International student support

Below is the International Student Support privacy notice.  You can also see the UoG's general privacy notice for students here.

Your Personal Data

The University of Glasgow will be what’s known as the ‘Data Controller’ of your personal data processed in relation to advice and information you receive from International Student Support. This privacy notice will explain how The University of Glasgow will process your personal data.

Why we need it

We are collecting your basic personal data such as name, date of birth, student number, nationality, visa details and contact details in order create a record of your appointment and to provide you with advice at your appointment and any follow up information or advice. We will only collect data that we need in order to provide and oversee this service to you.

Legal basis for processing your data

We must have a legal basis for processing all personal data. In this instance, the legal basis is Consent. As a Student sponsor and under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Educational Institutions and Health Sector Bodies) Order 2001, the University is exempt from the requirement to register with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), however, as providers of immigration advice, the International Student Advisers must adhere to the OISC’s code of standards and guidance.

What we do with it and who we share it with

All the personal data you submit is processed by staff at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. Should we need to contact UK Visas & Immigration on your behalf, we will require additional consent from you.

How long do we keep it for

Your data and the record of the appointment will be retained by the University for 6 years. After this time, it will be securely deleted.

What are your rights?

You can request access to, or copies of, the information we process about you at any time. If at any point you believe that the information we process relating to you is incorrect, you can request to see this information and may in some instances request to have it restricted, corrected or erased. You may also have the right to object to the processing of data and the right to data portability.

Where we have relied upon your consent to process your data, you also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact dp@gla.ac.uk

Complaints

If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact the University Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter. Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotectionofficer@glasgow.ac.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://ico.org.uk/

The International Student Advisers provide free and confidential advice to current and prospective students, recent graduates on range of issues including immigration and visa advice, information on some practical issues for international students when living in the UK and Scottish culture.

The Advisers are Jo Bennett (International Student Adviser) Melanie Sangha (International Student Adviser) and David Schiftan (Assistant International Adviser).

The Advisers are the only designated university staff for immigration advice at the University of Glasgow. Common immigration enquiries include applying for a Student visa, applying for a Standard Visitor Visa for study, regulations related to work during and after study, dependant visas (of students), and switching immigration status to Student or Graduate Visa. They are experienced and qualified to provide immigration advice and services and are regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). The OISC is an independent organisation which sets standards with which the Advisers must comply. Find out more about OISC

The University of Glasgow is a member of UKCISA: The UK Council for International Student Affairs and as such, the Advisers obtain support in the form of training, regular briefings and access to the UKCISA telephone advice line.

The Advisers will offer advice in good faith, based on the information provided to them by you. They will make every effort to ensure that the advice offered is accurate but as immigration regulations, procedures and contact information can frequently change, it is important that you also refer to the UK Visas & Immigration and UKCISA websites for up to date information. The University of Glasgow cannot accept responsibility for visa applications which are returned as invalid or are refused.

When you come for your appointment you will be provided with our conditions of service and you will be asked to sign a consent form which allows the Advisers to act on your behalf and consult with other agencies as appropriate. During an appointment the advisers will make written notes on the nature of your enquiry as well as the information and advice they give you. This record will be kept in a file with any documentation and will be secured at the end of each working day. We will also keep an electronic copy; these records will be kept for 6 years then destroyed securely.

The Advisers reserve the right not to offer advice or accept visa extension applications if they believe that they have been given false or incomplete information or if the level of advice requested goes beyond their competency. In this circumstance the Advisers will refer you to other specialist agencies or practitioners.

DATA PROTECTION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

All users of the service have the right to confidentiality - please refer to the information above, the Student Contract and University's Privacy Notice. In relation to immigration advice, the OISC’s Code of Standards also requires that advisers keep their clients’ affairs confidential.

No information regarding a student or his/her dependant will be given directly or indirectly to any third party who is not a member of the International Student Support team, without that student/family member’s consent to the disclosure of such information. No information will be given to any external agency without the student's/their dependant's consent unless the provision of such information is required by law. Information may be disclosed without consent if, in the Adviser’s judgment, there is risk of immediate physical danger to the client or others. In circumstances where information has to be shared, the Advisers will ensure that such discussions take place in an appropriate environment.

International Student Support keeps statistical records relating to advice service use, to enable us to monitor the demand for the service, and to identify any practical or policy issues related to the advice services. It is the responsibility of the advice service staff to ensure that all statistical records given to third parties are produced in an anonymous form, so that individuals cannot be recognised.

Advice service staff will ensure that all individual case records are locked securely at the end of each working day and that all computer records are held securely and are appropriately protected. The University ensures that all advice is given in an office which has private space at least large enough for a student/family member with an interpreter or child in a pushchair or for a person using a wheelchair to be accommodated with the door closed.

If advice staff wish to contact or correspond with you, they are responsible for confirming with you that it is acceptable for them to call or write to you at home or work in relation to your case. All staff must ensure they make no reference to the purpose of the call when making telephone contact through third parties.

COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS

We welcome your feedback on the service you receive from us and suggestions for how we might improve and develop the service we provide.

If you have a complaint regarding our service please let us know and we will do our best to resolve the matter swiftly and informally. However, if you are not satisfied with the response your receive, you may follow the University Complaints Procedure. Find out more about the University complaints procedure

Finally if you have a complaint specifically related to immigration advice received, you can make a complaint to the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). Find more information about making a complaint to OISC

USEFUL CONTACTS FOR IMMIGRATION ADVICE AND INFORMATION:

UKCISA: The UK Council for International Student Affairs is the national organisation which gives advice to international students studying in the UK. They also operate a free student advice line.

Tel: +44 20 7788 9214 Monday to Friday 1300 - 1600 

Scottish Refugee Council is an independent charity dedicated to providing advice, information and assistance to asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland.

Address: 6th Floor, Portland House, 17 Renfield Street, Glasgow. G2 5AH. Tel: +44 (0) 141 248 9799