Please note, the below only applies to students in the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture. If you are a student in another school, you should contact them directly to confirm their processes with them.
UKVI stipulates that all Postgraduate Research students at the University of Aberdeen on a Student Visa must engage with their studies at least once per month in person.
The School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture follows the below monitoring process to ensure we are compliant with the above:
- PGR Student Visa holders are emailed at the start of each month reminding them of their obligation to engage with their studies in person at least once per month – the preferred engagement method is to meet your supervisor in person.
PLEASE NOTE: Where possible, a meeting should be arranged within a similar timescale with another member of your supervisory team, but where this is not possible, you should ensure you sign-in with the School Office (Taylor A13) as an alternative. Please note that this option should only be used on an exceptional basis.
- Students are required to take meeting notes via this monthly engagement log and should upload these notes to this form. If you have an authorised absence or off-campus study form, you can also upload it on the form. The notes can be brief.
- These documents are automatically sent to the relevant supervisor/member of the admin team for approval, using Microsoft Teams Approvals. You should only use the form link above - please do not send email attachments to the School Office Admin Team or your supervisor.
- If approved, these documents will be added to the student’s record and the visa sign-in will be considered as having been completed for that month.
- If rejected, or a student indicates that they didn’t meet on campus or had no meeting, students are automatically emailed to inform them that they need to visit the office by the end of the month.
- For students who are required to come to the office, the following applies:
- The student completes a short online form in the School Office which instantly instigates an approval process via Teams on the computer/laptop which is stationed at the school office front desk. The student’s details appear on screen and the member of admin staff checks this against the person in front of them/their ID card. Once approved, the visa sign-in will be considered as having been completed for that month.
At the end of each month, the approvals list will be checked and any students who have failed to engage will be put through the C6 process as appropriate, which may ultimately lead to the reporting of your visa to UKVI.
This process replaces the need for visa students to check in at the School office each month where the meeting with your supervisor takes place in person.
- Submit your monthly engagement log and other documents as required here
- Notes and Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I complete the online sign-in form? Complete your engagement log first, then answer the questions in the online sign-in form and attach the engagement log before submitting the form. Your supervisor will receive an email prompt to approve (or reject if necessary) your sign-in. How do I complete my monthly engagement form? If you are using the log for the first time, please complete the personal information section at the top. Then add the date of the meeting with your supervisor to the relevant box and sign within that same box. Please also indicate whether or not your meeting took place in person. Once you have completed the log, please attach it to the online sign-in form. Please see the screenshot for an example:
How do I add notes to my monthly engagement form? You can add notes directly into the cell where your signature and engagement date for the month go. Please see the screenshot for an example:
What do I do if I have received approval to study off-campus? Please complete an engagement log and answer the questions in the online sign-in form before attaching both the engagement log and proof of your off-campus study approval (this can either be your off-campus letter or a screenshot of an email from the PGRS-Engagement team advising of the approval in principle).
What do I do if I am studying on campus but did not meet my supervisor in a sign-in month? Please visit the School Office in Taylor A13 to complete your sign-in in person with one of the administrative staff there. You will be asked to scan a QR code on your mobile device, then follow the steps outlined there. If you cannot scan QR codes, you will be asked to complete a manual sign-in on paper. Please note that sign-ins at the School Office will only be approved if they have taken place in front of a member of the administrative team. What do I do if I met my supervisor online or had an email check-in with them? Please complete the engagement log as you would usually do and indicate that the meeting did not take place in person. Then visit the School Office in Taylor A13 to complete your sign-in in person with one of the administrative staff there. You will be asked to scan a QR code on your mobile device, then follow the steps outlined there. If you cannot scan QR codes, you will be asked to complete a manual sign-in on paper. Please note that sign-ins at the School Office will only be approved if they have taken place in front of a member of the administrative team.
Do I have to complete a new engagement log every month? No, we ask that you please re-upload the same engagement log you uploaded the month(s) prior, completing your sign-in for that month in the relevant box (i.e., a November sign-in will go into the box beside ‘November 2022’). Please see the screenshot for more details:
Do I have to complete a sign-in when I am sick or away on holiday / other personal reasons? No, if you are away for non-study related reasons like illness or personal leave, you are not required to do a sign-in during that time. Please do submit an authorised absence form to llmvc.enquiries@abdn.ac.uk well in advance, so that you receive approval, and we can update our records. Please note further that you are required to sign in either via an in-person supervisory meeting or at the School Office in Taylor A13 within 5 working days of your authorised absence end date. You will afterwards resume your normal sign-in pattern.
Notes NB 1. If a supervisory meeting takes place online in circumstances such as the supervisor being on research leave or the student studying off-campus, for example, the log must still be completed electronically, noting the exceptional circumstances. If an in-person or online supervisory meeting cannot go ahead, the supervisor must arrange for the student to complete an in-person check-in at the office.
NB 2. Students who have submitted their thesis and are awaiting their viva must complete their sign-in at the School Office every month.
NB 3. Students who have had their viva examination must complete their sign-in at the School Office until their thesis has been sustained
- Important Documents
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Please see below a number of relevant documents related to this process.
- Further Contacts
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The Student Immigration Compliance Team are available to contact to discuss any matter relating to the engagement monitoring process for Student/Tier 4 Visa holders and can be reached via email.
They also have some helpful advice and guidance on our webpage.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs is also a great source of information and guidance on a variety of matters affecting international students.
If you have any queries about the process in the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at llmvc.enquiries@abdn.ac.uk.