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Credibility checks

Applicant support interviews

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) often conduct credibility interviews for Student Visa applicants before granting them immigration permission to come to the UK. 

The purpose of the interview is to ascertain that an applicant's intention to study in the UK is genuine. The interview will be conducted in English, and therefore your English language ability will be checked. The questions will focus on your reasons for coming to the UK, and will include questions about your background, your study plans, careers plans and finances.

The Home Office may give you advanced notice of your interview, which will give you time to prepare; however if you think there is a chance you may be interviewed, we recommend preparing ahead of time.

We will conduct mandatory pre-CAS applicant support interviews. We use these interviews to assess your intent to study, clarify questions about your previous immigration history, or address any other concerns about the success of your Student Visa application. If your interview suggests that you are not a genuine student or your risk of visa refusal is exceptionally high, we do reserve the right to refuse your CAS.

Following your interview, we would be grateful if you would provide us with feedback regarding your interview experience. This will assist us in keeping our advice up-to-date and enable us to advise students in a similar position. 

Your Home Office interview will be conducted over the phone or via video conference. We recommend that you request your Home Office interview transcript at the beginning of the interview.

Once your Visa Support Officer has checked your other CAS documents, you will be contacted by our interview team to schedule an interview.

This interview will be conducted conducted via Teams or Google Meet and will last for roughly 1 hour.

Please ensure:

  • you respond to the interview request
  • you have a device that has video and audio capabilities 
  • you have internet access
  • you are in a quiet space on your own
  • you have your passport available
  • you are fit and well (we will confirm this in the interview)

It is very important that you attend your interview, or rearrange as soon as possible, as we may not be able to reschedule. We MUST conduct the interview prior to issuing your CAS. You will only have one attempt at the interview, so it is your responsibility to prepare appropriately.

Intention to study

  • Why do you want to study in the UK?
  • What attracted you to the UK?
  • Why would you like to live and study in the UK?
  • What made you choose the University of Bradford?
  • Which other Universities did you consider?
  • What facilities are there at the University of Bradford?
  • Where is the University of Bradford?
  • What modules will you be studying and what qualification will you leave the University with?
  • How is your course assessed?
  • What other courses (if any) did you consider studying?
  • What are your plans are after you complete your course?

Your academic history

  • Where have you studied previously and why did you choose this course of study?
  • If you have any study gaps then you may need to explain what you have been doing in this period.
  • Why have you decided to return to study?

Your personal background 

(This may include details about your family at home and in the UK)

  • Have you ever visited the UK before?
  • Will you have any family travelling with you?
  • Do you have family in the UK?
  • Have you ever had a visa refusal?

Financial questions

  • How will you fund your studies?
  • Would you be able to pay your tuition fees in one full amount?
  • How much will your accommodation cost?
  • Do you plan on working while in the UK?
  • If you have a loan how do you plan on paying this back?

Other Credibility Checks

The following factors are considered in our pre-CAS checks and may affect the decision to issue a CAS:

  • Intent and ability to study course
  • English Language ability
  • Financial credibility
  • Previous study in the UK
  • Immigration History (such as visa refusals for the UK or other countries, previous curtailments or overstaying)
  • Failure to disclose material information about your immigration and academic history

The Home Office will conduct checks on supporting documents to verify that they are genuine. You are responsible for ensuring that the documents you provide with your visa application are not fraudulent. If your visa is refused for fraudulent documents, it will lead to a 10-year ban from entering the UK. 

We need to decide if a student is likely to succeed in making a Student Visa application as each refusal negatively impacts our Sponsor License; we therefore reserve the right to refuse to issue a CAS if your risk of refusal is deemed too high based on your credibility checks. If you have any questions or concerns about your eligibility for a CAS, it is best that you are honest with us about your situation and contact us early in the process with the relevant information.