Applying for a Tier 4 (General) Student visa from outside the UK

This application form was published February 2018 and is subject to change.

Accessing the application form

Access the UK Government website www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa and select ‘apply’ followed by

‘apply online’. On this website you will find useful information, and a link to the policy guidance

which should be read carefully before applying.

Confirm your visa type, and enter details about where you will apply and the application centre that

you will attend.

Logging in to your application

When you select ‘apply now’ you will be asked to enter your e-mail address and set up a password.

Doing so will generate an e-mail to be sent to you. You must keep this e-mail safe as you will need it

every time you wish to log back in to your application.

Example of e-mail sent by UKVI: use ‘Tier 4 (General) student visa’ link to log back in to your form.

Stopping part way through and errors

Begin answering the questions, and press save and continue after each one. If you wish to stop at

any point and come back to the application later, select ‘return to this application later’. You will

then be given the option to e-mail the application link to yourself. We recommend that you do this.

If you notice you have made a mistake you can select ‘show and edit answers’, and you will be able

to change any of your answers.

How to answer the questions

Some guidance about how to answer key questions is below. Please note that we have not detailed

all questions. The question you see may differ depending on your nationality and how you have

answered the questions.

Your name: Enter your name to accurately reflect the details on your passport including

middle names or initials

Do you have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Study number? This will be issued by your

academic school once you have completed an acceptable CAS request form. This can be

issued no more than three months from the start date of your course. The number can be

found on the second page.

Nationality: If you have more than one nationality you should add them all to the form.

Date of planned arrival in the UK: You are permitted to arrive in the UK up to one month

before the course start date stated on your CAS.

Are you coming to the UK to study at a higher education institution? Yes

Does your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement indicate that your

English language ability was assessed by your institution or that you are a ‘gifted’ student?

You will not be asked this if you are a national of a majority English speaking country.

How many times have you visited the following places in the past 10 years? Australia, Canada, New Zealand, USA, Schengen area. The Schengen area is made up of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom.

Convictions and other penalties: Note that this also includes driving offences which should be detailed here.

Sponsor licence number and address: The sponsor licence number is F7W7RNTXX and the sponsor address is: Heriot Watt University, Riccarton, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS. This address should be used regardless of which campus you will be studying at.

Is this the site where the majority of your study will take place? If you are studying at The Scottish Borders Campus of Orkney Campus, select ‘no’ and enter the campus address as below:

Heriot Watt University Heriot Watt University Scottish Borders Campus Orkney Campus Galashiels Stromness TD1 3HE KW16 3AW

UCAS Details – You will only have applied through UCAS, and have a UCAS number if you are

doing an Undergraduate programme.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS). You must check your offer letter and CAS

to see if you require an ATAS certificate.

Will you be receiving money from an official financial sponsor for your continuing studies?

An official financial sponsor is: Her Majesty’s Government; your home government (or

embassy); the British Council; or any international organisation, university or company. If

you are receiving sponsorship from the university please ensure this is detailed on your CAS

letter.

Are all of the maintenance funds required for this application in a bank account with your

name on it? If you will be using your parents account select ‘no’ and then select that you will

be using a parents or guardians bank statement and what document you will provide as

evidence of the relationship. You cannot use the bank statement of any other family

members.

Course information: The sponsor will be Heriot Watt University. The qualification that you

will get will be detailed in your CAs and will begin with either CEFR or SCQF followed by a

number.

Have you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) already paid any money to your sponsor for

accommodation? This only applies to payments made for University accommodation. A

maximum of £1265 can be deducted from the funds required and you must provide an

original receipt as evidence of this.

What are your course fees for your first year? Answer this question using our CAS letter. If

you have already paid some of your course fees you should ensure that this is detailed on

your CAS

Additional information box: This can be used to provide any additional information that you

do not feel you have had a chance to explain during the application.

Check your answers

If you are not yet ready to submit your application or still have some answers to check, we would

recommend stopping here. If you are ready to proceed you can press ‘continue’.

Document checklist

This is an electronically generated list and should not be relied upon. You are responsible for

ensuring you have included all required documents, and should use the ISA website as well as the

Tier 4 policy guidance to check this.

Submitting the application

When you are ready to submit the application you will be asked to pay the immigration health

surcharge, and the application fee. The date that you pay the application fee is your application date

and the financial requirement must be met by that date.