My name is Sara Dyer, and I am a head of International Student Support, and we are a part of student service division. Our role is really around supporting students who come from outside of the UK before their arrival at Sussex and then during their programme and their time here.

Really our role is around providing the additional support international students sometimes need because they are new to the country really so that could be everything from helping and advising students applying visa, advising about applying for a bank account in the UK, registering with a doctor, bringing family to the UK, so really anything which is not to do their actual studies but around kind of settling into the life in the UK  so we very much part of pre-arrival process students we send a lot information students before their arrive such as our pre-arrival guide.

We support students in kind of process actual getting to Sussex so we have for students arrive their journey in main welcome weekend in autumn. We have a team of helpers based on Heathrow and Gatwick airports and we provide meet and greet coach service at Heathrow airport. Just really try make a process arrival as easiest as possible for students. Because we know that coming to new country can be daunting, so we try to make that as easiest as possible for people.

And during academic year, we run whole range of trips going to place like Oxford and Cambridge, and Bath, Stonehenge, really it is opportunity for international students to explore the UK as while they stay here and take a little break from their studies  to sort of see the country. We really are source of advice for international students if they have questions or problems during time here which are specific to their being from outside of the UK.

I also advice to new doctoral students if their circumstances change in any way for those who have a Tier 4 visa to contact one of immigration advisers to see if there is any implication for their visa, for example, if they have family member to the UK or have baby while they stay here in the UK, or the date of their submission is likely to change it is important to take advice at that point. We also advice who are interested in taking advantage of Doctoral Extension Scheme which enables to stay a year after completing research to look at what you need to gather documents you need to gather for that quite early stage because it is important to apply at right time with right documents.

Key thing is really any immigration questions or any concerns do come and speak to one of our advisers.