Category Archives: Support

Here is some information from the wider university service areas.

Scam Alert, Support

Scam warming – BEWARE

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It has been brought to our attention that Indian students are again being targeted by scammers allegedly calling on behalf of the “Home Office”. They call the students and intimidate them, threatening with arrest and deportation, claiming that some formalities were not fulfilled by the student at the time of arrival in the UK and therefore the student was now a “criminal immigrant” and must apply for an AR (Alien Resident card).

The scammers ask for personal and financial details, and intimidate students into paying them large sums of cash via gift cards. They threaten students with arrest if the money is not paid or if the information is shared with anyone.

BEWARE – This is a very sophisticated scam! If they were to call you and you challenge their authenticity they may tell you to Google their phone number and verify their identity. They will have set up fake webpages and links to deceive you. They can be very forceful and authoritative in their tone, even more so if they sense that you are scared.

British Police or Home Office never contact students in this manner, and they never ask for money over the phone.

If you receive a call of this nature, please do not give out any personal details nor confirm any details they already have (passport number, address, family details).

Please do not download any software they ask you to on your phone or computer.

Cut the phone call and inform the police immediately.

If you are unsure, please feel free to contact International Experience Team on internationalexperience@shu.ac.uk or call us on 0114 225 3813.

If you have already been a victim of this scam – please contact Hallam Union Advice Centre (advicecentre@shu.ac.uk or call 0114 225 4148) as a matter of urgency.

Social activities, Support, Team

Keep up-to-date with the SHU GoGlobal team

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We will be changing our approach to sending you information about activities and projects that you can get involved in, but there are a number of ways that you can keep up-to-date with SHU GoGlobal.

Our GoGlobal newsletter will be sent on a more ad-hoc basis to promote certain events and projects rather than a monthly edition.

We will therefore be keeping you up-to-date through our Facebook account, and you can like our page now for regular updates from our team. We will also be keeping our blog up-to-date with all the information that you’ll need while you’re at Sheffield Hallam.

Scam Alert, Support

Scam alert – phishing email warning

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A significant number of our students received a phishing email purporting to be from our Finance Department, but originating from student email addresses at another university.  The email said they had been awarded a grant and they needed to click on a link to go to a form to complete their details.

The link took them to a fake university-branded webpage, hosted on a compromised server in the US. The web page asked them for a large amount of personal data, including date of birth, mother’s maiden name, bank card details etc.  Further, on submit it took them to a subsequent page branded to the bank that they had entered, asking for further information such as telephone passcode, last transactions, etc. In other words, everything necessary to steal identity and get past bank online and telephone security checks. A sophisticated attack.

This was clearly targeted at our students, as the site was branded and no obvious reference to other universities on the compromised web server, but it is possible that others will see similar attacks in the next few days.

 The original email header looked like:

 Example fake (phishing) email

From: University of Xxxx <xxxxx@students.xxxx.ac.uk>
Date: 22 September 2017 at 13:38:24 BST
To: xxxxxxx@xxxx.ac.uk
Subject: You have been awarded a student grant

If you receive an email similar to the above, then please do not reply, click on any links or give any personal information.

If you are unsure, please feel free to contact the International Experience Team on internationalexperience@shu.ac.uk or call us on 0114 225 3813 for further advice.

Support

Free academic English modules

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Would you like to develop your academic English?

University English Scheme modules cover a range of topics designed to help students develop the language skills needed to succeed at Sheffield Hallam University. There are sessions on academic reading, writing and speaking, as well as workshops on topics such as effective proof reading and avoiding plagiarism.

More information on these modules can be found on the UES timetable.

Support

Is your visa due to expire soon?

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If you do not book a one-to-one appointment to see an immigration adviser at least 2 weeks before your visa is due to expire, then we may not be able to assist you with your application and you will have to send your documents off yourself.

You must attend a visa eligibility appointment before you can book a one-to-one appointment.

It is important that you attend a visa eligibility appointment at least two months before your visa is due to expire. You will be unable to get a CAS application form if you have not attended this appointment.

You can book a visa eligibility appointment by contacting the Student Help team on 0114 225 3813.

Support

Maths support drop-in sessions

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If maths is part of your course and you’re having trouble getting to grips with it, then these sessions are ideal for you!

The Bridge are putting on maths support drop-in sessions during the resit period, so make sure your maths skills are up to date. They’re on the following dates between 11.30am–1.30pm on The Bridge, above the Adsett’s Cafe:

Thursday 6 July
Monday 10 July
Wednesday 12 July
Monday 17 July

For more information on the support that the Bridge offers, check out their website here.

Support

Student Support Services closed on Wednesday 21 June

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The Student Support Services and International Experience Team will be closed on Wednesday 21 June due to staff training.

The International Experience Team daily drop-in will also therefore be cancelled, so please make arrangements to come to Tuesday or Thursday’s session.

Our team and the reception will re-open at 8.45am on Thursday 22 June.

Employability, Support

Working in the UK after studies

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At this time of the year, you are probably thinking about your plans for finding a job after completing your studies. The following announcements are important for international students who wish to stay in the UK after graduating and want to find out about work visa rules.

Special Working in the UK after studies – internships

On Friday 7 April we hosted a fantastic event on the Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) visa scheme. The session was attended by over 50 international students. This visa scheme enables international graduates to work as interns in the UK after graduation.

The event featured Zenia Chopra from the company “Access Tier 5.” We also had a great talk by a SHU international graduate, Castor Merino. He shared his experiences of working in the UK under the Tier 5 GAE scheme and with a Tier 2 (General) visa.

The slides from “Access Tier 5” presentation are available here.

We filmed the event and we will update this post with a link to the film shortly.

Special Working in the UK after studies – Tier 2 (General)

When: 23 June  Time: 4-5.30pm Where: Adsetts 6620

This is a special and unique event focused specifically on the Tier 2 (General) work visa rules. Tier 2 (General) is one of the most popular visa categories for international graduates who wish to work full time.

We will concentrate specifically on the Tier 2 visa rules and explain eligibility rules. We will cover topics such as salary thresholds and eligible jobs. There will also be a Q&A session. We will also have SHU international graduates who have successfully got Tier 2 work visas. They will share their tips and experiences. You will have the opportunity to ask them any questions you may have.

This promises to be a popular event so book your place now!

Working in the UK after studies – All work visas

When: 31 May Time: 3-4pm Where: Owen 942

This is a presentation covering all the main types of work visas which are relevant for international graduates including: Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, Tier 4 Doctorate Extension Scheme, Tier 2 (General), Tier 5 Youth Mobility, Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange. It is relevant for international students who are currently here on Tier 4 visas and wish to learn more about the range of work visas available, and the eligibility criteria. The presentation will look at each visa criteria in detail and there will be time for a Q & A session at the end.

We will also launch our new online resource all about work visas! We will showcase the interactive materials, which includes case studies, videos and tips to maximise your success.

Book your place now

Support

The University will be closed during Easter!

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The University will be closed between 14 – 18 April, but the libraries at City (Adsetts) and Collegiate will remain open 24/7.

Here are some tips from the Library:

  • Please remember to bring your SHU Card to enter the libraries!
  • •The Helpdesk will be closed but students can access books, journals and all electronic materials, printing, copying
  • Students can still top up their print or papercut account online, or pay library fines
  • Vending machines are available for you to use (and the coffee machine in Adsetts for those needing caffeine!)
  • Security staff will be there to help wherever they can with directional enquiries or filling up printers.
  • Students needing help can contact 0114 2253333 for 24/7 help with library and IT enquiries
  • We also recommend that students use the library gateway to search for answers to questions too – there are links to blogs, guides, and FAQs plus our Twitter feed @shu_library

The University will re-open as normal from Wednesday 19 April.

Support

Working the UK after graduation

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Are you an international student interested in working in the UK after graduation? If so, then we have the events for you!

We have two fantastic workshops that are fast approaching that can help to give you the information that you need regarding the visa application process, from eligibility to documentation.

  1. Working in the UK after studies – Friday 17 March,  12–1pm
    Come to this talk to learn about work visas in the UK including: Tier 2, Tier 5 and Tier 1.There will be time for a Q+A at the end. You must book your place by going here. Visit our Facebook event for more information
  2. Working in the UK after studies – internships – Friday 7 April – 2–3.30pm
    Come to this great sessions run by Access Tier 5 and learn about the Tier 5 GAE scheme. This is a special, one-off session specially arranged for international students.There will also be a Q and A session with an international graduate about his experience of holding a Tier 5 GAE visa. Book your place here or visit our Facebook event.