Visa Support Assistant in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: £29,588 with progression to £31,236 per annum.

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 16 August 2026

The Role

We have an opportunity in our Visa Support Team to support international students and colleagues on visa-related matters. This role is pivotal in ensuring that the university maintains full compliance with Home Office requirements, as well as providing a seamless support service for students. Attracting overseas students is vital for us as a university and we currently have around 4500 overseas students who are studying with us. To be highly successful in this role, you will have a keen interest in international student immigration matters and effectively build your knowledge of student immigration requirements and university systems. We are looking for someone who can communicate well as the role involves conveying often complex information to students whose first language is not English. Reporting to the Student Visa Support Managers, you will be given full training to ensure that you are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to work within the IAA code of standards and competencies. The role will be working on a blended working basis, with expectation of a more regular presence on campus during the peak periods.

Key Accountabilities

• Assist with the preparation and submission of leave to remain applications for students following Home Office guidelines.
• Provide up-to-date professional information and support to international students and university staff with regards to a range of immigration issues and deliver advice in a clear and concise manner.
• Manage a case load relating to student immigration issues under the guidance of the Student Visa Compliance and Advice Team Leader and liaise with the Home Office and other external agencies in relation to this, where appropriate.
• Organise and contribute to visa workshops and inductions programmes for international students, ensuring that they are familiar with their immigration obligations and Home Office requirements.
• Support the immigration permission verification process for international students at arrival and for new documents.
• Maintain and review records of right to study documents ensuring accuracy, completeness and audit.
• Assist with the preparation of Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to support visa applications for existing students.
• Manage confidential and sensitive material with integrity and discretion.
• Ensure that personal enquiries from students or staff are handled in an efficient and helpful manner.
• Help members of the service with a range of work, as necessary, e.g. our annual registration exercise and other annual exercises.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Well-developed organisational skills with the ability to work accurately with meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively within a team and relate well to others.
• Ability to use initiative and an active approach to problem solving.
• Experience of customer service work.
• Excellent IT skills and willingness to learn new systems appropriate to the role.
• Numerate when dealing with Student Visa requirements.

Attributes and Behaviour

• An ability to communicate effectively especially where clients’ first language is not English.
• Ability to cope under pressure and react sensitively to customers needs.
• Can manage diverse priorities and meet deadlines.
• Works in a confidential and discreet manner.
• Self-confidence in dealing with people on matters of procedure.
• Ability to negotiate.
• Ability to work as a team and share workload, as appropriate.

Qualifications

• Educated to GCE A Level or equivalent, or work experience in comparable role.

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.