but they must be in colour and clear enough for us to be able to read all details on the document. Any student progressing to DMU from DMUIC does not need to provide further copies of visas unless you have new documentation since your initial registration.

Register for Microsoft Teams. We will use Microsoft Teams to call you to complete the video chat. You must provide the email address for which you register with Microsoft Teams as part of this process.

Practice using Teams if you have not used it before. We will make a call to you on Teams when it is your appointment. It might be useful to practice receiving a call and making sure all your equipment is working before your appointment.

Check your emails regularly. If we need more information from you or to update you on your registration process we will email you. It is important that you check your emails (including spam folders) regularly to ensure you are up to date.

What you need to do at your appointment

Be available for the full time of your appointment slot. Appointments will be booked in three-hour slots. We will make a call to you on Microsoft Teams during this slot. if you have done everything required before your appointment then the call itself should not take more than 5-10 minutes. We will get to you as soon as possible, but it is important that you remain available until we have spoken with you.

Have your passport and visa documents ready. We will need to check your identity. We may also ask for copies of any documents by email if we do not have a copy of what we need, so please be prepared to email copies of your documents again if requested.

Confirm the date you expect to arrive in the UK. You must arrive in the UK as soon as possible. We have made an allowance for students to register before arriving where restrictions following Covid-19 have limited their ability to travel on time - but we must know your travel plans and reason for any extended delays and you will need to discuss these during registration.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. We are taking steps to register students remotely to support students that may be in a period of self-isolation following travel, those that are registering before they are able to travel and to ensure the safety of our staff and students.

It is really important that you work with us to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible during registration by following the instructions included closely.

If you have difficulty completing the tasks above, please contact internationalregistration@dmu.ac.uk.

i-Buddies is a mentoring scheme that matches our newly arrived international students with an existing DMU student. i-Buddies can support you as you transition into life in the UK and will help you start to make friends straight away. The scheme lasts for the first term of the new academic year, but many Buddies become friends and choose to stay in contact after this. Click here to learn more about i-Buddies.
Please note: This video was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

UK guidelines currently require those arriving from certain international destinations to quarantine for 14 days. If this still applies when you book your accommodation, you will get 14 days rent-free if you book through the DMU Accommodation service and arrive before the end of January 2021 (please note that accommodation through DMU is designed for sole occupancy). We hope that by offering you this period for free in our nominated halls, you can concentrate on getting started on your course, meeting new friends and making the most of your study experience here. The full list of participating halls of residences can be found on our halls page - but this offer only applies if you book your accommodation place through DMU.

We have put together a guidance document for international students on self-isolating which we encourage you to take a look at. It includes information on the rules of self-isolating, how to buy food under quarantine, how we can support you and more.

If you have booked accommodation through DMU but are prevented from travelling to the UK because of government-imposed lockdowns or travel restrictions (either by the UK government or other relevant national governments), or if you withdraw or decline your place at DMU, then we will cancel your accommodation booking and refund your booking payment.

If there are no travel restrictions in place and you change your mind about your accommodation you will remain liable for all payments under your accommodation contract.

Please note that the arrangements outlined above do not change your right to a 14-day no-question cancellation period, which begins from the point your accommodation booking is confirmed. 

We hope that this gives you the information and the reassurance you need in making your decisions about accommodation at DMU next year. If you have any further questions, please contact the accommodation team: accommodation@dmu.ac.uk

We encourage our international students to live in Leicester within a reasonable distance of the DMU campus so that you are able to easily access facilities.