Credibility interviews

A credibility interview will be conducted by the Home Office to establish whether you are a Genuine Student who intends to come to the UK for study. The interview allows you to demonstrate your knowledge about the University and its facilities, your course and what you will learn, how you came to choose your course and how you feel this study will help your career aspirations. You should be able to demonstrate how your study or work history and career aspirations have led you to seek further study and be able to explain the motivations behind this. 

The interview is also an opportunity for the Home Office to check that you can speak English to the required standard. When assessing credibility the Home Office are required to take into account all of the information provided in your visa application as well as the answers you provide in your credibility interview, which means the interview forms part of the visa decision.  

You will usually be interviewed at your biometrics appointment, immediately after you have submitted your documents and enrolled your biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) at the visa application centre. 

You may be asked to attend a second interview. The Home Office may contact you via telephone or email to arrange your interview time and location.  

As part of the application process the University may hold an interview with you ahead of your CAS being issued. You will be informed if this is required and sent an appointment. Some areas to research ahead of either an Interview with Northumbria or the Home Office are: 

Your previous work and study history 

When asked about your study history and work you should be able to give a detailed history explaining any gaps, and relate this to why you wish to undertake the course you have applied for.  

Why Northumbria? 

Key to demonstrating that you are a Genuine Student; you should be able to give a full and detailed explanation of why you chose Northumbria as the place you would want to study. This should include what attracted you to us, what made us stand out over other UK universities and how you made your decision 

Why did you choose this course? 

Similar to showing why you chose Northumbria University, being able to fully explain your course choice is key. You should be able to show your knowledge of the course, explain your rationale behind choosing this course and relate it to your future.  

Funding & finances 

Part of a Pre-CAS or Home Office credibility interview may be to outline how you will fund your studies, and where the money will come from.  

Accommodation 

While it is not expected that you have accommodation firmly in place and booked, you should be able to talk about the options open to you and why you are considering these over others. 

Post-Study Plans 

Everyone applying to study at Northumbria will have a clear vision of what they plan to do next, you should be able to talk about this in detail, relating the course to these plans.