Tier 4 student visa application Completing the UKVI Tier 4 Student Online Application

Transcription

1 Tier 4 student visa application Completing the UKVI Tier 4 Student Online Application Introduction 2 1. Starting your application 2 2. Application 4 Personal information 4 Passport 5 Immigration status 5 Course details 5 Biometric residence permit (BRP) 6 English language 7 Public Funds 7 Criminal convictions 7 Sponsor licence number and address 8 Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) 9 Financial Sponsorship 9 Money (maintenance funds) 9-10 CAS number 11 Printing a draft of your application Documents required Declaration Immigration health surcharge Visa application fee Print your application and cover sheet Book your appointment (in person/premium applications) Sending your documents to UKVI (postal applications) Check and Send service 15

2 Introduction This guidance is for students completing the online Tier 4 application form in order to extend their Tier 4 student visa from within the UK or to apply for the Doctorate Extension scheme (DES). Please refer to our separate guidance on the requirements you must meet and the documents you must prepare. You are advised to read through this guidance, paying particular attention to the section on the Check and Send service prior to making your application. Please be aware that not all students are eligible to make their tier 4 application from the UK please contact us for further advice: int.support@ntu.ac.uk In order to complete the application process you need to take the following steps: 1. Create an account with UKVI 2. Complete the online form 3. Take note of the documents you need to send 4. Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge 5. Pay the visa application fee 6. Print your application cover sheet 7. Submit your documents to UKVI 1. Starting your application a. Go to: Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose Apply now b. Your location At each stage, select your answer and then Save and continue : c. Legal representation 2

3 Do you have legal representation for this application? Choose no unless you have a representative such as a solicitor making this application on your behalf. Using the University s Check and Send service (see section below) is not considered as having a formal representative. d. Your address and password Choose an address you check regularly. Follow the instructions for creating a password. If you think you will have difficulty remembering it, write it down and keep it somewhere safe. e. Check your answers Choose Continue if all of the information is correct so far. 3

4 2. Application If you need to change any of your answers while you are completing the form, click on Show your answers on the current screen. You will be able to see all the answers you have given so far and you will be able to make any change required. Personal Information a. Your name: enter your name as it is written on your passport. If you have only one name, choose I am not sure how to enter my name and you will find a place to enter it. b. Contact details: enter your personal contact details, including your Nottingham address. Make sure you enter the correct address for correspondence and that you will be able to receive letters from UKVI at this address. Student s using NTU s Check and Send service (see end of this guidance) should tick the box I want to receive mail at a different address and write the University as their correspondence address as shown opposite. Please note that once the form has been submitted online, it is not possible to amend the correspondence address. 4

5 Use the photo page of your passport to complete this section. Make sure you check the details carefully. Students who do not have a current Tier 4 student visa should seek advice from the International Student Support Service before submitting their application. What is the start date of your current visa or leave to remain? You will find the start and end date of your current visa either on your BRP (ID card) or on your visa vignette (sticker in your passport). Has your visa or leave to remain ever been revoked, cancelled or curtailed? If your visa has been cancelled, please contact the International Student Support Service for further advice. Course details Was your most recent leave as a Tier 4 student, as Student or as a Postgraduate Doctor or Dentist? This means your most recent visa. If you think you need to choose no to this question (eg if your most recent visa was a student dependant visa), please take advice from the International Student Support Service before proceeding with your application. Have you completed/started the course of study for which your most recent leave was granted? 5

6 Choose yes if you have completed/started the course your most recent visa was issued for. Students who have not yet started the course their most recent visa was issued for should take advice from the International Student Support Service before proceeding with their application. Police registration Were you required to register with the police? Nationals of certain countries who are in the UK for six months or more are required to register with the police. Further information is available on our website: x.html Your biometric residence permit Your national insurance number National insurance numbers are issued to people working in the UK to ensure that any tax or national insurance payments are recorded against your name. If you have a national insurance number, make sure you include it, even if you are not currently working. 6

7 English language a. Have you studied in the UK as a Tier 4 (Child) student? Tier 4 (child) student visas are generally issued to students aged under 18. b. Have you studied an academic course in a majority English speaking country that is equivalent to a UK degree or above? Check the documents used to obtain offer section of your CAS. Choose yes if your English language ability was assessed by a UK degree course, or a degree course from another English speaking country. c. If you are studying at a higher education institution, have they assessed that you meet the English language requirement, or that you are a 'gifted student?' Check the documents used to obtain offer section of your CAS. Choose yes if it indicates that your English language ability has been assessed. Study of English as a foreign language Are you applying to study a course of English as a foreign language? Students who are applying to study a Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP) course should choose yes to this question. You will then be asked further questions about your English language ability. An approved English language test is a secure test, such as IELTS. Public Funds Public funds are certain welfare benefits and access to social housing. International students with Tier 4 student visas are prohibited from accessing these funds. If you claim 'public funds' when you should not, the UK immigration authorities can refuse your immigration application or remove you from the UK. You might be barred from returning to the UK for a certain period. If you are unsure as to how to proceed with your visa application, contact the International Student Support Service for advice. Criminal convictions You must give details of all criminal convictions. This includes road traffic offences and drink driving offences. A Court Judgement is where a court has ordered you to pay money to another person or party usually because of damages or monetary loss incurred by that person or party (this could affect students who are evicted from their property as a result of not paying their rent). Other history Read through these sections carefully and if there is anything you are unsure of, take advice from the International Student Support Service. Sponsor licence number and address This refers to NTU as your immigration sponsor. Regardless of which campus you are studying at, all students should answer as follows: 7

8 Students studying at the City Site should answer as follows: Students studying at Clifton should answer as follows: 8

9 Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS): Your CAS notification will indicate if you need to apply for an ATAS certificate. ATAS applications can be made online at Check the International Student Support Service guidance note for more information. Financial Sponsorship For the purposes of tier 4 student visas, an official financial sponsor may only be one of the following: the UK Government, your home government, the British Council, any international organisation, international company, university or UK independent school. Sponsored students are required to provide an official sponsorship letter. Please see the International Student Support Service guidance for more information about this. Money (maintenance funds) Students who do not have an official financial sponsor, will need to show that either they or their parents have saved sufficient funds to meet the maintenance requirement for each month of their course, up to a maximum of 9135 plus all of their outstanding tuition fees. The money must be saved for at least 28 days prior to submitting an application form. Further information is available from the International Student Support Service. 9

10 Course information Institution name: Nottingham Trent University Qualification you will get: please refer to your CAS and / or the table below: Your Course at NTU Pre-Sessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP) NQF Level CEFR Level B2 Diploma of higher education NQF Level 5 Foundation degree NQF Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND) NQF Level 5 Bachelor Degree (eg BSc(Hons), BA(Hons) Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) Legal Practice Course (LPC) Master Degree (eg MSc, MBA, MA, MRes, LLM) NQF Level 6 NQF Level 7 NQF Level 7 Postgraduate Certificate NQF Level 7 Postgraduate Diploma NQF Level 7 Doctorates (eg PhD and including DES applicants) NQF Level 8 Course name: copy this exactly as it is written on your CAS Course start and end date: copy these from your CAS. Students who are already part way through their course will need to refer to the start date indicated in the documents used to obtain offer section of their CAS. Doctorate Extension Scheme Students applying for Tier 4 (DES) should refer to the separate guidance on making a DES application. Course Fees All students should give their total course fees as indicated on their CAS. If you or your parents have already paid their fees, check this is correct on your CAS. Accommodation payments Give details of any payments you have made to the University for your accommodation. These should be indicated on your CAS. You should not include details of payments made to private accommodation providers. 10

11 Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) All students need a CAS in order to apply for a visa. You can only use a CAS once. CAS are issued by . Check it very carefully to ensure there are no errors or omissions. CAS are issued by different departments depending on students circumstances: Situation Department Contact details Students who have not yet started their University Admissions Team applications@ntu.ac.uk course (including students progressing from PEAP courses). Students progressing from courses at International Development nticcasenquiries@ntu.ac.uk NTIC to NTU. Office. Students applying to study PhD courses. Graduate School gradschool@ntu.ac.uk Continuing students needing to extend their visa in order to complete their current course of study at NTU. International Student Support Service Int.support@ntu.ac.uk Online CAS request form: ces/cas_form/confirmation_of_acc eptance_of_studies.aspx PhD candidates wishing to apply for DES International Student Support Service Int.support@ntu.ac.uk Intention to apply forms are available at: nternational_students/visas_and_i mmigration/cas_number/index.ht ml 3. Documents Proving you have enough money to be in the UK This is the area where most students have difficulties. You should ensure that you fully understand the maintenance requirements and you should also check that your financial evidence fully meets all of the requirements set out by UKVI. The amount you will be expected to show to meet the maintenance requirement is: Outstanding tuition fees (your CAS will confirm this amount) + 1,015 for every month of the course, up to a maximum of 9,135 (9 months). Example: Student is applying for a visa to complete the final year of their course. The course fees are 12,300 for the final year and the student has paid 4,000. The amount the student has to save to meet the maintenance requirement will be: Outstanding course fees: 8,300 ( 12,300-4,000) Living costs: 9,135 TOTAL: 17,435 The money must be saved for at least 28 days before you make your visa application. Students with dependants (spouse/children) will have to show more money for their family members. If you are unsure about the amount you will have to save, you are advised to contact the International Student Support Service for further guidance. Financial institution: give the name of the bank where your money is being held. If you are using financial evidence from more than one bank you can give those details. 11

12 If you would like an adviser to check your application form, STOP and print a draft of the form now. If you wish to use our application checking service (see page 15), you must STOP and print a draft copy of the form at this stage. Printing a draft or saving a PDF of your answers: At any stage, you can review your answers. All students are advised to save a draft of their application form this is your record of the information you have provided to UKVI. Documents: Some documents are mandatory your visa application cannot be processed without them. If you are unsure about which documents you need to prepare, please contact the International Student Support Service. For further guidance on these documents please refer to: Document To be provided by Current passport All students 2 passport photos All students Biometric Residence All students in possession of a BRP Permit (BRP) Police Registration All students with the requirement to register with the Police Certificate * Personal bank Students who pay their fees themselves statements * Parent s bank Students who are using their parent s bank statements as evidence they meet the statements, birth maintenance requirement certificate and letter from parents * Official sponsorship Students who have an official financial sponsor, eg their Government letter * Documents used to All students, unless assessed on progress to date (see your CAS) obtain offer 12

13 *ATAS certificate * Professional translations Prepaid Special Delivery envelope Students who are studying specific research courses Students who are submitting documents which are not in English must provide a professional translation. All students sending their documents by post (rather than applying in person) NB students with dependants will need additional documentation and should refer to the International Student Support Service guidance. All documents should be originals. Any documents that are not in English will need to be accompanied by a professional translation. Differentiation arrangements: Students from the following countries should prepare the documents marked by * above. However, they should not be sent to UKVI unless they are specifically requested. Argentina, Australia, Barbados, BNO, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan (if you hold a passport which include the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan), Trinidad and Tobago, UAE, USA. 4. Declaration You are required to answer all questions within the application truthfully. It is a criminal offence to make a false statement. Omissions or attempts to falsify information could result in both your current application and future applications being refused. 13

14 5. Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) Once you proceed to the IHS payment page, you will not be able to review or amend your application. If there is anything you are not sure of, do not proceed without seeking advice from the International Student Support Service. All students making tier 4 visa applications in the UK are required to pay the immigration health surcharge in addition to the visa application fee. The fee is calculated according to the length of visa you are applying for. The fee is 150 per year, plus 75 per part year (up to 6 months). If your application is refused, it may be possible for this fee to be refunded, or it may be transferrable to another visa application. The charges are per person included within the application, students with dependants should multiply the charge by the number of people included within the application. You will be asked if you are applying to stay in the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey please choose NO for this question. For full information about the immigration health surcharge, please check: 6. Visa Application Fee The final stage of the your application is to pay the visa application fee. Your visa application is considered to have been submitted once this has been paid. Therefore the payment must be made before your visa expiry date / enrolment deadline, whichever is sooner. Ensure you have your credit / debit card available before proceeding to this page. Make sure you are aware of your credit / debit card s daily limit on transactions (some students can t make the IHS payment and visa application fee the same day) and ensure you have sufficient funds in your account. Current application fees are as follows: 448 for standard applications (made by post) 823 for applications made by post using the priority service (see point 9 below for details) 948 for premium application (made in person) The following methods of payment are accepted: Mastercard Visa credit, Visa debit, Visa Electron Amex Maestro Solo 14

15 7. Print your application and cover sheet You are advised to print (and keep) a copy of the draft form as your record of the answers you have provided. At this stage, you need to print two copies of the cover sheet one to keep for your records one to submit to UKVI with your documents. 8. Book your appointment (in person/premium applications) Some students may prefer to use the UKVI Premium Service, for example if you have travel plans and need to receive your visa quickly. Before deciding how to apply, please refer to the International Student Support Service guidance notes on making your application. If you decide to submit your application in person, you will need to ensure that you attend an appointment within 45 working days of submitting your application online and paying the fee. Should you cancel your appointment with less than 5 days notice or fail to attend, you will lose a 100 booking fee. 9. Sending your documents to UKVI (postal applications) Students who decide to submit their application by post will pay a fee of 448. You have 15 working days from the date you submit the application online and pay for the fee to send your cover sheet and original documents to UKVI. If you fail to send the documents within this period, your application will be rejected as invalid and UKVI will charge a fixed fee of 25 for applications that are rejected as invalid or withdrawn. UKVI aims to make a decision on postal applications within 8 weeks of receiving the application. UKVI also offer a Tier 4 priority service. UKVI aims to make a decision within 10 days for applications made using this service. If you wish to use this service, you must complete and submit a Tier 4 priority request form ( before you make your online application. Only the first 60 applications received each day can use this service. If you are successful, the Home Office will send you an to let you know and you should then make your online application within 24 hours. The fee is 823. Your documents must reach UKVI no later than two days after you apply. 10. International Student Support Service Check and Send Service If your application is straightforward, the International Student Support Service can send your documents to UKVI on your behalf. Please note there are a number of terms and conditions for using our service, which include: You must provide a draft of the application before submitting it online, together with all of the correct supporting documents in original format plus an additional photocopy. You must enclose a pre-paid special delivery envelope (from the Post Office) for the safe return of your passport and documents. You must submit your documents to the Student Services Centre by the deadline specified by the International Student Support Service. You must agree to the full terms and conditions of using the service. You will receive a copy of our full terms and conditions which we will ask you to agree to prior to your documents being sent. If you wish to use this service you should complete the different sections of the online form up to the declaration stage. Prior to submitting the form online, you should submit a draft copy of the form and your original documents to our team in the Student Services Centre in Newton. Your application will then be checked and you will have the opportunity to ask any questions. As soon as your application has been submitted online, you will need to bring your application cover sheet to the Student Services Centre. 15

16 The International Student Support Service will be the point of contact for your application if UKVI has any queries. Your application will be sent to UKVI by special delivery and returned to us using the special delivery envelope you have provided. Your biometric residence permit (ID card) will be delivered to us by courier. You will be contacted by when your documents have been returned and advised of collection arrangements. Please note we will keep copies of your passport and your visa on the central student records system. 16