Credibility interviews

When deciding on your visa application, the caseworker needs to be sure that you are a genuine student and that your intention is to come to the UK to study. They test this by inviting you to a credibility interview over Skype, by phone or at the Visa Application Centre.

You need to thoroughly prepare yourself before the interview as if you do not pass this stage then your visa will be refused. It is very difficult to overturn a credibility refusal, and normally Oxford Brookes University will not issue you with another CAS if you receive a refusal for credibility.

Top tips

The interviewer will not know anything about your visa application or your course and is not allowed to rephrase their questions nor prompt you to give more detail, so you need to give full and detailed answers to all their questions.
If you do not understand the question that they ask you or if you can not hear them clearly then you can ask them to repeat the question and you can ask them to speak more slowly, but you will need to be able to answer their questions without a translator.
You should give personal answers that are related to your individual situation. If you just give general answers that anyone could give, then your visa application may be refused.

What questions will I be asked?

The interviewer will confirm your name, date of birth and nationality and then ask you a fixed series of questions. Here are some questions they will ask. Your answers should be based on facts you know about Oxford Brookes, not on what you have heard other people say:

Why did you choose Oxford Brookes University?

Explain what attracted you to Oxford Brookes University. You should find out information about the university. You should talk about the other universities you researched and why you chose Oxford Brookes instead of them.

Why did you choose your course?

Talk about how you made your decision.

What was it about this course in particular that interested you?
Did you consider any other courses?
What made you decide on this course rather than any other?

The main prospectus page for your course also has useful information such as:

Why choose this course
This course in detail
Teaching, learning and assessment
Student experience
After graduation.

You can find your course page through the 'course finder' search box on the Brookes homepage.

How will your course help with your future plans?

What are your plans after you graduate? What career path do you want to follow? What skills will this course give you for your chosen career?

Why did you choose to study in the UK?

Explain what attracted you to the UK. What makes it different to similar courses in your home country and other countries?

What if my answers are not good enough?

If the interviewer thinks that any of your answers are not clear, they may ask you some further questions, for example:

Where will you be living in the UK?

Here you can talk about how you chose your accommodation:

Will you be living in University Halls of residence?
The University has many different halls, what made you select the one you did?

If you have not been allocated a place yet, you can still talk about which accommodation you would like to live in, or that you have applied for and talk about why. How near or far is it from the campus where you will be studying?

What places would you visit in the UK?

Have you done any research about cities outside of Oxford? See what trips ISAT have to offer:

ISAT social pages

Are you planning to work in the UK?

Your main intention should be to come to study and not to work. You should have all the funds in place for your studies prior to your visa application so you should not be relying on any other money that you might earn in the UK to support yourself or pay your fees. Be sure that you are aware of the work restrictions that will be attached to your Student visa. If you are planning to do any part time work whilst you study talk about how that particular job can enhance your studies.

Was your English language tested; what was your IELTS score?

Here you can talk about the English language test you took, where you took it, when you took it and what your results were.