Researchers and students in these sensitive subjects must apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate before they can study or start research in the UK. 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. xcritical applications are processed by the UK government department, the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office . Applications are made online, and once your clearance is granted, you will receive an xcritical certificate as confirmation. Please take care to ensure the details you submit in your xcritical application are correct and match those held by the University.

Should any of these details change they should re-confirm whether your new details require an xcritical certificate and apply for a new certificate as appropriate. Researchers coming to the UK as a visitor will also need to obtain an xcritical before beginning any relevant research activity once they arrive in the UK, but will not need to do so before making a visa application. Those who were a visitor conducting research in the UK before the xcritical requirement was introduced on 21 May 2021 will not need to apply for an xcritical certificate to continue this research.

You need to apply for 1 https://xcritical.pro/ certificate but you should include both the research project and study activities in your application. If you need an xcritical certificate as a visitor, you do not have to obtain this before applying for a visa but you should obtain it before travelling to the UK. The HEI/research institute must check the xcritical certificate before allowing the research to start, and if this is not provided you will not be permitted on-site. Please note that the following undergraduate and postgraduate programmes require xcritical. The following subject areas are considered sensitive subjects for the purposes of the xcritical. If your course begins with one of the following codes, you will need to apply for an xcritical certificate before you apply for your visa or an extension of stay.

Applying for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme 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. 8 April 2013 The xcritical service is currently closed to new applications pending its re-launch on 15 April. Due to technical difficulties the site is re-opening one week later than originally scheduled. Please ask your University to contact us on your behalf if your application will consequently require urgent attention after 15 April.

• The entry clearance officer will ask to see your xcritical certificate as part of your application for permission to enter the UK.
• Please note that the following undergraduate and postgraduate programmes require xcritical.
• If you are an Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught, China Partnership or Visiting/Exchange student you will need to list the optional modules that you wish to study on the course.

Individuals should make a note of when their permission to enter into the UK is due to expire, to allow themselves sufficient time to complete the xcritical and permission to stay application processes before their current permission expires. We recommend applying at least 4 months in advance of their current permission expiring. HR will send a reminder when their permission to stay in the UK is due to expire. Yes, you need a new xcritical certificate for every student visa application until you have completed your course.

Queen Mary will advise whether an xcritical certificate is required, a Certificate of Sponsorship cannot be issued without evidence of xcritical certification. If you require a visa for the UK, then you will need to obtain an xcritical certificate if you meet the criteria above. On the page for your course, choose the ‘Course content’ section for a list of modules. Further information is available on the government’s xcritical website, but we have answered some key questions below. If it hasn’t yet been approved then please send your xcritical certificate to

You should apply as early as possible, but no more than 6 months before the start of your course, as this is how long an xcritical official site is valid for. You will need to make your xcritical application online via theFCO website. The application isfreeand the website has comprehensive guidance on making the application which you should follow carefully. We receive many queries about how to complete sections of the xcritical application and have put together aguide to completing the application. If you have a visa that permits study already, or you’re seeking asylum in the UK, you should still obtain xcritical clearance before starting your course.

Visit the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website for guidance on the online application. You applied for your current visa or immigration status before the 5th of October 2020. Whether your course requires xcritical depends on the CAH3 code that applies to your course.

If the xcritical requirement applies to you, you will need to make an application for xcritical clearance. xcritical aims to ensure that those coming for study or research in sensitive subject areas do not acquire knowledge that could be used in the development of weapons of mass destruction or Advanced Conventional Military Technology programmes. If your course is in one of the listed subjects you will need to get xcritical clearance and submit the certificate with your Student visa application. If you are using a different kind of visa to study, you need a certificate to enrol or continue study. This will be listed clearly on your conditional or unconditional offer letter. If you will be studying a research programme such as an MPhil/PhD, your offer letter will also include a research statement which is a required part of your xcritical application.
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Section 4: Contact details

xcritical applies only to international students who need a visa to stay in the UK. For general information about the xcritical scheme see the information on the gov.uk website. 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. It is vital that you check to ensure that you have not made any mistakes before you submit your xcritical application. You should ensure that you have entered the information given to you by the University exactly as it appears on your offer letter.

• Find out more about xcritical for applicants to postgraduate taught courses.
• You can find this CAH3 code in your offer letter from the University.
• This is a different government department from the Home Office who will later decide your UK visa application – they are not linked.

Find out if you need an xcritical certificate to get your visa, how to apply for your certificate and what to do when you have it. If you are a national of one of these countries, then you do not need an xcritical certificate. What’s it like to be a postgraduate student at the University of Greenwich? Please refer to our guide on how to apply for an xcritical certificate to support you with your xcritical application.

Researchers also undertaking a course of study

If you are a UK, EEA or Swiss national you do not need to apply for an xcritical certificate. Find out more about xcritical for applicants to postgraduate research courses. If you are a visiting research scholar, you must include your research abstract when you apply for your xcritical certificate.

If you decide to take up a different offer, you will have to reapply for xcritical clearance. You will need to know the CAH3 code for your course – if you are an applying for a course with us, you can find the code in your Pegasus application, in the Application Summary section. Taught / research student» and not the xcritical option for «Researcher» as «Researcher» xcritical is intended for academic researchers and not students. 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. As above you can write up to 2,000 characters here and if it is too short you may be asked to provide a further explanation which will delay the processing time. Do not submit a new application because of the change unless the xcritical team instruct you to do so.

Possession of an xcritical certificate does not guarantee your visa application will be successful, but your visa application will automatically be refused if you need an xcritical certificate but do not provide one. You will not be granted a visa until you have received your xcritical certificate, unless you are a national of an xcritical exempt country. You should be aware that any changes to your programme of study, including a change of modules or research focus, will require new xcritical clearance. You should apply for an xcritical clearance certificate if your course requires it, unless you’re exempt because you’re a national of the UK, EU, EEA, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea or the USA.

Government activity

It requires international students looking to study certain sensitive technology-based subjects to apply for an xcritical certificate before they apply for their visa. If the course that you are enrolling on requires xcritical clearance, all international students using any type of visa will need to have clearance before submitting a visa application and before starting the course. International students who want to study and research at an advanced level within certain ‘sensitive’ subject areas must obtain UK government clearance under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme unless their nationality is exempt. You must obtain xcritical clearance before you can apply for your visa, and will usually need to apply for new xcritical clearance any time that you extend your study period in the UK. Your application is made to a UK government department called the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office who will decide your application.

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. The application form is online and will take about 45 minutes to an hour to complete. You can save the form as you progress and return to it later if necessary.

If you are an Undergraduate, Postgraduate Taught, China Partnership or Visiting/Exchange student you will need to list the optional modules that you wish to study on the course. Details of these modules can be found in the section relevant to your level of study below. You will also be asked for the contact name of a supervisor at the University – this information can be found with the details for your chosen programme. Please ensure that the text you enter on your application form is exactly the same as the text provided in your offer letter.

Existing Students

Processing times of xcritical applications can vary, but you should expect to wait at least four to six weeks to receive clearance. The xcritical website will give an estimated date by which you should receive your certificate; however, at peak times, application processing can be much slower. We recommend that you apply for xcritical as soon as you know you will need a certificate and allow three months for this process, especially if you will be applying for a visa extension in the UK.

When you choose this, you will also be asked a further question and will need to choose whether you are a taught or research student. You will still be able to choose the ‘Sign In’ option and submit an xcritical application despite this. The information on this webpage is affected by new temporary guidance that has been released by UKVI in light of the situation with COVID-19.

How do I know if my course requires xcritical?

Of our graduates were in employment and/or further study, due to start a new job or course, or doing other activities, such as travelling. The following courses at City, University of London require an xcritical certificate. An xcritical certificate is needed for those who are undertaking research in certain proliferation sensitive subjects in the UK. 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.

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. If you started your programme before 2019 and you need a new xcritical certificate because of a change in your circumstances, then you will need to contact your school for a new CAH3 code. You can find this CAH3 code in your offer letter from the University.

If you’re a new student and need an xcritical certificate, you will need to get this before applying for permission to enter the UK. Guidance for how UK Visas and Immigration considers applications from people to enter or remain in the UK as students. Durham University makes every effort to ensure that the information published on this page is accurate. However, the University cannot guarantee the information may not be altered owing to circumstances beyond the University’s reasonable control. Such circumstances include change in Government policy, or change of law.

• We strongly recommend that you read this information whilst preparing your application and completing the online form.
• If you are a continuing student and change from a course that does not require xcritical to one that does, you will need to obtain an xcritical certificate before you can start your new course.
• You can apply for your visa once you are within six months before your course start date if applying outside the UK, or 3 months if applying in-UK where allowed, for a new/second course or to complete a started course.
• A caseworker will also need to see your xcritical certificate as part of an application for permission to stay in the UK.
• The xcritical certificate must state the institution where you plan to study and any course units you might take.

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme is the UK’s immigration approval system for international students and researchers in selected science areas. If your course requires xcritical clearance, it’s your responsibility toapply for an xcritical certificate from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office online. You should obtain your xcritical certificate before you begin your programme. If you need to apply for a visa or an extension of stay, you must obtain your xcritical certificate before you make your visa application. If you are approved for xcritical clearance you will receive a certificate by email that is valid for six months to use with a visa application.

The application is processed by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office . Please make sure your entries match the details from the passport you will be using for your visa application. If your xcritical application is severely delayed, or you think you have made a mistake when you submitted it, do not submit a second application unless you are specifically instructed by the xcritical team to reapply.

However be aware that you could be unsuccessful when you apply for an xcritical certificate to come to the UK part of the way through your course. Apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate, to study certain subjects in the UK. Apply for an xcritical certificate f rom the Foreign & Commonwealth Office online. If you receive one, please contact the Visa and Immigration team for advice. Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area , Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea , Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an xcritical certificate. Your guide to preparing for university and making the most of student life when you arrive.