applying for your tier 4 visa - king's college … visa application form is completed and paid...
TRANSCRIPT
APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA MAKING AN APPLICATION FROM YOUR HOME COUNTRY
LOW RISK NATIONAL STUDENTS
International Student Advice Team
June 2017
ContentsIntroduction and basic principles
’Low risk’ nationals
Your CAS
Documents to prepare
Financial documents
Applying online
What happens next
Refusals
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.
Introduction - Who Are We?
International Student Advice team – part of the
Student Advice service
We provide advice and support for prospective and current
international students studying at King’s, including immigration
advice, and advice on working during and after studies
We are the only staff at King’s who are regulated to provide
immigration advice by the OISC (Office of the Immigration
Services Commissioner).
We are members of UKCISA (UK Council for International
Student Affairs), who provide us with regular training and support.
See our website for further details: www.kcl.ac.uk/advice
Student visas for the UK – basic principles
If you are coming to study at King’s and are a non-European
national, you will need to obtain a visa before travelling to the UK
For any course longer than 6 months, you will need to apply for a
Tier 4 (General) visa
The visa application form is completed and paid for online:
www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
You will need to prepare supporting documents, which need to
be ready before you submit your online application and provide
your fingerprints
You will be granted a Tier 4 visa valid for the full length of your
course, plus 2 or plus 4 months (depending on the type of course)
Who are ‘Low-risk Nationals’ and what does it mean?
Nationals of countries on this list are subject
to different documentary requirements
under Tier 4, than nationals from other
countries
As long as you are applying from your home
country, being a ‘low risk national means
you will NOT need to submit academic
qualifications or financial documents with
your visa application
However, you do still need to prepare all
documents as required, as the UKVI can
request them later if they wish
For more info see here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-
rules/immigration-rules-appendix-h-tier-4-
documentary-requirements
• Argentina
• Australia
• Barbados
• Botswana
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• Japan
• Malaysia
• New Zealand
• Oman
• Qatar
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Trinidad and
Tobago
• UAE
• USA
• British National
(Overseas)
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan (those who hold a
passport issued by
Taiwan including the
number of the
identification card)
Your CAS – needed to make a Tier 4 visa application
A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a certificate
created by King’s, 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.
Instead, each CAS has 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.
Your CAS will be available to you through King’s Apply…
King’s Apply – the CAS
This is what your CAS information looks like
in King’s Apply:
What documents will you need?
Depending on the type of CAS you have, you will need some, or
possibly all, of the following:
• Proof you meet the financial requirements
• Proof you meet the academic requirements
• Your CAS number from King’s (check application portal)
• Your passports(s), and 2 passport-sized photos
• Completed application form (online)
• Payment for visa application (usually online, may be at VAC)
• Payment of Immigration Health Surcharge, or IHS
• You may need a TB certificate
• You may need an ATAS certificate
All documents must be ORIGINAL – no photocopies are allowed even for Low
Risk nationals
Low risk nationals - What documents will you need?
TB certificate
ATAS clearance
Proof of finances
Proof of academic qualifications
Your CAS number
Your passport
Photographs
Payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge
Hold but don’t submit
Hold but don’t submit
Depends on country
Depends on course
Will I need to get a 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 before applying for
your visa
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
What is ATAS and do I need to apply for it?
ATAS: Academic Technology Approval Scheme
Certain Science and Engineering courses at postgraduate 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 as you must obtain it
before applying for your Tier 4 visa – required even for Low Risk nationals
ATAS clearance is normally issued within 20 working days, but during busy
summer periods it can take up to 2 months
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
Passports and Photographs
Passport(s) and photographs are both part of the mandatory
documents for your visa applications.
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
UK passport-sized colour photos
• 2 identical photos
• less than 1 month old
• against a light grey background
• specific size instruction:
Academic Qualifications
You will need to hold the qualifications that you showed to Admissions in
order to meet your offer conditions in case these are requested by UKVI
after you submit your Tier 4 visa application. These qualifications should
match the ones listed on your CAS.
All qualifications must be original certificates or final transcripts.
No provisional certificates, and no photocopies
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 students’ Tier 4 visa applications
to be refused is because the financial documents are not suitable
You will need to have and hold 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 full tuition fees and living costs, AND / OR an
Educational Student Loan letter in your name
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 plus,
• Money for your living costs in London (known as
maintenance)
The UKVI has decided that you need £1,265 per month to live in
London. For your living costs, you should therefore prepare:
£1,265 x the number of months of your course,
up to a maximum of 9 months = £11, 385
Due to currency fluctuations, it’s always best to prepare a little bit more
How long do you need to show you have held 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
An example bank
statement
Certificates of Deposit
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.
Print out 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:
It may take us a couple of 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.
FAQs on our website :
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-
support/how/immigration/Tier-4-FAQs.aspx
Now I’m getting worried – it’s so
confusing!
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 a statement
that your official financial sponsor will cover all of your fees and
living costs.
• the official stamp of the organisation
Translations
Any original documents that are not in English will need to be
accompanied by a translation. The requirements for translations are:
• 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
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 www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/home/welcome
• Allow yourself an hour to complete the form.
• Make sure that you have your CAS and all of your documents
ready
• Use our online guidance on completing the form:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-
support/AGs/pdfs/Immigrationadvice/Entry-clearance-guideT4.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 or debit card
The cost is £335 (the equivalent in your home currency)
You will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge in order to
access healthcare in the UK
The Immigration Health Surcharge costs £75 for every 6 months of the
length of your visa
What happens next?
• Book an appointment at the nearest Visa Application Centre
• When you go to your appointment, bring your printed visa application
form plus all of your supporting documents (unless advised to send them
in by post)
• During your appointment at the Visa Application Centre, you may have
a short interview with a UKVI officer. Don’t worry about this. The
interviewer just wants to confirm that you are a genuine student
• After some days, you will go to collect your visa documents and the
decision letter
• Do check your visa sticker carefully. If you have any questions about it,
or something doesn’t look right - let us know. It will be for 30 days only
• Please note that you will not be able to travel to the UK until you have
completed all visa formalities and you have the visa vignette in your
passport. This process cannot be completed in 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
• If possible try to avoid travelling into the UK via Ireland – there are no border controls
between the two countries, and so your Tier 4 visa sticker may not be stamped –
which can occasionally cause problems
• You can choose to collect the card
at King’s by entering ‘Alternative
Location’ code: 2HE432
• 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
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
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
National Health Service (NHS) treatment
IHS paid when applying for visa, therefore NHS included
Work during studies 20 hours per week during term time
Renewing your visa in the UK Not required
BRP card Should collect BRP card within 10 working
days upon your arrival
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 [email protected]
