If you're working on your Master’s project or dissertation over the summer, you need to demonstrate to UKVI that you are engaging with your studies in person.

This means that, during June, July and August, you will be expected to:

1. Work on your Master’s project, attending monthly supervision meetings with your supervisor. These should be in person every four-five weeks and gaps between them should not exceed 60 days.
2. Engage with the non-credit bearing Nottingham Open Online Course (NOOC) PGT Student Visa Holder. This has contains academic study skills and will be available on Moodle – more information can be found below.
3. Formally request permission if you need to be absent from the UK for more than two weeks (more detail below).

The university is required by UKVI to monitor and keep records of your engagement – including over summer.

If you have any academic requirements such as resit exams or work placements, you should continue those as planned. If you are not progressing to your project/dissertation at this time, you should still engage with the NOOC.

What is the PGT Student Visa Holder NOOC?

This mini course has been designed to:

• Support you to demonstrate regular engagement with your studies during the summer Master’s project//dissertation period
• Support your engagement with the academic resourced you need to succeed in your studies, and help you prepare for what comes next – whether employment or postgraduate research

The course will be available via Moodle with the first unit being released on Monday 10 June. From there, new units will be released every two weeks with the final units released on Monday 19 August, making six units in total.

Each unit should take approximately one hour to complete and needs to be completed within the two-week period before release of the following unit. This course is mandatory so that your continued academic engagement across the summer can be evidenced.

You will receive an email in early June inviting you to enrol on the course. There is nothing you need to do at this point.

Absence from the UK

We understand that you may wish to leave the UK during your Master’s project/dissertation period. For immigration compliance purposes, an absence is defined as:

• Absence from teaching/research activity while in the UK; and
• Absence from the UK

If you need to leave the UK for more than two weeks during your project/dissertation period, you must request approval.

Please note that the Visa and Immigration team is required to withdraw sponsorship from anyone seeking an absence from the UK that exceeds 60 days.

Finally, we’d like to remind you that the limit of 20 hours of work per week continues to apply during the summer period.

We’d like to wish the best of luck to all postgraduate taught students embarking on their project/dissertation this summer.