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APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA - King's College London · APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA ... The visa application form is completed online: ... the date that you submit and pay for

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Page 1: APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA - King's College London · APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA ... The visa application form is completed online: ... the date that you submit and pay for
Page 2: APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA - King's College London · APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISA ... The visa application form is completed online: ... the date that you submit and pay for

APPLYING FOR YOUR TIER 4 VISAPRE-SESSIONAL STUDENTS 2017

International Student

Advice Team

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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.

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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

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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

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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…

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King’s Apply – the CAS

This is what your CAS information looks like in

King’s Apply:

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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.

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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!

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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

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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.

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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

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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:

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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.

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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An example bank

statement

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Certificates of Deposit

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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…

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If you’re not sure whether your bank statements are

suitable, you can scan and email them to us:

[email protected]

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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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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WE HAVE SOME TIME NOW FOR QUESTIONS!

OR YOU CAN EMAIL US:[email protected]

THANK YOU