UK Student Visa - A Summary of Tier 4 (General)

Tier 4 (General) is the visa category for adults wishing to study in the UK.  Here is a summary of the key points:

• You must score 40 points under the points based system in order to qualify for this visa.  You can check your points using the UKBA's points based calculator.

• You will need a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) from a duly licensed academic institution.  It's advisable to check that your proposed place of study is a licensed Tier 4 sponsor. Click to access the full list of sponsors from the UKBA site.  Posession of a CAS will give you 30 points.

• You will also need to demonstrate that you have enough money to pay for your course and live in the UK without having to take employment or have recourse to public funds.  This can be proved by showing that you have paid for all or part of your course, or that you have obtained scholarship funding, or have enough money in your bank account to cover any outstanding fees and living costs.  Note that you will need to show that the money has been in your account for at least 28 consecutive days, and no more than 1 month before the filing date of your application. (10 points).

• You must be studying for a full time course leading to an approved qualification.  There are additional requirements for certain types of courses, and you are allowed to do a work placement or short preparatory course before the start of your course of study.

• You must be competent in English up to at least B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Language, unless you are applying to study at degree level, you are a government-sponsored student who wants to study an English Language course, or your are a national of a majority English-speaking country (Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the USA).

After your Tier 4 visa has been granted

:

• You are allowed to travel to the UK one month before the start of a long course (one lasting longer then six months).  If the course is for less than six months, you are allowed to travel up to 7 days before the start date.

• You should travel with the original documents used in obtaining your visa, as you may be required to show them at your port of entry before being allowed into the UK.

• You can only work part time (20 hours in term time, unlimited hours during vacations), and you are not allowed to access public funds (benefits). ** Note that the number of hours you are allowed to work may change from April 2011. **

• You may be able to bring your family along with you as dependants under the Points Based System, as long as you (or they) have enough funds to sustain them in the UK.

I hope you find this summary of Tier 4 (General) useful.  If you want more information, you can check out the ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or ukvisas.gov.uk.