Graduate Entrepreneur Visa Guidance Supplement for Applicants

Transcription

1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa Guidance Supplement for Applicants Please ensure you read this document in full prior to submitting an application. We recommend you thoroughly read the Home Office information, especially the policy guidance below and use this guide as a supplement. You may also seek advice from the SAS Advisors in the Student Advice Service (SAS) in person or via at [email protected] What is this visa? The Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa allows non-european graduates, who have been identified by their UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) as having entrepreneurial skills and would like to develop a genuine and credible business idea, to extend their stay in the UK after graduation to establish one or more businesses in the UK. The visa will be valid for 12 months initially, with a possible extension for a second year, if sufficient progress is made in year one. To obtain this visa there are 2 stages: 1. Apply for School Endorsement; 2. If successful, you must then apply to the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa, using your School Endorsement Letter. To be eligible, you must hold all of the following: a UK recognised bachelor s degree, master s degree or PhD awarded before your date of endorsement 945 if applying from inside the UK or 1,890 if applying from outside the UK - this is to prove you can support yourself and you must have had this in your bank account for 90 days before you apply meet the English language requirement permission to remain in the UK from your financial sponsor if they re a government or an international scholarship agency and have paid your course fees and living costs in the past 12 months If the HEI endorses your application. You must apply within three months of the date of issue of the endorsement letter. An endorsement can only be used in one application. Please also see the UKVI Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Points Based System Guidance document for full details: Page 1 of 5

2 How do I apply for endorsement by the School for this visa? The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (hereafter known as Central ) has been approved by the UKBA as an Endorsing Institution for Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visas and receives a number of unique reference numbers to endorse visa applications each year. Applications will only be accepted from students graduating from Central in the current academic year who meet the eligibility criteria. Application Process Selection for endorsement will be a competitive process and candidates will be invited to submit an Application for School Endorsement by a pre-published deadline to the Student Advice Service via ([email protected]) (please use Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur application as the subject of the ). When submitting the application form, the following documents must also be submitted in PDF format: CV (must cover current and past education and all relevant paid and voluntary work experience); a detailed Business Plan; Copy of current visa; Evidence of how the business idea has been assessed (e.g. as part of your studies); Evidence of how the business will be funded. Applications will be reviewed by a Panel chaired by the Academic Registrar that will make reference to relevant senior Faculty staff as a part of its deliberations and decision-making processes. The Panel will decide whether the business is a genuine and credible business idea and will then rank any viable applications according to their relative strengths and merits. The available endorsements will then be allocated to the strongest applications throughout the year. The Panel s decision is final and there is no right of appeal. Applicants will be notified of the Panel s decision no later than a week following the panel meeting. How do I apply for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa if I am endorsed by Central? If selected for endorsement, candidates will be given an official letter from Central to include with their Tier 1 visa application. This letter is valid for 3 months from the date that it is issued, so the application for the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa must be made within that time. Students are only eligible to apply for this visa after their degree has been officially awarded by Central (i.e. when the Board of Examiners or Research Degrees Committee has made an award). As well as the letter of endorsement, the visa application should be accompanied by evidence of funds for maintenance (living expenses). This needs to be 900 in savings ( 945 from 1 July 2014) if applying from inside the UK or 1,800 ( 1,890 from 1 July 2014) if applying from outside the UK - this is to prove you can support yourself and you must have had this in your bank account for 90 days before you apply. The Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa application form and Policy Guidance is available at: Page 2 of 5

3 Fees How much you pay for a Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) visa depends on your situation, where you are and how you apply. Who you re applying for Apply (outside the UK) Extend or switch by post in the UK You If you re a citizen of Turkey or Macedonia All dependants 310 each person 422 each person Points scoring To be granted leave in Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur) you must score: 75 points for attributes 10 points for English language skills 10 points for maintenance (funds) You must score points in the table below: Attributes: pass mark = 75 Points You have been endorsed by: a UK Higher Educational Institution (HEI), or UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) This is in the form of a letter. You have been awarded a recognised: This does not include equivalent level qualifications if they are not a degree. Bachelor degree Masters degree, or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Points available This qualification must be: a UK degree, or for global graduate entrepreneurs only, one that UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) consider meets or exceeds the standard of a UK Bachelor s degree. The endorsement letter confirms your endorsing body considers you to have a genuine and credible business idea and is satisfied you will spend the majority of your working time furthering this. When can I first apply to stay after I complete my course? You must have been awarded your degree and be endorsed within 12 months of the date of award. The date of award is not the date of graduation but the date on which you were first Page 3 of 5

4 notified in writing or electronically by the University that you had been awarded your qualification (this occurs one week after the formal Examination Board). At Central, a degree is awarded to successful students by the Board of Examiners (for undergraduate students and taught postgraduates) or by the Research Degrees Committee (for research students). Board of Examiners meetings take place at the end of the course, normally in July for undergraduate courses or in the autumn for Masters programmes. You must apply within 3 months of the date of the Endorsement Letter. Any application to stay in the UK should be made before your current immigration permission expires. How can I extend my Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa? It is possible to extend your stay as a Graduate Entrepreneur for a second year (the maximum total time available under the scheme is 2 years). You will need to have a second endorsement from Central and make another visa application. The number of endorsements Central can make for the second year are not subject to an annual limit. In order to extend your visa for a second year Central must be satisfied with the progress you have made during the first year. By the ninth month of your first year Central will assess your progress to date and future plans. If your progress and future plans are approved you will need to prepare another visa extension application and up to date supporting documents, you will again need to plan ahead to make sure you have held enough funds to meet the maintenance requirement. Terms and Conditions of the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur Visa On the Application for School Endorsement Form, you sign to give consent to Central to provide the UKBA with your personal details for the purpose of endorsement for this visa. You also permit Central to keep details of your application and the process of assessment of the application on file for audit purposes. When Central issues an Endorsement Letter for Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur, you will be under the supervision of Central for the duration of your visa. This means that you should maintain up to date contact details ( and telephone) by notifying [email protected] when the details change. You should also notify UKVI by completing the Migrant Change of Circumstances form available here: c2.pdf Central is responsible for monitoring you on a quarterly basis while on the Tier 1 Graduate Entrepreneur visa. We will contact you by and invite you to quarterly face-to-face contact meetings at School. These contact meetings will take place with the Head of Academic and Student Services or their named deputy. The Home Office recognises that an entrepreneur s ideas may not be successful; it is not a condition that you must set up a successful business in the UK. Central is obliged to report the following to the Home Office: You fail to maintain contact as agreed; Page 4 of 5

5 There is evidence to suggest you are not complying with your conditions of stay; You are no longer participating in the scheme. A report can lead to your visa being curtailed. Page 5 of 5