Hi everyone,
Can having a court conviction for using a mobile phone while driving affect a visa application, ILR, or British citizenship application, if you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and not repeat it? Does it also apears in DBS?
Hi everyone,
Can having a court conviction for using a mobile phone while driving affect a visa application, ILR, or British citizenship application, if you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and not repeat it? Does it also apears in DBS?
Hi everyone,
I currently have a Student visa application pending with UKVI.
Yesterday I was stopped by the police for a driving offence and was given a Traffic Offence Report (TOR). I was really stressed at the time, so I honestly didn’t fully understand whether the prosecution has already officially started or if the TOR is just being sent for the next stage.
The officer told me I would receive a letter in the post explaining what happens next and that it would likely go to court. I was also told I’m not getting any fine or points at the moment and that the court would decide any penalty later.
Right now, the only thing I have is the TOR. I haven’t received any court letter, summons, conviction, fine, points or disqualification.
My question is: because my visa application is still pending, do I need to inform UKVI now just because I have the TOR, or should I wait until I actually receive the court/prosecution letter?
Has anyone been in a similar situation?
Hi everyone,
I was stopped by the police today for using a handheld mobile phone while driving. I fully accept that I made a mistake and I genuinely regret it. I’m not trying to dispute the offence or avoid the consequences.
I’ve held my full UK driving licence for less than two years, so I understand that the usual 6 points would result in my licence being revoked under the New Drivers Act. I’m prepared to accept the £200/6 points and the revocation, and then retake my theory and practical tests.
What is confusing me is that the police officer told me at the roadside that I would receive a letter from the court. He did not say that I would receive a Fixed Penalty Notice.
I would much rather accept the standard penalty without going to court if that is an option. I have no intention of pleading not guilty or challenging what happened.
Has anyone had a similar experience, particularly for a mobile phone offence? If the officer specifically said that a court letter would arrive, does that mean the case is definitely being referred to court, or could I still receive a Fixed Penalty Notice / Single Justice Procedure Notice instead?
Also, I have heard conflicting information about DBS checks. Some people say that if a mobile phone offence is dealt with in court and results in a conviction, it will appear on a DBS check, while others say that this type of motoring offence is normally non-recordable and does not automatically appear. Does anyone have actual experience of a CU80/mobile phone conviction through court and whether it appeared on their Basic, Standard or Enhanced DBS?
Thanks — I’m pretty stressed about the situation and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually been through something similar.
Hi everyone,
I’m currently on a Health & Care Worker visa and have been on this route for around 2.5 years. My husband is my dependant and his current Health & Care Worker dependant visa is valid for another 2.5 years (until November 2028)
I’m starting a full-time PhD in October and will be switching to a Student visa. My PhD is eligible for dependants.
GOV.UK says:
“If you extend or switch your visa, your partner or child’s current visa will still be valid until its original end date.”
Does this mean my husband can simply remain on his current Health & Care Worker dependant visa for the next 2.5 years, even after I switch to Student, and continue living and working in the UK as normal?
Then, before his current visa expires (while I’m still doing my PhD), could he switch from within the UK to become my Student dependant?
If he does that, would he then be eligible to become my dependant on the Graduate visa after I complete my PhD, or is there any requirement for him to have been my Student dependant from the beginning of my course?
Also, since his current Health & Care Worker dependant visa was exempt from IHS, if he switches to Student dependant later, would he only pay IHS for the new Student dependant visa, with no retrospective IHS for the period he remained on his existing visa after I switched?
Has anyone been in a similar situation or seen this happen in practice?
This would make a significant difference for us financially if he can remain on his current dependant visa until it expires. As a Health and Care Worker dependant, he did not have to pay the IHS, so if he does not need to switch now, I would be the only one paying the IHS when I switch to my Student visa.
Hi everyone,
I am on skilled worker visa at the moment and will be starting a fully funded EPSRC PhD in the UK on 1 October 2026 as an international student on a Student visa. ( I will need to switch my visa)
My funding letter says that teaching or demonstrating work should not exceed 6 hours per week, but it also mentions that international students are subject to visa restrictions.
I'm a bit confused because my understanding is that a Student visa allows up to 20 hours per week during term time.
I have a few questions:
Is the 6-hour limit only for teaching/demonstrating work within the university, or does it also apply to external part-time jobs?
Has anyone with a UKRI/EPSRC studentship worked up to 20 hours/week outside the university (e.g. remote work for a UK company, retail, care work, etc.) without any issues?
Before my PhD officially starts (my CAS and course start date are both 1 October), if my Student visa becomes valid in late August, can I continue working full-time (40 hours/week) for my current UK employer until 30 September?
My employer pays me a fixed monthly salary rather than an hourly wage. If my contract is officially changed to part-time (20 hours/week) from 1 October, is that generally sufficient, or should I also ask payroll to show hours on my payslips?
Hi everyone,
I am on skilled worker visa at the moment and will be starting a fully funded EPSRC PhD in the UK on 1 October 2026 as an international student on a Student visa. ( I will need to switch my visa)
My funding letter says that teaching or demonstrating work should not exceed 6 hours per week, but it also mentions that international students are subject to visa restrictions.
I'm a bit confused because my understanding is that a Student visa allows up to 20 hours per week during term time.
I have a few questions:
Is the 6-hour limit only for teaching/demonstrating work within the university, or does it also apply to external part-time jobs?
Has anyone with a UKRI/EPSRC studentship worked up to 20 hours/week outside the university (e.g. remote work for a UK company, retail, care work, etc.) without any issues?
Before my PhD officially starts (my CAS and course start date are both 1 October), if my Student visa becomes valid in late August, can I continue working full-time (40 hours/week) for my current UK employer until 30 September?
My employer pays me a fixed monthly salary rather than an hourly wage. If my contract is officially changed to part-time (20 hours/week) from 1 October, is that generally sufficient, or should I also ask payroll to show hours on my payslips?
Thanks
Hi everyone,
I have been working in the UK as a care manager in the private sector for nearly 2 and a half years. Recently, I was offered fully funded EPSRC funding from a Russell Group university, which covers both my international tuition fees and stipend. The project I’ll be working on is at the intersection of AI and healthcare, so it’s really interesting.
I accepted the offer and will switch my visa from Skilled Worker to Student visa. I know it was a very, very difficult decision. However, I made this decision for a few reasons.
First of all, I really dislike my job. It is full of stress and responsibility, especially as someone on a Skilled Worker visa, where you feel like you have to accept whatever comes from your employer. My work-life balance is below zero, and I am always stressed.
Secondly, given the new regulations and white paper, it seems more likely that the Health and Care visa route may become 10 years to get ILR, and I don’t want to be stuck in this job for another 7+ years.
Thirdly, I have always been an academic person and an active researcher, even when I was not a student. I have good publications and citations — 280 citations and h-index 5 — so I am thinking this PhD can improve my CV, and I may be able to apply for a Global Talent visa after my PhD.
Has anyone done something similar before and applied for the Global Talent visa?
Does it need to be from year 2 of the PhD? From what I understand, what you do during your PhD doesn’t count as experience for Route 4, unless you later get a postdoc or research associate role and apply through Route 3.
Is it possible to find eligible endorsing funders for Route 3 in the last year of the PhD? I also have less knowledge about Route 1 once you have a research role in an organisation.
I would really appreciate your thoughts or experiences.
Hi guys,
I need your input on something. I have been working in the UK as a care manager in the private sector for nearly 2 and a half years. Recently, I was offered fully funded EPSRC funding from a Russell Group university, which covers both my international tuition fees and stipend. The project I’ll be working on is at the intersection of AI and healthcare, so it’s really interesting.
I accepted the offer and will switch my visa from Skilled Worker to Student visa. I know it was a very, very difficult decision. However, I made this decision for a few reasons.
First of all, I hate my job. It is full of stress and responsibility, especially as someone on a Skilled Worker visa, where you feel like you have to accept whatever comes from your employer. My work-life balance is below zero, and I am always stressed.
Secondly, given the new regulations and white paper, it seems more likely that the Health and Care visa route may become 10 years to get ILR, and I don’t want to be stuck in this job for another 7+ years.
Thirdly, I have always been an academic person and an active researcher, even when I was not a student. I have good publications and citations — 280 citations and h-index 5 — so I am thinking this PhD can improve my CV, and I can apply for a Global Talent visa after my PhD.
But what worries me is that I am married and now 32 years old. I am thinking about starting a family and having a child, but I am very worried about whether this is doable during a PhD, especially as an international student with visa restrictions.
I read that apparently for 2 months you can still receive funding without the university needing to report it to the Home Office. I cannot leave the UK. After that, maybe you can arrange with your supervisor to work from home, especially in the writing-up stage.
I would like to hear your thoughts and whether anyone has done this. I searched this topic and surprisingly found a lot of people who got pregnant and had a child as PhD students, but they didn’t have visa restrictions.
I would like to know what the best strategy is in this situation. I am someone who works hard and always tries to plan ahead in life — obviously sometimes things don’t go the way you think — but planning makes me feel more relaxed. So I would like to hear people’s experiences and what the best strategy might be, like trying to have a baby in the second year or something similar?
Hi guys,
I need your input, I have been working in the UK as a care manager in the private sector for nearly 2 and a half years. Recently, I was offered fully funded EPSRC funding from a Russell Group university, which covers both my international tuition fees and stipend. The project I’ll be working on is at the intersection of AI and healthcare, so it’s really interesting.
I accepted the offer and will switch my visa from Skilled Worker to Student visa. I know it was a very, very difficult decision. However, I made this decision for a few reasons.
First of all, I hate my job. It is full of stress and responsibility, especially as someone on a Skilled Worker visa, where you feel like you have to accept whatever comes from your employer. My work-life balance is below zero, and I am always stressed.
Secondly, given the new regulations and white paper, it seems more likely that the Health and Care visa route may become 10 years to get ILR, and I don’t want to be stuck in this job for another 7+ years.
Thirdly, I have always been an academic person and an active researcher, even when I was not a student. I have good publications and citations — 280 citations and h-index 5 — so I am thinking this PhD can improve my CV, and I can apply for a Global Talent visa after my PhD.
But what worries me is that I am married and now 32 years old. I am thinking about growing my family and having a child, but I am very worried about whether this is doable during a PhD, especially as an international student with visa restrictions.
I read that apparently for 2 months you can still receive funding without the university needing to report it to the Home Office. I cannot leave the UK. After that, maybe you can arrange with your supervisor to work from home, especially in the writing-up stage.
I would like to hear your thoughts and whether anyone has done this. I searched this topic and surprisingly found a lot of people who got pregnant and had a child as PhD students, but they didn’t have visa restrictions.
I would like to know what the best strategy is in this situation. I am someone who works hard and always tries to plan ahead in life — obviously sometimes things don’t go the way you think — but planning makes me feel more relaxed. So I would like to hear people’s experiences and what the best strategy might be, like trying to have a baby in the second year or after PhD?