Leo O'Callaghan and Sam Redhead- Specialist International Student Advisers

Visa & International Student Advice – August 2020

Applying for your Tier 4 visa from outside the UKProspective students 2020

Contents of today’s session

Introduction

Your CAS

Documents to prepare

Financial documents

Applying online

Refusals

What happens next

Questions!

The information in this presentation was correct at the time of writing. However, the Immigration

Rules do change frequently. Please do refer to www.gov.uk and www.ukcisa.org.uk for the most up-

to-date information.

Who are we?

Specialist professional advice for students of

King's College London.

We provide the following services to students:

• Immigration advice, including visa extensions and working

• We are the only staff at King’s regulated to provide immigration advice by the OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner)

• Advice on course changes or interruptions during your studies

• Cross cultural support for international students

Student visas for the UK

➢If you are coming to the UK from outside of Europe, you will need a visa to study,

mostly likely a Tier 4 (General) visa

➢The visa application form for students from outside the UK is completed online:

https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/tier4

➢You will need to prepare supporting documents, which need to be ready before you

submit your online application

What documents will you need?

You will need some, or possibly all, of the following:

• Your passport(s)

• Your CAS number from King’s (check application portal)

• Proof you meet the financial requirements (*see later slide on Low Risk Nationals)

• Proof you meet the academic requirements (*see later slide on Low Risk Nationals)

• Completed application form (online)

• Payment for visa application (online)

• Payment of Immigration Health Surcharge, or IHS

• You may need a TB certificate

• You may need an ATAS certificate

• You may need translations

You’ll need high-quality original versions of these documents, so that you can scan and

upload them online to the visa application portal.

Passports

➢ Your passport is one of the mandatory documents for your visa application.

➢ A valid passport:

• Passport number needs to match information stated on CAS

• If your passport has been changed or renewed after receiving CAS, please inform

King’s ASAP by emailing visa-reg@kcl.ac.uk

• Make sure that there is at least one page in your passport that is blank on both

sides. This is important so that the UKVI can place your visa sticker inside your

passport. If you don’t have a page in your passport that is blank on both sides, you

will need to renew your passport as soon as you can.

Your CAS

➢A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a reference number that confirms

that we have unconditionally accepted you for a particular course.

➢It is an electronic document – you do not need to print it out. It contains a unique 14-

digit number that you need to type into the visa application.

➢It contains important information about you, the way that King’s has assessed you, and

the course you plan to study.

➢Before you can be issued a CAS, you will need to have met the conditions of your offer,

and have provided or confirmed the details on the "Your Visa" tab on King's Apply

➢When your CAS has been issued, you will be able to access it through King's Apply

King’s Apply – the CAS

This is what your CAS information looks like in King’s Apply:

Academic Qualifications

➢ You will need to provide the qualifications that you showed to Admissions in order to

meet your offer conditions. These qualifications should match the ones on your CAS.

• All qualifications must be original certificates or final transcripts.

Please don’t try to use provisional certificates, or scan anything other than the original

document. When you scan and upload your qualifications, please make sure the scans are

good quality so that everything on your certificate is easily readable.

➢ These certificates / final transcripts must show

• your name, and

• title of award, and

• date your qualification was awarded, and

• name of awarding institution.

Financial documents

➢The most common reason for student’s visa applications to be refused is because the

financial documents are not suitable.

Please pay close attention to this section.

➢You will need to show bank statements in your name, your parents’ / legal guardians’

names, AND / OR a scholarship letter from an Official Financial Sponsor confirming that

they will cover your tuition fees and living costs, AND/OR a loan letter.

➢OTHER RELATIVES, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters,

CANNOT give you bank statements for your visa application – their bank statements will

lead to your application being refused.

Financial documents

➢Bank statements need to show ALL of the following details:

• Your name or your parent’s / legal guardian’s name

• The account number

• The bank’s name and logo

• The date the bank statement was printed

• The amount of money available

If you use electronic bank statements that have been printed out by the bank, then you either need a

cover letter from the bank confirming that the statements are genuine, or the statement needs to be

stamped by the bank on every page.

How much money do I need?

➢In your bank statements, you need to show:

• Any unpaid tuition fees for the first year of your course

+

• Money for your living costs in London

The UKVI has decided that you need £1265 per month to live in London.

}For your living costs, you should therefore prepare:

£1265 x the number of months of your course,

up to a maximum of 9 months.

Due to currency fluctuations, it’s always best to prepare a little bit more.

How long do I need this money?

28 days.

The total amount needs to be held for at least 28 consecutive days leading up to the last

date on your bank statement.

(Longer than 28 days is ok!)

It cannot drop below the required amount at any time during this period.

The bank statement that you use must be less than 1 month old when you pay for your

visa application.

For example:

If you put the money in your bank account on 1st July, the amount needs to remain there without dropping for 28 days -which would take you to 29th July. You can get the bank statement printed on this date.

If you then wanted to use this bank statement as part of your Tier 4 application, the latest day you could submit your online application would be 29th August.

Example Bank Statement

Bank Statements need to include:

• Your name or your parent’s / legal guardian’s name

• The account number

• The bank’s name and logo

• The date the bank statement was printed

• The amount of money available

• The money has been held for 28 days

Certificate of Deposit

Bank Letter

You can also use a letter from the bank. The letter will

need to state that confirming funds have been held for

the 28-day period ending no more than 31 days before

the date of your application, and no later than the date of

application.

You need to make sure it also includes:

• your name or your parent’s/legal guardian’s name;

• the account number;

• the date of the letter;

• the financial institution’s name and logo;

• the money in your account;

• amount of money available (to confirm that there is

enough money in the account to cover your course fees

and living costs)

If your financial documents are in a currency other than GBP, you will need to convert the

closing balance on your bank statement into GBP.

You have to use the OANDA website:

https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

Convert the closing balance into GBP using the exchange rate on the date that you submit

and pay for your visa application.

Save a PDF of the currency conversion and add it to your documents.

But my bank statement isn’t in GBP…

If you’re not sure whether your bank statements are suitable, you can scan

and email them to us:

advice@kcl.ac.uk

It may take us a few days to reply to you, so please be patient – we will get

back to you as soon as we can!

We would prefer to check your documents, than your visa application end up

being refused.

This is really confusing – HELP!

My parents are funding me…

If you want to use your parents’ / legal guardians’ bank statements for your

Tier 4 visa application, you’ll need to provide some additional documents:

• An original birth certificate / certificate of adoption / court document showing the

names of your parents / legal guardians. The spelling of these names should match

the bank statements.

• A letter from your parents / guardians confirming that:

• You are their child, and

• They give you their consent to use their money for your studies in the UK

I’m getting a scholarship…

➢ If you have been awarded a scholarship, you can provide a letter confirming the details

of your scholarship.

➢ You can be sponsored by an international company, government, scholarship provider or

university.

The letter must contain:

• your name

• the name and contact details of your official financial sponsor

• the date of the letter;

• the length of your sponsorship; and

• the amount of money the sponsor is giving to you or if they are covering all of your expenses, a

statement that your official financial sponsor will cover all of your fees and living costs.

• the official stamp of the organisation

Official Financial Sponsor Letter

If you have an official financial sponsorship, you need to provide a letter of confirmation from your Official Financial Sponsor on official letter-headed paper of the organisation.

This letter must also include:

• your name• the name and contact details of your financial sponsor• the date of the letter• the length of your sponsorship• the amount of money the sponsor is giving to the student or a statement that the student’s official financial sponsor will cover all ofyour fees and living costs• the official stamp of the organisation

• .

I will be using a loan

➢ A loan must be provided by your national government, state or regional government, or

by a government sponsored student loan company or be part of an academic, or

educational loans scheme.

➢ The letter must contain:

• your name

• the name of the financial institution

• the date of the letter;

• The money available as a loan

• that the loan is provided by your national government, their state or regional government, a

government sponsored student loan company or is part of an academic or educational loans scheme.

TB Certificate

➢A tuberculosis (TB) test is required if

• coming to the UK for more than 6 months, and

• citizen in one of countries listed in Appendix T of the Immigration Rules

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-t-tuberculosis-screening

➢ If TB screening is required, it has to be taken at a Home Office approved

clinic in your country.

https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa/countries-where-you-need-a-tb-test-to-enter-the-uk

➢Once you have your TB certificate, it is valid for 6 months. Make your

visa application within this time.

ATAS

ATAS: Academic Technology Approval Scheme

➢ Certain Science and Engineering courses above degree level will require an

ATAS certificate in order to study certain subjects in the UK.

➢ Your offer conditions and CAS will confirm if ATAS is required for your course.

➢ If you need to apply for ATAS, apply in good time. ATAS clearance is normally issued within 30 days,

but during busy summer periods it can take up to 2 months.

If you have not received your ATAS within 30 days of applying and are ready to apply for your visa,

contact us for advice as the service has been impacted by COVID-19.

➢ The ATAS application is an online form:

https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/

Guidance from UKVI to completing the form is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme

Translations

Any original documents that are not in English will need to be accompanied by a

professional translation. The requirements for translations are

- If you are applying from inside the UK, your translation needs to bear:

• The date of the translation

• The translator’s full name and signature

• The translator’s qualifications

(to be precise: what qualification do they have that allows them to translate English professionally?)

• The translator / translation company’s contact details.

• A sentence confirming that it is an accurate translation of the original document.

- If you are applying from out of the UK, your translation needs to bear:

• The date of the translation

• The translator’s full name and signature

• The translator / translation company’s contact details

• A sentence confirming that it is an accurate translation of the original document.

Example of Official Translation

Differentiation Arrangement and Low Risk Nationals

• Some nationalities are classed as 'Low Risk Nationals' and are subject to different documentary requirements. This is called the Differentiation Arrangement

• You do not need to apply for the Differentiation Arrangement – when inputting your nationality in the online application form, the UKVI will be able to work out automatically if you are eligible

Low Risk Nationals

Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile,

China, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia,

Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Qatar, Serbia, Singapore, South Korea,

Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.

Hong Kong (SAR) passport holders, Macao (SAR) passport holders,

Taiwan passport holders (with residence card no. in passport)

British National Overseas passport holdershttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-h-tier-4-documentary-requirements

Documents Low Risk Nationals will need to provide

• As a Low Risk National taking part in the Differentiation Arrangement, you are not required to provide evidence of your qualifications or financial evidence with your Tier 4 application.

Documents all students will need to provide in support of their application:

• Your passport• TB certificate (if applicable)• ATAS (if applicable)• Police Registration Certificate (if applicable)• Evidence of academic progression (if applicable)• Translations (if applicable)• Additional evidence for Under –18 applicants (if applicable)

• UKVI can ask you at a later date to provide your qualifications and financial evidence so you should ensure that you still prepare these in advance of making your application. If you do not meet the requirements or have the correct documents when if asked by the UKVI your application will be refused.

Applying online for your visa

To apply for your Tier 4 visa from outside the UK, you will need to fill in the form at

https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/tier4

• Allow yourself an hour to complete the form.

You will create an account when you start the process, and this will allow you to save

your progress along the way, log out and come back into your form.

• Make sure that you have your CAS and all of your documents ready!

• Use our online screen-by-screen guidance to completing the form:

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-support/ags/pdfs/immigrationadvice/entry-clearance-advice-guide.pdf

Paying for your visa application

Once you have completed the visa application form, you will need to pay for it online using a credit

card.

The cost is £348 (the equivalent in your home currency)

As part of the visa application process, you will also need to pay the

Immigration Health Surcharge in order to access healthcare in the UK.

The Immigration Health Surcharge costs £150 for every 6 months of the length of your visa – this

includes the additional 4 months on your visa after your course has finished.

See https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Studying--living-in-the-UK/Health-and-healthcare#layer-3209 for more information on the healthcare system in England.

What happens next?

• Book an appointment online at the nearest open Visa Application Centre

• When you go to your appointment, bring your printed visa application form, your

passport + all of your supporting documents

• During your appointment at the Visa Application Centre, you may have a short video

interview with a UKVI officer. Don’t worry about this! The interviewer just wants to

confirm that you are a real student.

• After some days, you will go to collect your

passport and the decision letter / these will be

delivered to you.

• Check your visa sticker carefully! If you have any

questions about it, or something doesn’t look right –

let us know.

• Your visa sticker will be valid for 90 days

to allow you to travel to the UK.

Arriving in the UK

• Get ready to travel to the UK! When you travel, carry a copy of your CAS and recent bank statements in your

hand luggage – just in case an officer at the UK border asks you questions about your reason to travel to the

UK.

• You will need to pick up your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), which is a pink card that shows the full

details of your visa for the whole of your time in the UK.

• Make sure check your BRP that the dates are correct –

If something doesn’t look right, contact us immediately,

you only have 10 days to fix any mistakes!

• Some of you may then need to register with the Police

as a condition of your Tier 4 leave -

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-support

/how/international-student-support/immigration-and-visas/

police-registrationYou can choose to collect the card at King’s by

entering ‘Alternative Location’ code: 2HE432

Tier 4 application and COVID-19

• It can take 3-4 weeks from when you submit your biometrics to receive a decision on your Tier 4 application

however due to COVID process may take longer…

• Visa application centres were closed due to COVID-19 but are now starting to re-open – however no priority

services are currently available.

• Recommend keeping an eye on the webpage for the VAC closest to you, so that you can see when they reopen. For

updates to the status of VACs in your country:

1. Europe, Africa and parts of the Middle East, visit: https://uk.tlscontact.com/

2. All other countries, visit: https://www.vfsglobal.co.uk/en

• As visa application centres were closed, there may be more applications for UKVI to process – would advise once

you receive your CAS + have all your supporting documents ready you submit your online visa application

• Before travelling into the UK, please check the government website to understand whether you need self-isolation

at the time and plan before your journey: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-

covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-when-you-travel-to-the-uk/coronavirus-covid-19-how-to-self-isolate-

when-you-travel-to-the-uk

• Keep up to date with King's: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/coronavirus

For students under 18

➢ You can travel to the UK and live independently, but you need written consent from your parent(s)/legal guardian(s)

that they agree to this.

➢ If you are 16 or 17, your visa application must include a letter from your parent(s)/legal guardian(s), confirming:

• the relationship between you and them;

• they give their consent to your application;

• they give their consent to you living independently in the UK;

• and they give their consent to your independent travel to the UK.

➢ The letter must confirm if your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have legal custody or sole responsibility for you, and it

must be signed by each parent or legal guardian.

➢ Please use the Alternative Location Code (given in the previous slide) to collect your BRP card from King’s College

London.

Otherwise, you will need to have a responsible adult to collect the card with you.

Refusals

• In the unlikely event of your visa application being refused,

DON’T PANIC

• As soon as you can, scan and email us every page of your visa refusal.

• If you think you have documents that would help you to avoid being refused if you apply again,

scan and email these documents too.

We will get back to you as quickly as we can.

Don’t just apply again, as you will need a new CAS for each new visa application.

You can email us at advice@kcl.ac.uk .

Arriving in the UK

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Police RegistrationRegister with the police within 7 days upon on your arrival, if ‘police registration’

appears on visa sticker

BRP card Should collect BRP card within 10 working days upon your arrival

Work during studies 20 hours per week during term time

National Health Service (NHS) Register with a GP. IHS payment means that you have acess to NHS.

Latest university advice for students regarding Coronavirus

Please keep checking the King’s

Coronavirus webpages for updates

and guidance for students on the

latest advice from the UK

government, current study

arrangements and support for

health & wellbeing:

www.kcl.ac.uk/coronavirus

Student Services Online

self-service.kcl.ac.uk will take you to

Student Services Online, which will allow

you to:

• Search and access knowledge articles

support for international students,

housing, funding, wellbeing and more!

• Request documents, such as

confirmation of your student status at

King’s.

• Log questions with Student Services

Find us online

KCL1829

@studentservices

Kingsinternationalstudentsupport

Website www.kcl.ac.uk/visa-advice

Enquiry form https://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-support/Contact/online.aspx

Do keep viewing the King’s webpages for the latest updates:www.kcl.ac.uk/coronavirus

Thank you