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Applying outside the UK: Access UK online application guide This guide should be used in conjunction with the Tier 4 Policy Guidance which can be found on the GOV.UK website and our guidance document Making a Tier 4 (General) student visa application outside the UK. To apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa for your programme at SOAS from your country of nationality (or country of residence) you will need to use the Gov.uk online visa application form. The only exception to this rule are students from North Korea who must apply in person and use paper forms that can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Immigration Health Surcharge As well as completing the online application and providing documents to prove that you meet the Tier 4 requirements, as outlined in Making a Tier 4 (General) student visa application outside the UK, you must also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. Please see our Immigration Health Surcharge guidance.

Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) Part of the process of applying for a Tier 4 (General) student visa is to provide your biometric information. This is a photograph of your face and a scan of your fingerprints that are taken every time you make a Tier 4 (General) student visa application. Your visa application cannot be processed until your biometric information has been given. When your visa is granted you will receive a sticker (vignette) in your passport valid for a 30 day period. This 30 day period will start one month before the course start date specified on your CAS or seven days before the intended date of travel, whichever is later. Once you arrive in the UK you will be issued with a plastic card called a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This card has a chip in it which contains your fingerprints and photograph. The BRP will also show the date your visa is valid until, it will confirm how many hours you are allowed to work and your entitlement to NHS healthcare. You collect your BRP from a Post Office nearest to the UK address you entered into the visa application. You must take the letter you were issued with your visa vignette and collect your BRP within 10 days of arrival in the UK. For more details about collecting your BRP please see the GOV.UK website. You will be able to enrol on your programme at SOAS before you have collected your BRP by showing the visa vignette in your passport. However, you will need to show the BRP, once you have collected it, to the SOAS Registry team. Therefore, we would urge you to collect it before enrolling.

Student Advisor (Immigration and Finance) Student Advice and Wellbeing welfare@soas.ac.uk

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Before applying online You cannot submit a Tier 4 (General) Student visa application more than 3 months before the start of your programme at SOAS. You can only make this application in a country other than your country of nationality if you have a right of residence to be in that country for instance as a student or a worker. You cannot apply from a country in which you hold a visitor/tourist visa. Your application will only be considered low-risk if you have a passport issued by one of the countries listed in Appendix H of the Immigration Rules.

Applying online: register an account To start your application go to https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/tier4 and select your visa type. Choose “Tier 4 (General) Student” if you are self-funding or your parents are funding

you. Also choose this option if you are being funded by an educational loan, including a government loan, or receiving official financial sponsorship. Visit our guidance to understand who can be an official financial sponsor.

Choose “Tier 4 Student (for Chevening, Marshall and Commonwealth Scholars) if you are in receipt of a Chevening, Marshall or Commonwealth Scholarship.

Once you have selected your visa type, click ‘Next’ and enter the country in which you are making your application and wish to provide your biometric data.

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Once you have selected your location, you then need to confirm whether you are able to attend an appointment at one of the listed visa application centres.

Click ‘Next’ to continue. Once you are confident that you can meet the Tier 4 requirements, click on ‘Apply Now’ and register your email to create your account.

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Keep a note of your password somewhere safe. You will be sent a verification email asking you to verify your email address. You will need to do this before submitting your visa application.

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When you need to pause your application, make sure you log out of your account. You will be sent in email containing a link to resume your application.

Personal information You must give your name exactly how it appears in your current passport. If your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) does not match the name given in your passport you will need to request an amendment to your CAS before applying for your visa.

Are you also known by another name? If your name is different to that given in your passport, you will need to declare this on your application form and provide original evidence to explain the name change (i.e. a marriage certificate, birth certificate, deed poll document).

Sponsor

Do you have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number? Once you have an unconditional offer for your programme you can request a CAS via the SOAS website. This is an electronic document created by SOAS within the UK Visas and Immigration computer system. Your CAS statement will be issued to you by email. If you do not have a valid CAS you must not submit your application without one or it is likely to be refused.

Personal information/ Passport details You must make sure your personal information, passport details and national identity card details (if applicable) are entered accurately. If you have any additional passports (you have dual nationality) or previous passports in your possession you are advised to submit them with your application.

Your planned travel information The form will ask for your date of intended travel to the UK. Your visa will be issued with a start date (up to) one month before the start of the programme, if your programme is longer than 6 months or one week before the start of the programme, if your programme is less than 6 months. The form will also ask you how long you intend to stay in the UK. You should give the duration of your course in this section, even if your plan is to extend your stay in the UK for another programme of study or to switch into a work-related visa category.

English language

We may have to talk to you about your application. Which language would you prefer to use? We advise that you state ‘English’ as the language you would like to be interviewed in. For information about the interview process, please see this guidance.

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Does your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement indicate that your English language ability was assessed by your institution or that you are a ‘gifted’ student? If your CAS has wording similar to this ‘We have assessed this student's English language ability. We confirm that it is equivalent to CEFR level B2 standard in each of the four components of language learning.’, then you can answer ‘Yes’ to the above question. If your CAS confirms that you have a ‘SELT’ then you must answer ‘No’ and ensure that you provide a valid Secure English Language Test (SELT) result with your visa application e.g. IELTS for UKVI Further details about English language assessment in relation to your CAS can be found in guidance.

Dependant details / Parents Details / Family in the UK

Does anyone rely on you for financial support? The form asks if you have any family members, whether they are travelling to the UK with you or not, who are financially dependent on you. You must enter the details of these family members and indicate whether they will be coming to the UK with you for the duration of your studies. You can only bring family dependants (spouse, civil partner, children over the age of 18) with you to the UK if you are studying a postgraduate programme of 9 months or more in duration or if you are a government sponsored student studying a programme of 6 months or more in duration. Other extended family members who wish to visit you in the UK must apply for a Standard Visitor visa (see the GOV.UK website for more details). Once you have completed your application, you will need to go to https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/dependant, to create a separate application for each dependant traveling with you. For more information about dependant applications, please see the UKCISA website and PBS Dependant Policy Guidance.

Accommodation Details

Do you have an address for where you are going to stay in the UK? It is important that UK Visas and Immigration can contact you and so give the full UK address you intend to live at during your stay in this section. If you do not know your UK address, or you are yet to arrange your accommodation, you will need to answer ‘No’ to this question and explain what your plans are in the free text box. Once you are in the UK you must keep UK Visas and Immigration updated about any change of circumstances such as your address. See the GOV.UK website for more details.

Travel Information / Travel History (UK and other) In this section you will asked to provide details of any trips you have made to the UK and to other countries in the last 10 years. It is a good idea to have your current and previous passports available when you complete this section. If you have a record of previous travel such as tickets, boarding passes or itineraries, these will also help you.

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It is important in this section and throughout the form to be as accurate as possible. However, if you cannot remember an exact date of travel, just enter the month and year, then, enter the 1st day of that month as the date.

Problems with immigration to the UK and other countries

If you have encountered any of the listed immigration issues when visiting the UK or elsewhere, you must declare them on the form and provide clear and accurate details. Failure to do this is likely to result in your visa application being refused on grounds of deception. If you would like to discuss this section of the application form with an adviser before you submit your application please email welfare@soas.ac.uk

National Insurance number National Insurance (NI) is a tax in the UK paid by workers and employers. If you have been issued with a National Insurance number for the UK, you must click ‘Yes’ to provide it on your application form and explain why you applied for it in the free text box.

Medical Treatment If you have previously received medical treatment in the UK you will need to provide the full details of each treatment received in this section

Convictions and penalties / War crimes / Terrorist Views / Previous Employment You must answer all questions truthfully, including providing information for any country you have lived in or travelled to. Selecting an option from the list will direct you to another page or free text box where you can add further details.

Sponsor / Maintenance / Course details You must enter the sponsor licence number and address as shown in the screen shot below. You can also confirm this address as your primary site of study.

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Will you be studying at a school or higher education institution? SOAS, University of London is a higher education institution.

UCAS details If you are going to be studying an undergraduate course you may have applied for your course through UCAS. Your UCAS number will be on your CAS or on any correspondence you have received from UCAS.

Do you need to obtain permission from the ATAS? Currently, SOAS do not run any courses that require students to obtain approval from the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS). You can therefore answer ‘no’ to this question and continue.

Will you be receiving money from an official financial sponsor for your continuing studies? Only certain types of financial sponsors are acceptable for visa purposes. Visit our guidance to understand who can be an official financial sponsor. You must answer 'No' to this question if you are using personal funds in your name or your parent(s)’ name or you are receiving a student loan. Visit our guidance for further guidance on loans.

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If your official financial sponsor is only sponsoring you for part of your tuitions fees and maintenance costs, then you must answer ‘I am not being wholly sponsored’. yet been disbursed to your personal bank account you will need to answer ‘No’.

Course information The official name of your course, qualification level, and start and end dates can be found on your CAS. You must ensure this information is entered correctly.

Have you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) already paid any money to your sponsor for accommodation? Unfortunately, because SOAS halls and University of London intercollegiate student halls of residence are provided by third-party organisations, you do not pay fees directly to SOAS and therefore this money cannot be mentioned in your application. Please tick ‘No’.

What are your course fees for your first year? Enter the amount that is shown on your CAS statement.

Have you or your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) already paid any of your course fees? Write here how much money you have already paid towards your tuition fees. This information is on your CAS statement.

How can you prove this amount has been paid? Your CAS statement should confirm how much money you have paid towards your tuition fees. If the fees paid information on your CAS is incorrect you must request for an update to your CAS before submitting your visa application.

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Are any of the maintenance funds required for this application in the form of a student loan?

If you are receiving a student loan that meets the requirements of the Tier 4 visa, then answer ‘Yes’. Full details are in our guide or contact welfare@soas.ac.uk for further advice.

Are all the maintenance funds required for this application in a bank account with your name on it? If you are using a bank account with your name on it to prove that you meet the financial requirements, click 'Yes'. If you have answered 'No' to this question, you will be asked if you are using a bank account in your parent(s)’ or legal guardian’s name. If you have answered ‘Yes’ to relying on money held in an account under your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to this question, you must confirm that you have permission from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to use their money and confirm how you can proof the parental relationship. If you are using a student loan which has not yet been disbursed to your personal bank account you will need to answer ‘No’. If you are using a student loan, which has not yet been disbursed to your bank account, and other personal cash savings in your name then the answer is still ‘No’. You can then use the ‘Additional information about your application’ section on the form to explain how you meet the maintenance requirements.

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***Check your answers carefully***

You can then use the ‘Change’, ‘Add’ and ‘Remove’ buttons on the right-hand side of each question to make any necessary amendments to your application.

Documents & Declaration When you are happy that you have answered all the questions accurately, click continue to proceed to the document check list. You must provide all the listed original documents as part of your application. Tick the box to agree that you will provide each document.

For more information differentiation arrangements for ‘Low Risk’ nationals please see our guidance. You will then be asked to read and agree to a declaration. Once you have agreed to the declaration you will no longer be able to make changes to your application.

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Immigration Health Surcharge You will now be asked to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). You must do this before you can complete and submit your visa application. Further information can be found in our Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) guidance.

When you click on ‘GO to IHS website’ you will be redirected to another website. Here you will be asked to check that your personal details are correct. You will also be asked to provide some information about your course. Use your CAS to help you. Once you have made the IHS payment you will be re-directed back to your application to complete and pay the visa application fee of £348.

Evidence of your permission to be in the UK You will need to collect your Biometric Residence Permit from the Post Office. If you have entered either the SOAS halls or SOAS main address then it will default to the Kings Cross Post Office on Euston Road. The Post Office is a short walk from SOAS. Please do not select ‘Collect from an alternative location (for example, your sponsor)’ as we do not offer this service at SOAS and there are no other alternative locations. However, there are other Post Offices not far from SOAS which you can choose as a collection point. Please see the following map and details of each branch.

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If you would like to collect your BRP from one these Post Offices (listed below) or if you are living in another part of London, you just need to enter a valid post code.

Download and Print Once you have ‘Chosen a service’ you will now need to follow the instructions on screen to book an appointment to enrol biometrics and find out how you should submit your documents. You then need to pay the visa application fee. Once you have confirmation that your application is paid for you need to download and print your application and your document check list. Make sure you read and follow the instructions carefully. It is important that you save a copy of your completed application to your computer (or print a copy) for your records. You are also advised to keep copies of all your visa supporting documents.

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Final checks Now you have completed the online application please check the following to make sure you have done everything you need to do.

• Check all your supporting documents using our online guidance, Tier 4 financial document checker also the Tier 4 policy guidance

• Check that all the information on your CAS is correct • Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge – please our online guidance. • Attended a TB test if required – please see the GOV.UK website for information • Prepare to submit your biometrics as part of your application • Read the instructions you are given about submitting your documents and attending

your Tier 4 appointment as these vary from country to country. • Once you receive your visa, check that the information on it is correct, if not contact

the embassy/agency that processed your application. • Travel to UK.

See you at SOAS! If after reading this guidance you need further advice please contact a Student Advisor via welfare@soas.ac.uk with your full name, nationality and the name of the country in which you are making your Tier 4 application.