Adult Student Visa

For students who do wish to work or intern, whether paid or unpaid, do community service,or are staying for more than six months a student visa is required. “Work” includes all things such as federally funded work study positions, community service, and internships. Students going to London for the full academic year MUST select this option. For additional information on how to obtain a student visa before you depart, please visit the following on the NYU Study Abroad site

Letter of Good Standing

IMPORTANT! New York University in London recommends that all students obtain a Good Conduct Certificate (sometimes also called a “Letter of Good Standing”) before leaving for the UK. If you do not obtain this Letter before you leave home, you will be limiting your options when you arrive in London. This is particularly important if you plan to volunteer with children in London (the SHINE project) or vulnerable adults such as the sick or elderly.

This letter can usually be obtained from the State police department (your local police station), although our advice would be to find ANY police station that is willing to give you an official letter stating that you are in good standing and have no prior convictions.

In Manhattan you should go to the Public Inquiry & Request Section of Police Headquarters, located at One Police Plaza, telephone: (646) 610 5541 in lower Manhattan. For all NYU students it is not far from the Water Street resident hall. You must bring some form of identification such as a US passport and the processing fee in New York is $30. The certificate usually takes 10 working days to process. For full information regarding how to obtain the certificate in New York click here.

For further information please don't hesitate to email volunteering@nyu.ac.uk.

National Insurance Information

All students who have jobs need a National Insurance (NI) number, and may be liable to pay NI (Social Security) contributions. These contributions pay for your pension and other benefits: anyone working in the United Kingdom will need a National Insurance number to give to your employer.

Students in possession of a Student Visa are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week while studying in the UK . You can start work while you wait for your NI application to be processed and the employer can process your wages using a code of their choice.

How do I apply for a NI number as an International Student?

Contact the National Insurance Number Allocation Service by telephone: 0845 6000 643. You may have to try more than once to get through as it can be very busy.State that you are an international student needing a NI number for work purposes and you would like to have an interview.

It would be useful to have your postcode and passport with you when telephoning, as well as the contact details of your employer if you already have a job offer. Explain how long you will be in the UK . After a brief telephone interview, you will be given an appointment in person at a local Job Centre Plus office. There is usually a waiting list for appointments.

The interview will last a maximum of 30 minutes. It is important to arrive 10 minutes in advance - late arrivals lose their appointment. You will need to take documents with you confirming your identity. Recommended documents to take (if you have them):

• Passport
• ID Card
• Driving licence
• Confirmation of your address
• Matriculation (student) card
• Proof of offer of work / evidence that you are seeking work i.e. rejection letters, copies of applications

For information on how to write a British CV (the equivalent of a US resume), please refer to ukstudentlife.com