Changes to your personal information and contact details

If you have Student immigration permission, you must report certain changes in your personal details or circumstances to the Home Office and the University.

As your immigration sponsor, we are also required to report certain changes in your studies and personal circumstances to the Home Office in line with the Student Sponsor Guidance.

Your University record

Your personal information is held by the University and is checked at our right to study checks at the start of your course. Your name(s) must be recorded by us as they appear in your passport and immigration document and you must keep your address and contact details up to date. If there are any changes to your personal details after you have had your right to study check you will need tell us so we can update our records.

If you change your name, read the University’s student names policy (.pdf) and seek advice from your Student Services Hub. Please be aware that students with UK immigration permission who change their name, must obtain a new passport and update their visa/BRP before the University can update our records. This is because our records must match your identity and visa documents.

If you move or obtain a new mobile phone, make sure you update your contact details in your myEssex portal as soon as anything changes. As a minimum you will be required to check your contact details on your myEssex portal at the start of each academic year of your course and confirm the details are up to date by saving updates, even if you haven’t had to change anything.

Reporting changes to the Home Office

How you make the report to the Home Office will depend whether you are inside or outside the UK and if you have a visa (sticker in your passport) or a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or digital immigration status.

You must also report any other changes to the details you gave in your application, including changes to your dependants’ circumstances if applicable. If you are convicted of a criminal offence you will have to report this.