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Visa information for overseas guests

‌If you are a student from outside the European Economic Area your guests may need a visa or entry clearance to attend the ceremony. As a general guide, if you require a visa to come to the UK it is almost certain that your family will need one too.

If your family need a visa to attend the ceremony they can apply for a Visitor's Visa which will allow them to stay in the UK for a maximum of six months. A Visitor's Visa is only intended for short visits and cannot be extended.

Full details of who needs a visa can be found on the UK Border Agency website.

overseas family at graduation

To help your family get permission to come to the UK you should send them the following documents:

  1. A letter of invitation from you. You can download a sample invitation letter for guidance (link opens as a Word document).
  2. A student attendance letter (requested from the Gateway, City Campus, Edinburgh Building, Chester Road).
  3. A photocopy of your passport pages that show your details of your UK Student Visa, and the most recent immigration stamp from the British Authorities.
  4. Evidence such as bank statements, to show you can provide your family with financial support during their stay in the UK (This will not be necessary if your family are only coming for a short visit and and can provide evidence that they have their own funds).
  5. Your graduation invitation letter (your initial invite will have been sent to you by email.). To obtain an original copy of your invitation letter for visa purposes you must have booked your place and booked and paid for any guest tickets you may require. Once you have done this you should send an email to graduations@sunderland.ac.uk to request an original invitation letter. You must include the following information in your email request: your full name, student code, date of birth, course details and the address to which the orginal letter is to be sent.

Your family should take all of the above documents with them when they go to apply for a Visitor's Visa from the British Embassy or High Commission in their own country.