APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISAPRE-SESSIONAL STUDENTS 2017
International Student
Advice Team
ContentsIntroduction
Your CAS
Documents to prepare
Financial documents
Applying online
What happens next
Refusals
Questions!
The information in this presentation was correct at the time of
writing. However, the Immigration Rules do change frequently.
Please do refer to www.gov.uk and www.ukcisa.org.uk for the
most up-to-date information.
Who Are We?
International Student Advisors – part of the
Student Advice service
We provide advice and support for prospective and current
international students studying at King’s, including immigration
advice, and advice on working during and after studies
We are the only staff at King’s who are regulated to provide
immigration advice by the OISC (Office of the Immigration
Services Commissioner).
We are members of UKCISA (UK Council for International
Student Affairs), who provide us with regular training and support.
See our website for further details: www.kcl.ac.uk/advice
Student visas for the UK
If you are coming to the UK from outside of Europe, you will
likely need a visa to study
For your Pre-sessional English course, you will need to apply for
a Tier 4 (General) visa
The visa application form is completed online:
www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
You will need to prepare supporting documents, which need to
be ready before you submit your online application
Your CAS
A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a certificate
created by King’s, that confirms that we have unconditionally
accepted you for a particular course.
It is an electronic document – you do not need to print it out.
Instead, each CAS has a unique 14-digit number that you need to
type into the visa application.
It contains important information about you, the way that King’s
has assessed you, and the course you plan to study.
Your CAS will be available to you through King’s Apply…
King’s Apply – the CAS
This is what your CAS information looks like in
King’s Apply:
What kind of CAS do you have?
As a Pre-sessional English student, there are two types of CAS
you may have – although both work in the same way.
A SINGLE CAS which just covers your Pre-sessional English
course. Once you pass your Pre-sessional course, King’s will create
a new CAS for you to apply for a new visa for your degree-level
course. You can make this application to extend your Tier 4 visa in
the UK, and we will help you with this.
A COMBINED CAS which covers your Pre-sessional English
course + your degree. You will only be able to have a combined
CAS if you have already met all of the offer conditions for your
degree – including English language. If passing the Pre-sessional
course is a condition of your offer, then you are not able to have a
combined CAS.
What documents will you need?
Depending on the type of CAS you have, you will need some, or
possibly all, of the following:
• Proof you meet the financial requirements
• Proof you meet the academic requirements
• Your CAS number from King’s (check application portal)
• Your passports(s), and 2 passport-sized photos
• Completed application form (online)
• Payment for visa application (usually online, may be at VAC)
• Payment of Immigration Health Surcharge, or IHS
• You may need a TB certificate
• You may need an ATAS certificate
All documents must be ORIGINAL – no photocopies are allowed!
What documents will you need?
SINGLE CAS COMBINED CAS
TB certificate Maybe…
ATAS clearance Maybe…
Proof of finances
Proof of academic qualifications
Your CAS number
Your passport
Photographs
Payment of the Immigration Health Surcharge
TB Certificate
A tuberculosis (TB) test is required if
• coming to the UK for more than 6 months, and
• citizen in one of countries listed in Appendix T of the Immigration Rules
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-t-tuberculosis-
screening
If TB screening is required, it has to be taken at a Home Office approved
clinic in your country.
https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa/countries-where-you-need-a-tb-test-to-enter-the-uk
Once you have your TB certificate, it is valid for 6 months. Make your
visa application within this time.
ATAS
ATAS: Academic Technology Approval Scheme
Certain Science and Engineering courses above degree level will require an
ATAS certificate in order to study certain subjects in the UK.
Your offer conditions and CAS will confirm if ATAS is required for your course.
If you need to apply for ATAS, apply in good time. ATAS clearance is normally
issued within 20 working days, but during busy summer periods it can take up to
2 months.
If you need ATAS for your main course, even if you have only got a single CAS
now, you should still apply for ATAS before travelling to the UK.
The ATAS application is an online form:
https://www.academic-technology-approval.service.gov.uk/
Guidance from UKVI to completing the form is available here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/academic-technology-approval-scheme
Passports and Photographs
Passport(s) and photographs are both part of the mandatory
documents for your visa applications.
A valid passport
• Passport number needs to match information stated on CAS
• If your passport has been changed or renewed after receiving CAS, please
inform King’s ASAP
UK passport-sized colour photos
• 2 identical photos
• less than 1 month old
• against a light grey background
• specific size instruction:
Academic Qualifications
You will need to provide the qualifications that you showed to Admissions
in order to meet your offer conditions. These qualifications should match
the ones listed on your CAS.
All qualifications must be original certificates or final transcripts.
No provisional certificates, and no photocopies!
These certificates / final transcripts must show
• your name, and
• title of award, and
• date your qualification was awarded, and
• name of awarding institution.
Low-risk Nationals
Nationals of countries on this list are
subject to different documentary
requirements under Tier 4.
Students from these nationals need
to tick Differentiation Arrangement
when filling Tier 4 applications so
that your visa application will be
considered under this category.
As long as you are applying from
your home country, you will NOT
need to submit academic
qualifications or financial documents.
However, you do still need to prepare all
documents as required, as the UKVI can
request them.
• Argentina
• Australia
• Barbados
• Botswana
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• Japan
• Malaysia
• New Zealand
• Oman
• Qatar
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Trinidad and
Tobago
• UAE
• USA
• British National
(Overseas)
• Hong Kong
• Taiwan (those who hold a
passport issued by
Taiwan including the
number of the
identification card)
Financial documents
The most common reason for student’s visa applications to be
refused is because the financial documents are not suitable.
Please pay close attention to this section.
You will need to show bank statements in your name, your
parents’ / legal guardians’ names, AND / OR a scholarship letter
from an Official Financial Sponsor confirming that they will cover
your full tuition fees and living costs.
OTHER RELATIVES, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles,
brothers and sisters, CANNOT give you bank statements for your
visa application – their bank statements will lead to your
application being refused.
Financial documents
Bank statements need to show ALL of the following details:
• Your name or your parent’s / legal guardian’s name
• The account number
• The bank’s name and logo
• The date the bank statement was printed
• The amount of money available
If you use electronic bank statements that have been printed out by the
bank, then you either need a cover letter from the bank confirming that the
statements are genuine, or the statement needs to be stamped by the bank
on every page.
How much money do I need?
In your bank statements, you need to show:
• Any unpaid tuition fees for the first year of your course
+
• Money for your living costs in London
The UKVI has decided that you need £1265 per month to live in
London. For your living costs, you should therefore prepare:
£1265 x the number of months of your course,
up to a maximum of 9 months.
Due to currency fluctuations, it’s always best to prepare a little bit more.
How much money do I need?
PRE-SESSIONAL COURSELENGTH
SINGLE CAS COMBINED CAS
20 weeks (5 x 1265 =) £6325 Not eligible
15 weeks – face to face at King’s
(4 x 1265 =) £5060Not eligible
15 weeks – including 4 weeks online
(4 x 1265 =) £5060 Unpaid tuition fees + £11385
10 weeks (3 x 1265 =) £3795 Unpaid tuition fees +£11385
5 weeks (2 x 1265 =) £2530 Unpaid tuition fees +£11385
6 weeks – including 4 weeks online Not eligible
Unpaid tuition fees +£11385
How long do I need this money?
28 days.
The total amount needs to be held for at least 28 consecutive days
leading up to the last date on your bank statement.
(Longer than 28 days is ok!)
It cannot drop below the required amount at any time during this
period.
The bank statement that you use must be less than 1 month old
when you pay for your visa application.
An example bank
statement
Certificates of Deposit
If your financial documents are in a currency other than GBP, you
will need to convert the closing balance on your bank statement
into GBP.
You have to use the OANDA website:
https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/
Convert the closing balance into GBP using the exchange rate on
the date that you submit and pay for your visa application.
Print out the currency conversion and add it to your documents.
But my bank statement isn’t in GBP…
If you’re not sure whether your bank statements are
suitable, you can scan and email them to us:
It may take us a couple of days to reply to you, so please
be patient – we will get back to you as soon as we can!
We would prefer to check your documents, than your
visa application end up being refused.
Now I’m getting worried – it’s so
confusing!
My parents are funding me…
If you want to use your parents’ / legal guardians’ bank statements
for your Tier 4 visa application, you’ll need to provide some
additional documents:
• An original birth certificate / certificate of adoption / court document
showing the names of your parents / legal guardians. The spelling of
these names should match the bank statements.
• A letter from your parents / guardians confirming that:
• You are their child, and
• They give you their consent to use their money for your studies in
the UK
I’m getting a scholarship…
If you have been awarded a scholarship, you can provide a
letter confirming the details of your scholarship.
You can be sponsored by an international company,
government, scholarship provider or university.
The letter must contain:
• your name
• the name and contact details of your official financial sponsor
• the date of the letter;
• the length of your sponsorship; and
• the amount of money the sponsor is giving to you or a statement that
your official financial sponsor will cover all of your fees and living costs.
• the official stamp of the organisation
Translations
Any original documents that are not in English will need to be
accompanied by a translation. The requirements for translations are:
• The date of the translation
• The translator’s full name and signature
• The translator’s qualifications
(to be precise: what qualification do they have that allows them
to translate English professionally?)
• The translator / translation company’s contact details.
• A sentence confirming that it is an accurate translation of the
original document
Applying online for your visa
To apply for your Tier 4 visa from outside the UK, you will need to
fill in the form at www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/home/welcome
• Allow yourself an hour to complete the form.
• Make sure that you have your CAS and all of your documents
ready!
• Use our online guidance on completing the form:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/services/student-advice-
support/AGs/pdfs/Immigrationadvice/Entry-clearance-guideT4.pdf
Paying for your visa application
Once you have completed the visa application form, you will need to pay
for it online using a credit card.
The cost is £335 (the equivalent in your home currency)
If you hold a combined CAS, you will also need to pay the
Immigration Health Surcharge in order to access healthcare in the UK.
The Immigration Health Surcharge costs £75 for every 6 months of the
length of your visa.
Students with a single CAS won’t need to pay the Immigration Health
Surcharge this time.
Instead, we recommend that you take out private health insurance to
cover you in the UK during your time on the Pre-sessional course.
What happens next?
• Book an appointment at the nearest Visa Application Centre
• When you go to your appointment, bring your printed visa application
form + all of your supporting documents (unless advised to send them
in by post)
• During your appointment at the Visa Application Centre, you may
have a short interview with a UKVI officer. Don’t worry about this!
The interviewer just wants to confirm that you are a real student.
• After some days, you will go to collect your visa documents and the
decision letter.
• Check your visa sticker carefully! If you have any questions about it, or
something doesn’t look right - let us know.
Arriving in the UK• Get ready to travel to the UK! When you travel, carry a copy of your CAS and recent
bank statements in your hand luggage – just in case an officer at the UK border asks
you questions about your reason to travel to the UK.
• Try to avoid travelling into the UK via Ireland – there are no border controls between
the two countries, and so your Tier 4 visa sticker may not be stamped – which can
occasionally cause problems.
• You can choose to collect the card
at King’s by entering ‘Alternative
Location’ code: 2HE432(If you have a single CAS, don’t worry
about the last two points!)
• If you have a combined CAS, you will need to
pick up your Biometric Residence Permit
(BRP), which is a pink card that shows the full
details of your visa for the whole of your time
in the UK.
For students under 18
You can travel to the UK and live independently, but you need written consent from
your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) that they agree to this.
If you are 16 or 17, your visa application must include a letter from your
parent(s)/legal guardian(s), confirming:
• the relationship between you and them;
• they give their consent to your application;
• they give their consent to you living independently in the UK;
• and they give their consent to your independent travel to the UK.
The letter must confirm if your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have legal custody or sole
responsibility for you, and it must be signed by each parent or legal guardian.
If you have got a combined CAS, please use Alternative Location Code (given in the
previous slide) to collect your BRP card from King’s College London.
Otherwise, you will need to have a responsible adult to collect the card with you.
Arriving in the UK
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
SINGLE CAS COMBINED CAS
Police Registration Not applicableRegister with the police within 7
days upon on your arrival, if ‘police registration’ appears on visa sticker
National Health Service (NHS) treatment
Not eligible: we recommend obtaining private medical insurance
IHS paid when applying for visa, therefore NHS included
Work during studies10 hours per week during term time
20 hours per week during term time
Renewing your visa in the UK
Have to renew your visa before your current visa expires
Not required
BRP card Not applicableShould collect BRP card within 10
working days upon your arrival
Refusals
• In the unlikely event of your visa application being refused,
DON’T PANIC
• As soon as you can, scan and email us every page of your visa
refusal.
• If you think you have documents that would help you to avoid being
refused if you apply again, scan and email these documents too.
We will get back to you as quickly as we can. Don’t just apply again,
as you will need a new CAS for each new visa application.
You can email us at [email protected] .
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