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:

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: