School of Advanced Study University of London

UK Student Visa Guidance (Tier 4 Visa Guidance)

UK Student Visa

Types of UK student visa Who can apply?
Tier 4 (Child) You can apply for the Tier 4 (Child) student visa if you’re aged between 4 and 17 and want to study in the UK. If you are between 4-15 years old you must be coming to the UK to be educated at an independent fee-paying school.
Standard Visitor You can apply for a child visitor visa if you are 17 years old or under and want to study in the UK for up to 6 months. You cannot switch to a Tier 4 child visa. If you want to apply for a Tier 4 child visa you must apply from your home country.
Tier 4 (General) You can apply for a Tier 4 (General) student visa to study in the UK if you’re 16 or over and have been offered a place on a course.
Short Term Study You can apply for a Short-term study visa if you’re doing a short course of study in the UK. This visa will allow you to come to the UK if you are 18 years or older and want to enter for up to 6 months to study a short course, up to 11 months to study an English language course or do a short period of research up to 6 months as part of a degree course of your overseas study.

General student visa (Tier 4)

In general, students need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa to study Foundation, Bachelors, Masters (or MBA), MPhil or PhD in the UK.

UK Student Visa Requirements for Indian Students

UK Student Visa Financial Requirements

1. Funds required for UK Student Visa

UK student visa applicants need to show a total of:

  • Course Fee: Course fee for ONE year (even if the course is of higher duration) towards your tuition as shown on the CAS letter. Reduce the amount that you would have already paid to the University as tuition fee deposit (or advance fee payment). This amount should also reflect on your CAS.
  • Maintenance Funds: This is basically your living cost in the UK. Maintenance funds need to be shown for upto 9 months (even if the course is of higher duration). If your course is lesser than 9 months, then you only need to show the maintenance funds for the number of months you course would last. Maintenance funds need to calculated as:
    • Outside London: £1,015 x 9 months = £9,135 if your University is located outside the inner London boroughs
    • London: £1,265 x 9 months = £11,385 if your University is located inside the inner London boroughs

Example:

If you are joining a Masters course at the University of Warwick, and say the tuition fee is £20,000 for the full one year Masters, the funds you need to show are: £20,000 + £9,135 = £29,135 x Exchange Rate on the day of visa application (say, £1 = INR 90) = INR 26,22,150.

Keep up to date on the exchange rate using Oanda currency converter, which the UK embassy will also refer to. We recommend that you keep extra money in your account in case of changes in the exchange rate.

2. Methods to show the funds for UK Student Visa

Funds can be shown only in one or a combination of the three ways below:

  • Savings Bank Account: Money should be in the applicant’s bank account or the bank account of either or both parents ONLY. It CANNOT be in the bank account of any other relative such as grandfather, uncle, aunt, family friend. The money however can be in a joint account with anyone as long as you are named on the account.
  • Fixed Deposits: The fixed deposits should be either in the applicant’s name or in the name of either of the parents’. The FD however can be held jointly with anyone as long as you or either of your parents are named on the account.
  • Education Loan: An unconditional education loan sanctioned in the name of the applicant only is also acceptable for UK student visa application. Personal loans are not acceptable.

Other Liquid Assets:

PPF, PF, KVP, gold valuation, value of demat holdings, mutual funds or any other liquid assets other than the ones listed above are NOT acceptable.

Acceptable Banks:

Your bank has to be an accepted financial institution as per UKVI. Refer to “Banks Accepted“. This means, the money you hold in either the savings account or in the form of an FD, should be with one of the banks listed in acceptable list of financial Institutions.

3. Financial Documents Required to Apply for UK Student Visa

Financial Documents need to be in specific formats (list of financial documents is available below)

  • Bank Statements OR Passbook to confirm the money is in the savings bank account. It should cover the 28 day period of holding the funds.
  • Bank letter or balance certificate (confirming the balance in the savings account).
  • Fixed Deposits (FD) original + FD Balance certificate (letter) confirming that the FD can be liquidated at any point of time. FD should be older than 28 days and should not mature until you get your student visa to study in the UK.
  • Education Loan sanction letter (if any) + Cover letter (confirming that there are no pending conditions on the loan).
  • Birth certificate, if funds are in the name of parents. If the funds are in the account of the applicant, birth certificate is not required.
  • Affidavit from parents only if funds shown in parents account or if parents are guarantor for education loan.
  • In case name varies in any documents (passport, marksheets, birth certificate) then an Affidavit that states that all the names are of one and the same person.

TB Testing for UK Student Visa

TB Testing is mandatory. Testing can only be done from one of the approved clinics. Refer to “TB Testing – Approved Clinics in India“. 

5. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS IN HAND WHEN YOU ARE TAKING YOUR                       APPOINTMENT. i.e.: Do not submit your visa application (for an appointment) on 12th August and have your           financial documents dated 14th August

6. Online Visa application

UK Visa Fees for students (Tier 4 visa) is Rs. 33,810/- (£322) as of July, 2015. Visa Fees will have to be paid online using Visa or MasterCard debit or credit card. UK Visa Application Link: https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/

 

Important points to note about your UK student visa application:

1. Sponsor: While filling your visa application your Sponsor is your University not your parents. So enter the University name

2.Travel Date: If you’ll be studying for more than 6 months in UK, you can go there 1 month before your course starts. So select the date of arrival in the UK accordingly

3.Booking your Appointment: Before selecting a visa application centre on Visa4UK, you will be asked to confirm the type of appointment you want. When applying for a Tier 4 Student visa, you’re required to book the appointment as follows:

  • Select appointment location
  • Select appointment type which should be ‘PBS Tier 4 Student’

Note: You should only pick up the Tier 4 student option and not the Standard appointment

  • Select appointment Date and Time

If an appointment is booked in a wrong category, centre won’t let you in or accept your application

4.UK Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS): From 5 July, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is improving how applicants pay the IHS of GBP 225. If an IHS reference (or payment) is needed, you will be automatically directed through the IHS process when you complete your online visa application. All Indian students will need to pay this amount. For Bachelors students, you have to pay the IHS fee for all 3 years. You can calculate the cost of IHS here

5.Biometric Residence Permit (BRP): April 2015 onward, students will be issued with a sticker in their passport instead of the vignette. This sticker will be valid for 30 days from the applicant’s intended date of travel. Once the applicant arrives in UK, they have 10 days to go to the post office and collect their Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) for the rest of their stay in the UK. Your University may also be a location from where you can collect your BRP. Your University may provide the BRP number (code) which must be entered in the visa application before submission

6.Photo: Your photos (4) must meet UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements. You can also have the photos taken inside the VFS when you go for the appointment ( 204/4 copies)

7.Biometric & UK Visa Interview: When submitting your documents at the VFS you will be required to get your biometrics done & you will be interviewed over skype at the centre by the Home Office in the UK. Prepare well for the UK visa interview

8.UK Visa Process Time (Tier 4 Visa): 12 Working days (in general). Priority visa service (at higher visa fees – £120) is also available where the decision is made within 3 to 5 working days

 

 

Documents to carry with you on your Visa Appointment date

 

Arrange your documents in the following order:

 

Appointment & Visa Application Documents:

  • Appointment Confirmation
  • Visa Fee Receipt and Health Surcharge Fee Receipt
  • Valid Passport (6 months validity) with at least 1 page that is blank on both sides
  • Previous Passports (if any) and photocopies of visas or stamps in the passports
  • 1 recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of your face, which meets the requirements in UKVI’s photograph guidance Requirements
  • A printout of your online application form, signed and dated
  • A completed self-assessment form, signed and dated – Appendix 8
  • TB Test Report

 

Note:

PPF, PF, KVP, NSC, LIC Policies, Current (company) A/c statements – these documents are NOT accepted

Only your parents can show the proof of funds if the fund is not in your account. No grandparents, uncles and aunts

 

 Academic & Other Documents

  • Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) – this is received from the University once a deposit payment is made
  • All marksheets and other academic documents listed on your CAS
  • Evidence of previous study or qualifications as mentioned on your CAS
  • IELTS test result if it was required by the University and its mention on the CAS

 

Note: The documentation may change based on what is mention on your CAS. Mostly the above list of documents will suffice

 

Visa Application Service Help by ILW

In order to complete your UK visa application efficiently and to increase the likelihood of its success, we help you completely in the process. Here is what we shall do:

  1. Initial consultation and checking your CAS and other documents
  2. Understand your financials and recommend the right list of documents to show
  3. Provide a checklist for necessary supporting documents including the formats
  4. Help you fill out the UK visa application form online
  5. Help you with the registration and payment
  6. Book an appointment for your documents to be submitted at a UK visa centre
  7. Prepare you for your UK visa interview
  8. Receive your visa

UK Admission Counseling

In case you’re confused about your studies in UK, we can help you solve the problem. Once we meet you, and your parents or spouse, we ask you questions to get a clearer idea of your preferences, restrictions, and goals. This will allow us to make a range of suggestions with regard to locations and universities. With more discussions we’ll help you pick between them and narrow it down to the right selection of safe, moderate and ambitions options. We will make your process of studying in UK hassle-free.

We are experts at what we do. Since 2002 we have helped 1000s of students (personally). As one of the leading overseas education consultants in Mumbai, the collective experience of our team of experts go beyond a 100 years. Many of us have studied abroad and know exactly what your requirements will be, what kind of universities should be best suited for your future, what you need to do to get there.

We are extremely personal. Students ask us 1000s of questions and we enjoy replying to these. You will have one dedicated team member who you will be able to contact throughout the service. We don’t count the number of hours spent on you. We don’t shed away responsibilities. We work on your side and have just one thing in mind—to get you your best in your career.

We enjoy when you get scholarships or you save money. Over 70% of our applicants will earn some form of scholarship / financial aid / bursary.

We keep in touch with Universities. We keep in touch with our past students. We know exactly what a University will require or we can identify it very (very) easily. We help you build your profile, craft a great resume, and statement of purpose (SOP)/essays and bring out the best in you while presenting you to a University. Chances of your admissions evidently rise because we are around.

We help you right from start to end in the process ie. from selecting the right course and university list, documentation preparation, filling out and checking of forms, applying to universities, to securing admission offers, helping you finalize the best choice of university, visa guidance (including documentation, mock interview rounds, application), accommodation booking and much more. Hey! IELTS coaching is also available at our centre. We are brilliant with our essay editing services (remember – you will have to end up writing 18 to 24 essays when you apply to 8 to 10 Universities). We are simply there for everything! #enoughsaid

Mostly all of our students are through word of mouth. You will ENJOY your process and will not have to think how ordinary a question is while you ask us. We reply. We ensure that you remain satisfied. Nearly all our students would give us a 100/100 for our services.

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