UK TIER 4 STUDENT VISA GUIDE APPLICATIONS MADE OUTSIDE THE UK

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1 UK TIER 4 STUDENT VISA GUIDE APPLICATIONS MADE OUTSIDE THE UK February 2015

2 Do you need a visa? If you are a national of a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you will need a visa to study in the UK. This is a stamp or sticker that is put into your passport by an Entry Clearance Officer at the British Embassy or High Commission in your country. A Tier 4 (General) visa permits full-time study only at an education institution which holds a Tier 4 sponsor licence. The University of Surrey is a Highly Trusted Sponsor, and holds this sponsor licence. You will need to apply online for your Tier 4 (General) student visa on the Visa4UK website. You will then book an appointment at the visa application centre where you are making your application from and hand in your supporting documents and have your fingerprints and photograph (known as 'biometric information') taken as part of your application. Two new videos have also been released showing some of the steps international students are required to take when applying for a Tier 4 visa. The films have been produced by the University of Sheffield in association with the Home Office, British Council and Universities UK. We hope you find them reassuring and useful. Application times can vary according to where you live and the time of year, so make sure that you apply as early as possible to avoid any delays. You can apply for a Tier 4 visa up to three months before the start of your course, but no earlier If you require a visa under Tier 4 as a General Student (ie you are over 16 years of age), you must pass a points-based assessment and score 40 points: 30 points for a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed sponsor 10 points if you have documents to show you have enough finances to cover your programme fees and monthly living expenses (known as maintenance) The International Student Support team has prepared this guidance to assist you when completing the Tier 4 (General) online visa application made from outside the UK. The information contained on this form is for reference only and must not be copied word by word into your own application so you will need to complete the visa form and use this information as a guide rather then a template. The International Student Support team at the University of Surrey is happy to advise on any aspect of the Tier 4 visa application process, either by or by telephone.

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19 You should have all the required documents available when you make your visa application. These include: - Application fee in local currency and non-refundable; - Current passport or travel document details of your current passport must be included on the CAS. If these details have changed in any way since your CAS was issued you will need to send a scanned copy of your new passport detail pages so that a sponsor note can be added; - Recent passport-sized colour photograph; - CAS number from the University of Surrey - Undergraduate students: you will receive a CAS when you have an Unconditional Firm offer. Postgraduate students: you will receive a CAS when you have met the conditions of your offer, accepted it and paid the 2,000 deposit towards your tuition fees you will receive information about this through the applicant portal. If your course required ATAS (see below), you must upload your ATAS certificate before the CAS can be issued; - Documents to show you have the correct finances (fees and maintenance) available. Please note that the bank statements used must be from a personal bank account and not a company/business account; - All your original academic certificates and transcripts that were considered by the University when it made your offer, as shown on the CAS; - ATAS certificate if appropriate; - If you are under 18 you will require a letter from your parents confirming that they support your Tier 4 visa application for study in the UK; - Residents of many countries will now need a TB certificate; - You will need to give biometric details fingerprints and a digital photograph. Please note: all documents listed above must be original and if any of them are not in English you must provide a professional translation see UKVI guidance for full details. You may wish to use a fast-track premium service if this is available in your country. Will I be interviewed? You may also be required to attend a credibility interview. This will be conducted by video link with a UKVI officer in the UK. During this 5-10 minute interview, officer must be satisfied that you are a genuine student and that your English language is at the correct level. For example, if you are unable to answer simple questions in English, your visa application may be refused. You may also be asked questions about your visa and education history, study and post-study plans, and financial circumstances. Do I have to show all my documents? If you are a national from a low-risk country and applying for your visa from that country, you do not have to provide certain documents with your application, for example bank statements or academic certificates. You will need to keep these documents to hand in case the UKVI request to see them at any time during the visa application process. If you are a low-risk national but applying for a Tier 4 visa through an Embassy/High Commission in another country, you will need to provide all the required documents. For example a US citizen applying in the United States of America would be considered low risk but a US citizen applying in Malaysia would not be considered to be low risk and would therefore have to submit all required documents.

20 Can I bring my family? Postgraduate students and students receiving official financial sponsorship, on courses of over six months, can bring dependants (husband/wife and children) to join them for the duration of their course. If you are unsure whether you can bring dependants you can use the UKCISA Guide for Tier 4 Family for further information or you can ask the International Student Support team. If you are eligible to bring dependants with you then you will need the following: - Maintenance - 4,140 living expenses ( 460 x maximum 9 months) for the first year for each dependant applying to come to the UK with you. The money must be in your bank account for 28 days. If you are in receipt of official financial sponsorship which covers your family then you will need to show the original official financial sponsor letter to cover this. - Full Marriage certificate for your spouse (and official translation if required) - Full Birth certificate for children (and official translation if required) - Photographs - Passports When you receive your passport back Do check the stamp in your passport as soon as it is returned to you to make sure that you have been given the right conditions and for the correct length of time to match the duration of your course. If you have been issued with entry clearance that is not correct, you may ask the Entry Clearance Officer (or the Entry Clearance Manager, if necessary) to change it before you leave for the UK. If you are not able to do this, the International Student Support team can help you to extend the visa once in the UK but you may need to pay and additional extension fee to the UKVI. Please note that the UKVI is currently reviewing this process and new rules will come into place. New guidance will be published on our website and this guidance form will be amended to reflect any changes. What if my visa is refused? If your visa application is refused by the UKVI, you have two options: 1) You can ask for an Administrative Review if you think the decision is incorrect - there is no fee but it can take at least 28 days and sometimes much longer. 2) You can make a new application making sure you read the refusal notice carefully to see which documents were missing or incorrect the first time. Please note that your CAS will have been used in your first visa application so you will need to contact the University for a new CAS number if you wish to make a new application. You must send a copy of your refusal notice with your request in order to be issued with a new CAS and you may also need to show the University that you are now in a position to make a valid application, for example, by sending up-to-date financial statements. Please see here for more details.

21 What if I experience delays with my visa? The latest date to register on most programmes at the University of Surrey in person is Friday 16 October Several MSc programmes have a latest start date of Monday 5 October 2015 (MSc Advanced Materials, MSc Corporate Environmental Management, MSc Environmental Strategy and MSc Sustainable Development) PhD students must register within the first month of the start date of their course. If you have any doubt, please check your CAS carefully as this will indicate your latest date for registration on campus. If you are experiencing any visa difficulties or delays, you must contact your Faculty and the International Student Support team in good time and keep in regular contact. If you cannot arrive on campus by the deadline, you must NOT travel to the UK. You will not be able to register for this academic year and, as your CAS will confirm this date, you may be turned away by the UKVI at Passport Control and sent back home on the next available flight, at additional cost to yourself. International Student Support University of Surrey Guildford Surrey GU2 7XH Tel: +44 (0) international@surrey.ac.uk