Applying for a Tier 4 visa: Frequently asked questions

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1 Applying for a Tier 4 visa: Frequently asked questions Should I apply for a Tier 4 visa? You must apply for a Tier 4 visa if you are a non-eu/eea/swiss citizen and your programme lasts for more than six months. If you hold EU/EEA/Swiss nationality (including dual nationals) you do not need to apply for a visa to study or work in the UK. You should also apply for a Tier 4 visa if your programme is less than six months, but you wish to work while you are in the UK (including a work placement as part of your studies, such as a medical elective), or if you think you might want to extend your studies while you are in the UK. If your course is less than six months and you do not wish to work or extend your stay, you should come to the UK as a short-term student. When should I apply for my visa? If you are making your first Tier 4 application from your home country you should aim to apply for your visa as soon as possible, but you cannot apply more than 3 months before the course start date as stated on your CAS. If you are extending your Tier 4 visa, you should normally apply within the last 3 months of your visa validity. Where can I apply for my visa? You must make your application from your home country or your normal country of residence (i.e. a country where you have permission to live permanently), unless you already have a UK visa which allows you to apply from inside the UK.

2 What documents do I need to make a Tier 4 application? You should read our Immigration Guide for full details of how to apply for a Tier 4 visa, including a checklist of documents: immigration-guide How long does it take to apply for a Tier 4 visa? It takes around 3 weeks to make a Tier 4 visa application from outside the UK. You can check the average application time in your country on the Home Office website: visa-processingtimes.homeoffice.gov.uk It takes around 8-10 weeks to make a Tier 4 visa application in the UK. There are premium services both in and outside of the UK (certain countries only) which only take a few days. Find out whether you can make a priority visa application in your country by visiting your closest Visa Application Centre s website: Can I apply for a Tier 4 visa while I am in the UK? Only certain people can make a Tier 4 visa application in the UK. You must already have a Tier 4 visa, or another type of visa which allows you to switch to Tier 4 (see the Tier 4 Policy Guidance for a full list). If you have travelled to the UK without a visa, or if you have a short-term student or visitor visa, you will not be able to make a Tier 4 visa application in the UK: you will have to make the application from your home country. Do I need to have a UK address before I can apply for a Tier 4 visa? As part of the application, you will be required to provide a UK address and post code. If you have applied for University accommodation you should enter the main address of the halls of residence: 18 Holyrood Park Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AY. Otherwise, you should enter the address of the hostel or other temporary accommodation where you will stay while you find somewhere to live. What is a Biometric Residence Permit? From 2015, all non-eea nationals who come to the UK for longer than 6 months will need a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This is a small plastic card which contains the details of your immigration permission in the UK, and your biometric details (fingerprints and face scan). The BRP can only be collected after you arrive in the UK. If you apply for your Tier 4 visa after 14 July from outside the UK, you will be given an entry clearance sticker (vignette) in your passport which will be valid for 30 days. The vignette validity will start either from 30 days before your course start date, or 7 days before your intended date of travel; whichever is the later. 2

3 Once you arrive in the UK, you will have 10 days to collect your BRP from the location you specified on your visa application form. You will either collect it from the University, or from a local Post Office. If you apply for your Tier 4 visa from inside the UK, your BRP will be delivered to the address provided in your application. You will not need to collect it from a Post Office branch. I haven t received my Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) yet. Who do I need to contact? Once you have accepted an unconditional offer for your course of study you will receive instructions as to how to request your CAS. Once you have sent the request, you should expect to receive your CAS to your MyEd channel within a few days. This is a very busy time for the CAS team, and priority is being given to those students who will be starting their programme soonest. If you have accepted your unconditional offer and you have not heard anything within 3 weeks, you should infopoint@ed.ac.uk Does the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) need to be given to the British Embassy on an official University letter? No. We will you with the details of your CAS. You should write your CAS number on the application form. There is no requirement in the UK immigration rules for the CAS to be a formal letter from the University. Can the University of Edinburgh contact the Embassy to speed up my application? No. We are not able to contact many Embassies throughout the world, and we are not in a position to ask Embassies to issue visas or speed up applications. I have already given my fingerprints for a visa in the past - do I need to give them again as part of the visa process? Yes. Biometric data collection (fingerprints and a biometric photograph) are part of the UK visa process. Each time you apply for a visa, you need to provide these. Can I use a TOEFL certificate to prove my English language ability? The Home Office no longer recognise TOEFL as a Secure English Language Test, but the University still accept TOEFL as evidence of English language. You will not submit a TOEFL certificate with your visa application; instead, the University will write on your CAS that we have made our own decision, so you do not need to submit evidence of English language ability. 3

4 Travelling to the UK Can I travel through the Republic of Ireland? The Republic of Ireland shares a border with the UK, and they have an agreement which means that there are no formal border or immigration checks between the two countries. This means that you won t meet with UK immigration control. If you apply for a visa and get a sticker in your passport before travelling to the UK, you will be able to transit through the Republic of Ireland, as you already have permission to be in the UK. Your UK visa will not be date stamped on entry to the UK, but this is fine. You should keep evidence of your travel in case your date of entry ever becomes important or relevant. However, if you travel as a short-term student without applying for a visa before you travel, you may not get the immigration permission you need to study. If you do not meet immigration control, you will not be permitted to study in the UK, and the University will be unable to enrol you on your programme. Some travel operators make scheduled stops in the Republic of Ireland, but their passengers will still go through immigration control in the UK. If you are travelling to the UK through the Republic of Ireland without a visa, it is important to check with your travel provider to ensure you will still meet UK immigration control on arrival to the UK. Working in the UK during your studies Can I work during my studies? If you have a Tier 4 visa and you are studying a degree-level programme, you will be permitted to work 20 hours per week during term time, and full time during vacation periods. If your programme is below degree level, you are permitted to work 10 hours per week during term time and full time during vacation periods. You can do most kinds of work, but you must not: be self-employed be employed as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach be employed as an entertainer take a permanent full-time job I am studying a postgraduate degree. Can I work full time during the summer? You must be sure to only work full time during official vacation periods. For Masters students, the summer holidays are not considered to be a vacation period, as you are expected to study full time on your dissertation. If you are studying a postgraduate research degree, you do not have the same vacation 4

5 periods as other students. You are allowed up to six weeks holiday per year, which can be taken at any time, but must be officially agreed with your supervisor. Can I do a work placement/internship during my studies? You may do a full time work placement during your studies, providing it is an assessed and integral part of the programme. This normally means that the work placement must be part of the programme structure. If the work placement is not an essential part of your programme, you will have to undertake the placement within the normal Tier 4 work restrictions. Bringing your family to the UK Can I bring my family to the UK? If you come to the UK as a Tier 4 student, and you are studying a postgraduate programme which is more than 12 months, you may bring dependants. You may also bring dependants if you are sponsored by your home government, and studying any programme of more than six months in length. Your dependants are your unmarried partner or spouse, and your children. Other family members, such as your parents, cannot come to the UK as your dependants, but they may visit you for up to six months, using a visitor visa. Can I take my unmarried partner with me to the UK if I am on a Tier 4 visa? An unmarried partner may be able to apply as your dependant, but you must be able to prove that you have been living together in a committed relationship for at least 2 years. If you wish to apply for a visa with an unmarried partner as your dependant, we strongly suggest that you contact us first for advice: visahelp@ed.ac.uk Can my dependants work? Yes. Tier 4 dependants who are over 16 years old have no working restrictions except: No work as a doctor or dentist in training No work as a professional sportsperson or coach Changes during your studies Can I study part-time? No, Tier 4 students must study on a full-time basis. If you are repeating courses that you failed previously, you can study the courses part-time, but your programme as a whole must be full time. 5

6 What happens to my visa if I interrupt my studies? If you interrupt your studies for more than 60 days, for any reason, the University must tell the Home Office that you have stopped studying. They will curtail (cancel) your visa and you will need to return home. You will need to apply for a new Tier 4 visa to return to studies. What happens if I change my programme, but stay in the University of Edinburgh? If you change your programme, the University must tell the Home Office. Normally, this will not affect your visa if you change to a programme of the same or a higher level, unless: The new programme is shorter than the old programme. In this case your visa will be curtailed to reflect the new programme end date. The new programme is longer than the old programme. You must ensure that you have enough time remaining in the UK to be able to complete your programme. You may extend your visa, but only if you are still within the time restrictions for Tier 4. What happens to my visa if I need to repeat a course or exam? If you have to repeat an exam and you will not be required to attend any classes or lectures for 60 days or more, you must return home until the exam period. Your visa will be curtailed and you will have to apply for a new visa to return for the exam. If you have to repeat a course and attend classes then you may stay in the UK. You can study the repeat course on a part time basis, but the programme, as a whole, must still be full time. You will need to apply to extend your visa to complete your programme, so it is important to ensure that you have enough time left in the UK. After your complete your studies I plan to leave the UK after my exams. Can I use my Tier 4 visa to return to the UK for graduation? Your Tier 4 visa is granted to allow you to come to the UK to study. The Home Office do not consider graduation to be a part of your studies. This means that you may not be allowed to use your Tier 4 visa to re-enter the UK once you have completed your programme, as you will no longer be returning to study. It will depend on the immigration officer that you meet when you return, but if you want to guarantee that you will be allowed to re-enter the UK for graduation, you should apply for a visitor visa before returning. 6

7 I want to do further studies here. Can I extend my Tier 4 visa in the UK? If you have sufficient time remaining within the Tier 4 limits, you will be able to extend your Tier 4 visa in the UK for further studies providing: Your Tier 4 visa is still valid (or you have not overstayed for more than 28 days) Your new programme will begin not more than 28 days after the expiry date of your Tier 4 visa. If you allow your Tier 4 visa to expire before you submit a new application you will not have immigration permission to be in the UK until you receive a positive decision about your application. You will not be able to start your new programme until you have received your new visa. Can I work in the UK after my course has finished? You can work full time in the period between your official course end date (as stated on your CAS) and your visa expiry date. You can do most kinds of work during this time, but you must not: be self-employed be employed as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach be employed as an entertainer take a permanent full-time job If you wish to stay in the UK to work after your Tier 4 visa expiry date, you will need to obtain alternative immigration permission. Can I stay in the UK after my visa has expired? You should plan to leave the UK or make an application to extend your visa before your visa expiry date. If you stay in the UK after your visa has expired and you have not made a new application, you will not have legal permission to be in the UK. This means that you will not be allowed to study or work, and you may not be able to access other services, such as healthcare. You will not be allowed to have a bank account. You are also liable to be removed from the UK by border control. You are permitted to make an application up to 28 days after your visa has expired, but you will not have any legal permission to be in the UK until you have received a positive decision about your application. If you stay in the UK for longer than 90 days after your visa has expired, you will not be allowed to make an application to return to the UK for at least one year after you leave. The International Office, 33 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9JS The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC