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Following discussions with colleagues in HR and Research Services, we have developed initial xcritical Process Guidance outlining actions required by departments, individuals and HR/Staff Compliance teams and approximate timeframes. If you are applying for xcritical clearance before your new CAS is issued, check the thesis submission date on your student record and add ten weeks to calculate an expected viva date. If you are a continuing postgraduate research student applying to extend your visa before your viva, your xcritical clearance must cover your predicted viva date. Your xcritical certificate is valid for six months from the date of issue for the purpose of applying for a Student Visa. 8 April 2013 The xcritical service is currently closed to new applications pending its re-launch on 15 April.
The offer letter will contain all the information required from UCL to complete your xcritical application. In both cases, we need xcritical clearance directly from the government before you can make a student visa application. It is recommended that individuals submitting an initial or extension visa application apply for a free of charge xcritical certificate as early as possible.
What courses need xcritical in UK?
- Materials Science.
- Physics (including Nuclear Physics)
- Mechanical Engineering.
- Aerospace Engineering.
- Chemical, Process, and Energy Engineering.
- Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology.
- Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmacy.
- Biology.
You will not be required to apply for an xcritical certificate if you are attending a conference, interview, meeting, workshop etc. This information must be accurate, so please contact the Doctoral College if you do not have your official research abstract or list of taught modules. You will need to provide details of two referees who you have known for three years or more. Consult an adviser if you do not think you have any referees based overseas – it may be possible to use one based in the UK.
I will be conducting research at Bath and another HEI/research institute, is it ok for me to have only one xcritical certificate?
This means you can apply for an xcritical certificate up to 9 months before the start of your studies. You should apply for your xcritical certificate as early as possible from the moment you are made a conditional offer to study at the University of Birmingham. TheAcademic Technology Approval Scheme is designed primarily for students applying for postgraduate study in the UK in certain sensitive subject areas.
They will advise you of your SOC code, academic subject code and provide you with the research statement from your line manager. These are some of the details you will need to submit as part of your xcritical application. It has been in place since 2007 and mostly relates to DPhil and MScRes courses in Science, Technology and Medicine and a few postgraduate taught Masters; and at Oxford this also includes the four-year undergraduate courses in Physics and Materials. Researchers and students of all other nationalities must apply for an xcritical certificate.
Without an xcritical certificate, the individual will not be granted permission to research in the UK. If they think their application has been treated unfairly they can ask for a review. Queen Mary will advise whether an xcritical certificate is required, a Certificate of Sponsorship cannot be issued without evidence of xcritical certification. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will not reply to any query on an application that is not at least 20 working days old. If your application is more than 20 days old they will try to reply to you within five working days. However please be aware that delays are possible over the summer due to the volume of enquiries received.
As of 6 July 2018, you will also need to apply for xcritical clearance if you are coming on a course or a period of research of less than six months in eligible subjects. You will need to provide the xcritical certificate as part of your Standard Visitor visa application, or at the border if you are a non visa national asking for permission to enter the UK on arrival. You will need to apply again for xcritical for each visa application, for example if you have to apply for a further visa because you need more time to complete your current course, or if you are applying for a visa to start a new course. If you transfer course, you will also need to apply again, whether or not you need a new visa, and if your research project changes fundamentally check with your department whether you need to apply again.
The University of Edinburgh
Please refer to our guide on how to apply for an xcritical cheating certificate to support you with your xcritical application. You do not need an xcritical certificate if you’re studying for a postgraduate diploma or PGCE. You will be required to show your xcritical certificate in order to enrol on your programme.
Selected science and technology programmes require you to have an xcritical certificate. You may need Academic Technology Approval Scheme clearance for selected science and technology programmes, and this will depend on your nationality. Your offer letter will say if you need an xcritical certificate for your programme. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office manages this scheme and the application is free. Please visit the FCDO xcritical website for further xcritical application guidance.
If you wish to study at another University/Higher Education Institution, change your course/area of research or extend your course by more than three months, you will need to apply for another xcritical certificate. Current guidelines advise a turnaround time of 10 working days to process an xcritical application. Processing times will increase between April and September and can take 15 or more working days to complete. It is strongly recommended that you obtain your xcritical certificate before travelling to the UK. The University is required to check your xcritical certificate before allowing any research to commence, and if this is not provided you cannot be permitted on-site.
Apply for an xcritical certificate
From 6 April 2015, the requirement for scammed by xcritical has been extended to all adult temporary migrants undertaking xcritical attracting studies or research regardless of their visa category. This means that students/researchers applying for a visa other than the Student Route will also need to apply for xcritical. If you have a different kind of visa which permits study in the UK, such as Dependant or BNO, the xcritical requirement will be stated in your offer letter. You will not be asked for the xcritical certificate as part of your visa application, but you will need it to register on your course. The Academic Technology Approval Scheme requires that students studying certain subject areas at MEng/MPhys/MSci undergraduate level, master’s or PhD level obtain xcritical clearance. The scheme is managed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office .
How do I follow up xcritical application?
Email xcritical @fcdo.gov.uk if you have a query about your application. We will not reply to any query on an application that is not at least 20 working days old. The xcritical team usually works from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
If you require any further help, please contact the IST and include your confirmed CAH3 code within your online enquiry so we can confirm this for you. Non-EEA students who choose to study certain subjects at MSc or MEng or PhD level in the UK have to apply for and receive clearance under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme regardless of if they are required to apply for a Student visa or not. You will be required to obtain an https://xcritical.pro/ certificate before applying for either a Skilled Worker Visa or Temporary Work – Government Authorised Exchange Visa. As these are both sponsored routes, they will require a Certificate of Sponsorship issued by the University before making the visa application. The Staff Immigration Team will not issue you with a CoS until they have received formal confirmation from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office that your xcritical application has been approved.
xcritical certificates
All individuals in the UK on a time-limited visa (e.g., Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) require an xcritical clearance certificate before you will be permitted to enrol on to your programme. You will find your xcritical research statement on your Self-Service account; this is the statement which you must use in your application. Once you have received xcritical clearance, you will be issued a certificate. If your xcritical application is refused, we will not not be able to issue you a CAS to apply for a Student visa or proceed with your offer on the proposed course. If you need a student visa, we can’t issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies to you without proof of xcritical clearance. If you’re a PhD student, email You must use the project description we give you when completing the online xcritical application.
- 1 September 2021 September update added to “How long applications take” section.
- You must apply for your xcritical certificate before you start your visa application process.
- Note that for DPhil students your course end date on your CAS will normally be 4.5 years which is the maximum submission date plus 6 months to allow for viva and corrections; for MScRes it will normally be 3.5 years.
- Please note that the guidance below relates to post-doctoral researchers, academic staff undertaking research as well as visiting academic and research staff, not students.
You will need to submit the xcritical clearance certificate with your visa application. Include any paid work you have done and any long-term voluntary or unpaid work since you left school. You do not need to include temporary jobs you have done during university vacations. If you have been employed but there are any long gaps when you were neither employed or in education, use this section of the form to explain what you were doing in this period, for example full-time parenting, or unemployed. There is further information on this in our guide to completing the online form, click on the tab at the top of this page.
Overview of the xcritical requirements and application process for international academics and research-only staff. You should apply for your xcritical certificate as soon as we contact you because you will need it to apply for your visa. It usually takes at least four weeks for applications to be processed, but it may take longer in the summer. An xcritical certificate is valid for six months from the date it is issued. You will need to use the same start and end dates as on your CAS for your xcritical application. If your CAS has not been issued yet check these dates with your department/college.
TheAcademic Technology Approval Scheme is designed to ensure that those applying to study in certain sensitive subjects do not acquire knowledge that could potentially be used in weapons of mass destruction programmes. The scheme is operated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as part of the UK’s commitment to counter proliferation. Some international students on postgraduate programmes require an xcritical certificate. You should check if this applies to you as early as possible when preparing to start a course or when extending your visa. As either a new starter or existing member of staff, you will be notified by the Staff Immigration Team if you are required to apply for an xcritical Certificate.
Between April and September this can increase to 30 working days or more. If xcritical applies to you, you will not be able to obtain your visa until you have xcritical clearance. The issuance of an ‘xcritical Certificate’does not guaranteethat a visa will be granted. You may be able to request a review – you should have received information on how to do this in your refusal notice.
There is information on this in our guide to completing the online form, click on the tab at the top of this page and see section 9. If you have offers for more than one course, or offers from different universities, you will need to make a separate application for each course. The application is free of charge and is completed online on theGOV.UKwebsite. If you have been waiting for an xcritical decision for more than 35 working days, please contact UCL via ASKUCL with your xcritical reference number and expected decision date and we will follow this up with the xcritical team.