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About these notes

  • These notes relate to applications for those coming to the University to undertake research.
  • Details should be entered in English, for example ‘Instituto Politécnico Nacional’ would be ‘National Polytechnic Institute’ and ‘ciencias biomédicas’ would be ‘biomedical sciences’.
  • Dates should be entered in DD/MM/YYYY format, for example 24 January 2021 would be 24/01/2021.

Before you start the form

You will need the following to complete the information requested in the ATAS application:

  • Your conditional offer letter;
  • Completed Statement of Research (HR58) from your Department;
  • Details of previous study and employment;
  • Details of any published papers;
  • Details of previous ATAS applications;
  • Full names and contact details of (at least) two referees; and
  • Information about how you will be funded (in other words, from a grant or by the University).

You will be asked a few questions before you start the form itself.

Check if you need an ATAS certificate

Question

Guidance

CAH3 code

If you have received a Statement of Research (HR58 form) from your Department, select Yes.  If you have not, please request this from your Department and complete your application once you have it. The CAH3 code will be stated on the HR58 form.

Are you a taught/research student or are you a researcher?

Students at overseas institutions

For ATAS purposes, students who are currently enrolled at overseas universities and are visiting the UK temporarily for study, research or projects are categorised as visiting students. If you are a student at an overseas institution, please select Taught/Research Student even if you are coming to the UK to carry out research.

If you are not a student overseas, please select Researcher.

Work and PhD study

If you are coming to the UK to work and study for a PhD at the same time, please select Research Student. The ATAS team have confirmed that, despite being an ‘employed PhD’ student applying for a Skilled Worker Visa, as you will be studying for a PhD you qualify only for a student ATAS application. All applicants studying towards any higher educational qualification are classed as student applicants, even if they are also undertaking paid research work.  

What type of study are you undertaking?

If you selected Taught/Research Student for the last question, you will be asked this follow-up question.

If you are an overseas student coming to the UK to carry out research, please select Research. If you are coming to study, please select Taught.

If you are working and studying, please seelect Research.

What is your country of nationality?

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Click Check.

If the result is that "Your answers indicate that you will require an ATAS certificate to study or research in the UK", click Create an account or Sign in as appropriate.

Once you have created an account or signed in, click Apply for an ATAS certificate.

Question

Guidance

Are you a taught/research student or are you a researcher?

Students at overseas institutions

For ATAS purposes, students who are currently enrolled at overseas universities and are visiting the UK temporarily for study, research or projects are categorised as visiting students. If you are a student at an overseas institution, please select taught/research student even if you are coming to the UK to carry out research.

If you are not a student overseas, please select Researcher.

Work and PhD study

If you are coming to the UK to work and study for a PhD at the same time, please select Research Student. The ATAS team have confirmed that, despite being an ‘employed PhD’ student applying for a Skilled Worker Visa, as you will be studying for a PhD you qualify only for a student ATAS application. All applicants studying towards any higher educational qualification are classed as student applicants, even if they are also undertaking paid research work.

What type of study are you undertaking?

If you selected Taught/Research Student for the last question, you will be asked this follow-up question.

If you are an overseas student coming to the UK to carry out research, please select Research. If you are coming to study, please select Taught.

If you are working and studying, please seelect Research.

Click Continue to Checklist.

Question

Guidance

Are you ready to apply for your UK Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate?

Select Yes if you have the documents/information required.

Have you received a CAH3 code from your Higher Education Institute (HEI), or research institute?

If you have received a Statement of Research (HR58 form) from your Department, select Yes. If you have not, please request this from your Department and complete your application once you have it. The CAH3 code will be stated on the HR58 form.

Click Start application

The form

Part 1: Proposed Research/Study

If you indicated that you are a Researcher for the "Are you a taught/research student or are you a researcher?" question, please see the following suggested responses.

Please click here if you indicated that you are a Taught student carrying out research for the "Are you a taught/research student or are you a researcher?" questions.

Researchers

Question

Guidance

What university or Research Institution will you be researching at?

Select University of Cambridge from the dropdown list.

Department

Type the name of the Department you will be working for/visiting.

Proposed Research Area

Give a one-line description of your research area – this can be taken from the “Subject/area of Research” section of the Statement of Research provided to you by your Department.

When will you start?

Enter your work/visit start date in DD/MM/YYYY format.

If you are extending your research, the start date should be the day after your existing visa expires. Ensure your application gives the new length of your visit/employment.

Research or Project Lead

Give the name of the person leading the research/project.

What is your CAH3 code?

Your department should have provided you with a Statement of Research which will give your CAH3 code. If you do not have this yet, please request it.

Personal Statement of Intent

This is not a description of what you will be researching, but rather why. We suggest including information on why you want to specialise (or are already specialising) in the particular field/area of research, how you think the job/visit will benefit you and what you hope to achieve.

You should also include:

  • the type of visa you are applying for;

  • your job/visitor title;

  • any previous contact or collaboration you have had with the University, and/or any work/visits you have undertaken at the University before.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Research Statement

This should be taken from the Statement of Research (HR58 form) provided by your department.  Please do not change it in any way.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces. If your Statement of Research is longer than 2000 characters, please contact your Department to ask them to update the statement and resend it to you.

Plans after completion of Research

Say whether you plan to stay in the UK or not, and how you intend to use your completed research.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Taught students

Question

Guidance

What university or Research Institution will you be studying at?

Select University of Cambridge from the dropdown list.

What subject will you be studying? Enter the text in the "Subject/area of Research" box on your HR58 form.
When will your course start? Give the start date of your visit.
When do you expect your course to end? Give the end date of your visit.
What is your CAH3 code? Your department should have provided you with a Statement of Research which will give your CAH3 code. If you do not have this yet, please request it.
What qualification will you be studying for? Select Other - Not a UK qualification
Supervisor name at UK University Give the name of your line manager/supervisor during your visit.
What will you be studying?

This should be taken from the Statement of Research (HR58 form) provided by your department.  Please do not change it in any way.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces. If your Statement of Research is longer than 2000 characters, please contact your Department to ask them to update the statement and resend it to you.

Why do you want to study this?

This is not a description of what you will be researching, but rather why. We suggest including information on why you want to specialise (or are already specialising) in the particular field/area of research, how you think the job/visit will benefit you and what you hope to achieve.

You should also include:

  • the type of visa you are applying for;
  • your visiting title;
  • any previous contact or collaboration you have had with the University, and/or any work/visits you have undertaken at the University before.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

What are your goals when you complete your intended programme?
What do you aim to achieve by the end of the course and how does this course tie in with your future ambitions?

Say whether you plan to stay in the UK or not, and how you intend to use your completed research.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Is this a joint programme with another country? Select No.
Part 2: Personal details

Question

Guidance

Title

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Given names

Type your first name and any middle names as they appear on your passport.

Surname

Type your last name/family name as it appears on your passport.

Gender

Select ‘Male’ or ‘Female’ (these are the only options).

Date of birth

Type this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

In what town or city were you born?

Type the name of the town/city where you were born.

In what country were you born?

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Passport number

Type your passport number – this should be the passport you are using to apply for your visa and travel to the UK. If you use a different passport, you may need to reapply for an ATAS certificate later.

If you have dual nationality, check that one of them is not exempt from the ATAS requirement.

When was your passport issued?

Type the ‘valid from’ date in DD/MM/YYYY format.

When does your passport expire?

Type the ‘valid to’ date in DD/MM/YYYY format.

What is your nationality?

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

If you have dual nationality, decide which passport you will use to apply for your visa/enter the UK, and then select this option. This nationality will appear on your ATAS certificate.

Do you have a National Identification Number?

If yes, enter the number.

Do you have dual nationality?

If yes, enter details of your second nationality – in other words, not the nationality of the passport you will be using to apply for your visa and enter the UK.

Have you ever been refused admission to the UK either through visa refusal or denied entry?

This will not necessarily affect your application, but you must declare it – note that it relates to UK entry only, visa refusals from other countries are not relevant. Enter the circumstances of the visa refusal or denial of entry including date, visa type and reason for refusal/denial.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Have you ever served in the military?

If you have, select Yes whether this was compulsory or not. Enter details of which branch of the military you served in, your role and rank.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Have you ever trained in CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) or in using firearms?

If you have, enter details of the job you had at the time, any qualifications you have in relation to your training and how many years of experience you have with CBRN/firearms.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Have you ever supported or worked on Government funded research and if so in what capacity?

If you have, give details of the project title(s), supporting researcher(s) and funding/sponsorship details. This includes EU funding as EU countries pay to be part of the EU, and some of that money filters to the ERC.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Have you ever been a member of a government run talent programme?

If you have, give the details of the talent programme, including dates and sponsor.

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

Do you have any social media accounts?

Enter the platform (eg Facebook, Twitter) and your account/user name. You do not need to give your password(s).

Response l​​​​​imited to 2000 characters including spaces.

List of Languages, including competency level

Select each language you speak from the dropdown list, and indicate your level of fluency (if you speak more than one language, you can select ‘add another language’)

Part 3: Spouse

Your spouse is your husband, wife or civil partner.

Question

Guidance

What is your current marital status?

Please complete this question whether you are married/in a civil partnership or not.

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

If you select Single, Divorced or Widowed, you will not be asked any further questions in this section.

If you select Civil Partnership or Married, complete the rest of the questions in this section.

Will your spouse be coming to the UK with you?

Select Yes if they will come to/remain in the UK with you, even if they are not actually travelling with you. If you select No, you will not be asked any further questions in this section.

Your spouse's details

Title

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Given names

Type your spouse’s first name and any middle names as they appear on their passport.

Surname

Type your spouse’s last name/family name as it appears on their passport.

Gender

Select ‘Male’ or ‘Female’ (these are the only options).

Date of birth

Type this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

In what town or city were they born?

Type the name of the town/city where your spouse was born.

In what country were they born?

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

What is your spouse’s nationality?

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list. If they have dual nationality, decide which passport they will use to apply for their visa/enter the UK, and then select this option.

Do they have dual nationality?

If yes, enter details of their second nationality – in other words, not the nationality of the passport they will be using to apply for their visa and enter the UK.

Part 4: Contact details

Question

Guidance

What is your preferred email address?

You will need to be able to access this email address, so please do not use an address which, for example, is linked to your current employer. We recommend you use an internationally recognised email server such as Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail.

Alternative email address

If you have a second email address, enter it here.

What is your postal address?

Enter your postal address with each part separated by a comma (for example: University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge).

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If your address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Telephone numbers

Give at least one telephone number – home, mobile and/or work. If any are international numbers, please make sure to provide the country and area dialling codes as appropriate.

Part 5: Undergraduate / Postgraduate studies

This section relates to studies you have already completed from your first/undergraduate degree onwards. Do not include any current studies. If there are long gaps in your education history, for example if you took a break from studying, you should indicate this on the form. Complete a separate section for each course of study. There is a different part of the form for studies at colleges or other institutions.

Question

Guidance

Have you undertaken any undergraduate or postgraduate studies?

If you have a university level education, tick Yes.

University name

Give the name of the institution.

In which department or faculty did you study?

Enter the name of the department or faculty in which you studied.

University address

Enter the postal address with each part separated by a comma (for example: University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge).

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If the address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

What was your course or thesis title?

Enter the full title of your course/thesis.

When did you start your course?

Enter this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

When did your course end?

Enter this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

What qualification did you receive?

Enter the qualification you received.

Provide a brief description of the subjects covered on your course

Describe what you studied.

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

Add another study

If you need to add another section for more undergraduate/postgraduate study, click this button and repeat the steps above.

Part 6: Other studies

Complete this section if you have completed any study after school (aged 18+), including formal professional training, which was not at a university.

Question

Guidance

Have you undertaken any studies since you left school, other than those you told us about in section 5?

Select yes if you have studied somewhere that was not a university (do not include school).

Name of college or education institution

Give the name of the institution.

In which department or faculty did you study?

Enter the name of the department or faculty in which you studied.

College/institution address

Enter the postal address with each part separated by a comma (for example: University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge).

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If the address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

What was your course title?

Enter the full title of your course.

When did you start your course?

Enter this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

When did your course end?

Enter this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

What qualification did you receive?

Enter the qualification you received.

Provide a brief description of the subjects covered on your course

Describe what you studied.

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

Add another study

If you need to add another section for more non-university study, click this button and repeat the steps above.

Part 7: Published papers

You must complete a separate section for each academic or professional paper you have published.

Question

Guidance

Have you published any academic or professional papers?

Select Yes or No as appropriate.

What was the title of your paper?

Insert the title in full.

What subject was it about?

Enter the subject matter (for example mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, aeronautics).

In which year was it published?

Enter this as YYYY (for example 2015).

Did the publication have any co-authors?

If yes, give their full name(s).

Provide a brief summary of your paper.

Summarise the content of your paper.

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

Add another paper

If you need to add another section for a further paper, click this button and repeat the steps above.

Part 8: Employment history

Include all employment (paid and long-term unpaid) except temporary jobs you have held during undergraduate/ postgraduate vacation time. If there are any long gaps in your employment history, for example if you were unemployed or a full-time parent, you should indicate this on the form.

Question

Guidance

Have you ever been employed?

Select Yes or No as appropriate. If you select Yes, you will need to complete the rest of this section. If you select No, you will skip to the next section.

What was the name of the company or organisation you worked for?

Insert the name of the company/institution which employed you.

What was their address?

Enter the postal address with each part separated by a comma (for example: University of Cambridge, The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge).

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If the address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

What position did you hold?

Give your job title (for example design engineer, researcher, personnel manager).

When did you start your job?

Enter this in DD/MM/YYYY format.

Are you still doing this job?

If No, enter the last date you worked in the job.

Job description

Give a brief summary of the work you did, including your main tasks and responsibilities.

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

Add another job

If you need to add another section for other employment, click this button and repeat the steps above.

Part 9: Referees
  • Give details of 2 referees who have known you for at least 3 years.
  • At least one of the referees must be from the academic sector.
  • If you have work experience, you should include a referee from your employment.
  • Though the guidance on the form says at least one of them should be “from your country of origin” (which means the country where you were born), this is not essential if you have not lived in that country for some time; for example, if you have lived in the UK for a number of years, you may wish to give the details of 2 UK-based referees.
  • Family members are not accepted as referees.

Question

Guidance

Title

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

What is the full name of your referee?

Provide a first name and last name; you must not use initials.

What email address should we use if we need to contact this referee?

Enter your referee’s email address.

What is their telephone number? Please give a direct number if possible.

Enter your referee’s telephone number (if this is outside the UK, include the country and area dialling codes).

How long have you known this referee?

Select the appropriate number of years and months from the dropdown lists (remember, this must be at least 3 years and 0 months).

What is your referee's position within this organisation?

Give their job title.

What does this organisation do?

Give the sector (for example engineering or higher education).

Name of the organisation your referee works for?

Give the name of the company/institution.

What is their address?

Give the organisation’s address here, not your referee’s home address.

If this is not a person from your country of origin, we recommend including a sentence here which explains that you have lived elsewhere for a number of years so you are providing details of a more up to date referee.

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If your address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Add another referee

If you need to add another referee, click this button and repeat the steps above.

Part 10: Sponsor details

This section refers to your financial sponsor, not your immigration sponsor.  If you are grant-funded, you should enter the details of your funding body. If your salary/funding is paid directly from University of Cambridge Departmental account, please enter your Department’s details.

Question

Guidance – grant funded

Guidance – University of Cambridge funded

What is the name of your sponsor?

Enter your funding body’s name.

Enter “University of Cambridge”.

What is their address?

Give the organisation’s address; if they have more than one office, give the main office.

Give your Department’s postal address.

Post/Zip code (if applicable)

If the address has a postcode or zip code, enter it here. If not, leave this question blank.

Insert your Department’s postcode.

Country

Select the appropriate option from the dropdown list.

Select “United Kingdom” from the dropdown list.

What email address should we use if we need to contact your sponsor?

Enter an email address given to you by your funder.

Enter your Department’s general email address.

Are there any conditions attached to your sponsor’s offer?

Select Yes or No as appropriate.

Select Yes or No as appropriate.

Provide details of the conditions your sponsor has attached to their offer

Include any conditions associated with the funding (in other words, if there are any circumstances it will be removed or changed).

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

  • If you are an existing employee, enter “ongoing right to work in the UK”.
  • If you are a new employee, please refer to your offer letter.

Response l​​​​​imited to 500 characters including spaces.

Add another sponsor

If you are funded from more than one source, click this button and repeat the steps above.