Immigration

Supporting Documents

You may be required to include other supporting documents with your application, particularly if you are applying for a visa to start a new course. Below are the documents that you may need collect before you apply.

Photographs

You must provide 2 new photographs with your application. These should have been taken very recently in the UK and you cannot use photos which you have used anywhere previously. The photos must be different from those used on your passport, visa, Police registration certificate or for any other purpose. 

UKBA give strict guidance on what is acceptable. Carefully follow the instructions on any passport photo machine in the city and this should guarantee the correct size and specification. To check the requirements, see the UKBA Photo Guidance below.

Alternatively, you can buy new photos at Cartridges Inc, 6 New Elvet, (opposite Elvet Riverside) which will be to UKBA specification. Durham University students can also get a discount here.  

Write your name (in English) on the back and place the photos in an envelope (available at your appointment) and attach to Page 5 of the application form.

Original certificates

If you are starting a new course at Durham University, you are required to provide the original certificates of the qualifications you used when you applied for your course at Durham. The original certificates (or transcripts) required will be listed on your CAS.

If your original certificate (or transcript) is not in English then you must provide an official translation - see below.

If you are extending your visa to continue or complete the same course, then you do not have to provide any original certificates.

Translations

Where a document is not in English (or Welsh), the original document must be accompanied by a fully certified translation provided by a professional translator.

The translation must include all of the following:

  1. Details of the translator’s credentials
  2. Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document
  3. The translator’s contact details
  4. The translator's original signature and the date of translation