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Advice for International Students:

Advice for UK students:

Immigration, including visas

13 April 2012

Coming to the UK, as a student

During your stay in the UK

Travelling in Europe


What immigration requirements must I meet to be a student in the UK?

There are immigration requirements about the college or university you can choose, the level of course you can study, and your financial position. For further details please read the following UKCISA information sheet.

Making a Tier 4 (General) application


Do I need to get a visa (entry clearance) before I travel to the UK?

If you want to come to the UK as a 'student' you need to apply for 'entry clearance' before you leave the country where you live to travel to the UK.


I have received my Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), how long is it valid for?

A CAS is an electronic reference number which is issued to you by the institution (college or university) that you have chosen to study at. Your CAS will be valid for 6 months from the date that it was issued by your institution.

You should only submit an immigration application once you are sure that you can also include all of the documents needed to meet the Tier 4 requirements. If you are applying for immigration permission to start a new course of study in the UK, you must not submit your application more than 3 months before the course start date. If you do, your application will be refused.

If your immigration application is refused, your CAS will be marked as USED by the UK Border Agency on their computer records. This means that you will not be able to submit a new immigration application using the same CAS number. If your immigration application is refused you will need to contact your institution and request a new CAS before applying again.

Note: Before submitting a new immigration application with a new CAS, you must make sure that you have also taken into consideration the reasons for your initial refusal. You may need to submit additional or updated documents as well.

For further details on how to apply for immigration permission you should read the relevant UKCISA information sheet.

Making a Tier 4 (General) application



I am not a visa national. Do I really have to obtain entry clearance before coming to the UK?

It is compulsory for everyone (even those who are not visa nationals) to obtain entry clearance before travelling to the UK, if they want to enter as 'students'.

However, if you are not a visa national and are coming to the UK to study for a maximum of six months, you may qualify to enter as a 'student visitor'. You will not need to obtain entry clearance in advance of travelling. If you choose to come as a 'student visitor' you will be much more restricted than if you come as a 'student'. You will not be allowed to do any work or work placement (even if it is part of a course, or is unpaid). You will not be allowed to apply for more time in the UK, if your studies are extended. For these reasons, it is not normally appropriate to come to the UK as a 'student visitor'.

Coming to the UK as a student visitor

Arriving in the UK

I want to travel to the UK via Ireland. Is this possible?

Yes, but if you are coming to study in the UK and you want to travel to Ireland first, you should obtain UK entry clearance as a student in your home country before going to Ireland. The reasons for this are:

  • you will probably not see any immigration officers when you enter the UK from Ireland, so you will not be able to apply for immigration permission to enter the UK
  • if you do not get immigration permission when you enter the UK, and you are not a visa national, you will in most cases automatically have permission to be in the UK for three months, but you will not be allowed to work and you will not be able to extend your stay in the UK as a student or student visitor.

Can I bring my family with me to the UK?

Yes, in certain circumstances. However the Immigration Rules changed on 4 July 2011 and now fewer students can have their family with them in the UK as dependants. For more information, please read our Information Sheet Your family's immigration.

You might also find our Guide for Tier 4 Family tool helpful. It asks you a series of questions to help you find out if your family can join or stay with you in the UK.

Can I come to the UK before I get a place on a course?

Yes, but it is very important that you apply for entry clearance as a 'prospective student', and not as any other kind of visitor. You will be expected to provide evidence that you have made contact with institutions in the UK, for example letters inviting you for interviews in the UK. 'Prospective students' can stay in the UK for up to six months to make arrangements for their studies. When you have enrolled at a college or university, you will need to extend your stay in the UK as a 'student'. If you have not come to the UK with entry clearance in the immigration category of 'prospective student', you will not be able to do this in the UK and will have to return to your country to make this application.

I have already paid my accommodation fees, can I deduct this amount from the total money that I need to show when I make my Tier 4 application?

Yes but only if you have paid your accommodation fees directly to your Tier 4 Sponsor, as stated in paragraphs 123-124 of the Tier 4 Policy Guidance.

In order to deduct this amount from the total money you need to show as part of a Tier 4 application, you will need to provide a receipt for all accommodation fees already paid to your Tier 4 Sponsor. Alternatively your Tier 4 Sponsor may choose to include this information in your CAS.

However, if you have paid any accommodation fees directly to a landlord or to a private company, you are not able to deduct this from your maintenance funds. In this case you will need to show that you have additional money in your bank account to cover the full maintenance requirements as part of your Tier 4 application.

Can a relative or friend financially sponsor me for my studies in the UK?

For your Tier 4 immigration application, you will need to show that you have enough money to pay for your course fees and for your maintenance costs (accommodation and other living expenses) while you are in the UK. You must prove you have this money by showing evidence of it in one, or more, of the following ways:

  • funds held in your own name;
  • funds held in a parent or legal guardian's name;
  • funds provided as a loan from a financial institution;
  • funds provided by an "official financial sponsor" - this is one of a list of specified organisations and it cannot be an individual person.

You are not allowed to use money held in any other person's name, even if you have their permission to do so. If someone who is not your parent or guardian is financially sponsoring you, they will need to transfer the funds to your account (or to your parent or legal guardian's account), allowing time for you (or your parent or legal guardian) to hold the funds for at least 28 days.

A Tier 4 immigration application requires that you show enough money to pay your living costs. You can deduct from this amount any money you have already paid direct to your Tier 4 sponsor for accommodation. You cannot deduct any other types of housing costs, even if they are already paid or if you have no costs. If someone other than a parent or legal guardian is offering you free housing, or paying your housing costs, you must still show you have the required maximum amount.

For further details on how to show how much money you have, when applying for immigration permission, you should read the relevant UKCISA information sheet

Making a Tier 4 (General) application

What happens if my institution has a problem with its Tier 4 licence, or if the college closes?

See our detailed information sheet Tier 4 sponsor licence problems, and colleges that close

Can I stay in the UK to extend my immigration permission or do I have to return home and apply from there?

It is possible for you to stay in the UK and submit an application to extend your immigration permission as a student. However, in certain circumstances you will have to return home and submit a new application for entry clearance. In particular, if there is a gap of more than one month between the end of your current immigration permission and the start date of your new course, you must return home and apply for new entry clearance.

You should read the UKCISA information sheet Making a Tier 4 application to check if you are eligible to submit an immigration application within the UK.

Remember, if you are eligible and you intend to stay in the UK to submit an application for further immigration permission, you must do this BEFORE the end date of your current immigration permission. If you do not submit your application before this date, you will become an overstayer.

Instead of returning to my home country to apply for entry clearance, can I post my passport to a friend in my home country and ask them to submit my application for me?

No, you must not do this. The Immigration Rules say that you must be outside the UK when you apply for entry clearance. And the immigration permission that an entry clearance gives does not start if you do not use it to enter the UK.

I am studying for a Masters degree and I have been granted leave under Tier 4 for the duration of my course plus an addtional 2 months, is this correct?

Yes. If the course dates stated in your CAS cover a period which is less than 12 months, you are only entitled to an additional 2 months after the end of your course. In this case you may have to return home before receiving notification of your results. If you are in this situation, and you want to apply for Tier 1 (Post Study Work), you will have to submit your application in your home country and therefore provide evidence that you have held £2,800 for three months, as outlined in the policy guidance.

However, if the course dates stated in your CAS cover a period which is more than 12 months, you should have been granted an additional 4 months after the end of your course. In this case, speak to an adviser at your institution and ask about getting this corrected.

Why does it matter if I work too many hours or overstay in the UK (overstaying means allowing your immigration permission to expire without making an application to extend it)?

This will have serious consequences for any future entry clearance applications that you make abroad. If you overstay for more than 28 days or work more hours than you are allowed to work, you may be barred from coming back to the UK for at least 12 months (and in some cases five or ten years).

If you are found not to have told the truth in answer to questions on the entry clearance application form about your previous immigration behaviour in the UK, you are likely to be barred for ten years.

It is likely to be difficult for you to obtain immigration extensions in the UK, too.

My passport or Biometric Residence Permit tells me I need to register with the police. Do I really need to do this?

Yes. If you forget to register with the police, this could have serious consequences for any future entry clearance applications that you make abroad. You could be barred from coming back to the UK for 12 months (and in some cases five or ten years).

It will also cause problems for you obtaining immigration extensions in the UK.

If your passport or identity card does not tell you to register with the police, you do not need to do this.

Does it matter if I try to claim welfare benefits?

Yes. If you apply for a welfare benefit that you do not qualify for, you will have problems obtaining an immigration extension in the UK. You will also find that if you try to apply for entry clearance abroad, you may be barred from coming back to the UK for at least 12 months (and in some cases, five or ten years).

For information about the rare circumstances in which international students qualify for welfare benefits, see the Information Sheet Welfare Benefits.

Should I keep a photocopy of my passport?

Yes, keep photocopies of every page of every passport that you ever use to enter the UK (except for the blank pages). You may need to refer to them for future immigration applications, or in case your passport is lost or stolen. Remember to update the photocopy each time it shows a new journey.

Also keep all the paperwork and documents you have that evidence each of your journeys to and from the UK. You might need these for future immigration applications too.

The UKCISA information sheet Protecting your immigration status has more information about the documents that you should be keeping.

What is a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)?

It is the way in which the Home Office grants extensions to students who wish to stay in the UK for more study (and their partners and children, if they apply at the same time). BRPs used to be known as Identity Cards for Foreign Nationals (ICFNs). It is the shape of a credit card and shows your photo on the front, together with information about how long your extension is for. It also shows whether you are allowed to do any work, and tells you if you are required to register with the police.

The card includes a microchip which contains two of the card holder’s fingerprints, and the photo on the front is a digital photo. As part of the process of applying for a student extension, you have to go and give your fingerprints and have your photo taken (at centres in London, Croydon, Sheffield, Liverpool, Solihull, Cardiff, Glasgow, and Belfast).

If you are sending an immigration extension application by post, be ready to respond as soon as possible to any letters from the Home Office asking you to make an appointment to give your fingerprints and have your photo taken. You will be given a very short deadline to respond to the letter, and if you do not respond in time, your application may be refused or disregarded (although you will normally be given a warning first). That could result in you not being able to stay in the UK. For that reason, it is sensible not to move address while you are waiting for an extension application to be processed. If you have to move, talk to the international student adviser at your college or university to explain your plans first, so they can advise you of the safest way of notifying the Home Office.

You will have to prioritise attending the appointment over everything else, no matter how important those things are; you may even have to miss classes or lectures but you should let your institution know if this will be the case. If you do not attend an appointment quickly, the Home Office are allowed to refuse or disregard your extension application. That could result in you not being able to stay in the UK. Make sure you have the money set aside to pay your train or coach fares to get to one of the eight centres. You will probably have to travel at short notice. Therefore, travel costs may be high.

If you are going to make your extension application in person (at a Public Enquiry Office), you will probably not be sent any letters about biometrics but will have your fingerprints and photo taken at your extension appointment. You will not be given your student extension (the BRP card) on the day but will have to wait for it to be sent to you by post.

You will probably receive your documents back from the Home Office before your receive your identity card. Remember that you do not have your extension until you have the card, which will be sent by post. Do not make any arrangements to travel until you have the card because you do not know how long it will take (and Home Office estimates of how long it will take are likely to be unreliable).

For more details you should read the UK Border Agency's information about BRPs and your responsibilities.

I am outside the UK, and my passport and/or Biometrics Residence Permit was lost or stolen. How do I get back to the UK?

If your passport was lost or stolen, first you need to apply for a replacement passport. Contact your country's Embassy or High Commission in the country where you are now for information on how to do this. You may need to wait some time before you have your new passport.

If you had an entry clearance or resience permit sticker (vignette) in your passport , the UKBA's Entry Clearance Guidance, Paragraph ECB17.2 Replacing a visa (or leave), confirms that you must make a normal Tier 4 application in order to replace it. You must pay the full application fee [£289], and that no CAS is required.

The guidance says that "If required, [the Entry Clearance Officer] may ask for supporting documentation to establish that [the applicant's] circumstances have not changed". We recently asked an Entry Clearance Manager at a European post what evidence may be required for such applications, and in what format. She responded as follows:

On maintenance:
"We should not require evidence of maintenance, because this would have been satisfied when they originally applied, but this would be assessed on a case by case basis".

On evidence of studies:
"[We] would expect to see evidence of continuing studies (usually in the form of a letter from the establishment they are attending)".

On format of evidence:
"Whilst original documents are always preferable, a good quality copy would be acceptable, or internet documents (mentioning the full details of the applicant)".

A successful entry clearance application will give you a replacement sticker, with the same end date and conditions.

If your student leave was on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), you need to apply for a single entry visa that you can only use to enter the UK once. This costs £70. When you return to the UK, you need to apply for a new full BRP within one month. This application costs £37. For full details, see the guidance on the UKBA website for people whose BRP is lost or stolen abroad.

Can my family stay with me in the UK?

Yes, in certain circumstances. However the Immigration Rules changed on 4 July 2011 and now fewer students can have their family with them in the UK as dependants. For more information, please read our Information Sheet Your family's immigration.

You might also find our Guide for Tier 4 Family tool helpful. It asks you a series of questions to help you find out if your family can join or stay with you in the UK.

Do I need a visa to travel around Europe?

Check the website for the UK embassy of the particular country you want to visit (there is a list of these on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website). The embassy's website will tell you whether people of your nationality need to apply for visas before travelling to that country.

If the website says that you need a 'Schengen visa', look at these frequently asked questions about Schengen visas.

   

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Relevant Information Sheets:

Guide for Tier 4 family document icon View a complete list of our Information Sheets Find out more about education in the UK