If your circumstances change while we are considering your Tier 4 application or while you are studying in the UK as a Tier 4 student, you should tell us using the change of circumstances form. You can download this form from the right side of this page.

You should use the form to tell us about:

• changes in your personal details (but see below);
• criminal convictions that you have not previously told us about;
• changes in your contact details;
• changes in your representative's details;
• changes in your family members' details, if they are in the UK as your dependants; and
• any other information that you think we should know.

The form should not be used to report other changes, such as a change in your education provider or course of study. You can find more information in the guidance notes at the back of the form.

If you have a biometric resident permit (formerly known as an identity card for foreign nationals), you should not use the change of circumstances form to tell us about changes to your personal details or appearance. Instead you should use form BRP (RC), which you can downoad from the Biometric residence permit holders' responsibilities page.

When you complete the change of circumstances form, you will need:

• a description of the change you want to make;  
• your points-based system reference number;  
• your representative's reference number (if appropriate);  
• your date of birth; and 
• your nationality.

You must send the form to the postal address on the cover of the form.

You do not need to get our permission if you want to do a different course of study with your Tier 4 sponsor and the new course will finish before your current permission to stay expires. Your Tier 4 sponsor will tell us that you have changed course.

If your new course will end before your permission to stay expires, you must tell us by sending an email message to migrantreporting@ukba.gsi.gov.uk.

If your new course will end after your current permission to stay expires, you will need to make a new Tier 4 application to us. You will therefore need a new confirmation of aceptance for studies from your Tier 4 sponsor. You can make this new application at any time before your current permission to stay expires, but we recommend that you do this as soon as possible.

If you applied for your Tier 4 student visa on or after 5 October 2009

If you want to leave your current course in order to study the same or a different course with a different education provider, you must apply for a new Tier 4 visa. The new education provider must be a licensed Tier 4 sponsor, and must assign a new confirmation of acceptance for studies to you.

You can start your new course before we have approved your new Tier 4 application if:

• you have applied to us for permission to stay and study with a Tier 4 sponsor which has a highly trusted sponsor rating; and
• your permission to stay and study in the UK with your former sponsor is still valid; and
• your prospective Tier 4 sponsor has assigned a confirmation of acceptance for studies to you for your new course.

You will start your new course at your own risk, as we may refuse your application.

You cannot start your new course until we have approved your new application, if you are applying to us for permission to stay and study with a sponsor that has an A (Trusted) or B (Sponsor) rating.

If you are already studying in the UK when you decide to change to a different Tier 4 sponsor, you must make your new application from inside the UK.

If you applied for your Tier 4 student visa before 5 October 2009

If you want to leave your current course in order to study a course with a different education provider under your current permission to stay in the UK, you must get our written permission.

To request this permission, you must complete and send us a Tier 4 (PTS) application form. You can download this form and guidance notes from the right side of this page.

We will write to tell you that you can study with your new education provider under your existing permission to stay, if:

• the new education provider is on the register of Tier 4 sponsors, which you can download from the right side of this page; and
• we can confirm that the education provider wants to be your new education provider; and
• the course meets the requirements for your Tier 4 category. However, Tier 4 (General) students may continue to study a course at or above level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

After you have sent us your Tier 4 (PTS) application form, we will write to you saying that we have received it. You can start your new course before we have decided whether to approve your request - but you do so at your own risk, as we may refuse the request.

Under the Immigration Rules, we may shorten your permission to stay as a student if you change your education provider without getting our permission.

If your new course will finish after your current permission to stay expires, you will need to make a new Tier 4 application to us. You will therefore need a confirmation of acceptance for studies from your new education provider.

If your course ends earlier than expected (because, for example, your education provider has cancelled your place on the course, or you have finished the course early), we will limit your permission to stay to 60 days. But we will not limit your permission to stay if it will expire in less than 60 days anyway.

If we suspend your education provider's Tier 4 sponsor licence while you are studying in the UK, we will not tell you that we have suspended the licence. However, if the result of the suspension is that your education provider loses its sponsor licence, we will tell you and we will reduce the length of your permission to stay. 

If your permission to stay will expire while your education provider's sponsor licence is suspended, you can apply to extend your stay provided that the education provider has already assigned a new confirmation of acceptance for studies to you. However, we will hold your application until the suspension is resolved.

If we suspend your education provider's Tier 4 sponsor licence while you are studying in the UK, we will limit your permission to stay.

If you were not involved in the reasons why the licence was withdrawn, your permission to stay will be reduced to 60 days. We will not limit your permission to stay at all if your permission to stay will expire in less than six months. You may want to apply for permission to stay with another Tier 4 sponsor during this time.

If we think you were involved in the reasons why the licence was withdrawn, we will curtail your permission to stay immediately.

If your Tier 4 sponsor is taken over by another organisation which is a Tier 4 sponsor, this will not affect your permision to stay.

If your Tier 4 sponsor is taken over by another organisation which is not a Tier 4 sponsor, the new organisation must apply to become a Tier 4 sponsor within 28 days of taking over the business. If it does not do this, we will limit your permission to stay to 60 days (unless your permission to stay will expire in less than six months anyway). During this time you may want to apply for permission to stay with another Tier 4 sponsor.