TIER 4 (May 11th)
Below is general information without going to details.
There are 2 types of student categories under Tier 4.
Adult student: Students who are over 17.
Child student: Children between 4 and 17 years old coming to the United Kingdom for their education. Those who are between 4 and 15 years old may only be educated at independent fee paying schools.
The students must get 40 points before they apply for a visa either in their own country or in UK for extension.
CAS ( Cerificate of Sponsorship for Studies)- 30 POINTS
The students should do a course at an acceptable level with an approved education provider. They should get a CAS number from the approved education provider.
Approved Education Provider: An education provider that is approved by the UK Border Agency has been given a licence to bring students to the United Kingdom under tier 4 of the point-base system. These education providers are given A rating or B rating. The B rating is a transitional rating means that the education provider is working with the UK Border agency to improve their systems. There are certain circumstances where the status of your approved education provider licence may affect students and students' application.
Therefore, it is essential that the students are very careful when they choose their education provider.
Students' application under tier 4 can be refused under the general grounds for refusal listed in the immigration rules. This means that that even if the student meets the requirements of Tier 4 there may be other reasons why the immigration officer will refuse the student application. For example, this could be previous immigration history.
FINANCE – 10 POINTS
The finance of students is categorised in two parts: course fees and living costs.
Students need to show cover for their course fees for their first year of study and living costs for up to a maximum of nine months.
The basic living costs for London are recognised as a minimum of £800 a month.
For out of London the figure is £600. (This does not include the course fee)
The money must be in cash and in your account name 28 days ago before you apply for your visa.
If students uses a different currency, the student must show a sterling equivalent. The UK Border agency uses the official exchange rate on the OANDA website, which can be found at www.oanda.com
With the new regulations students can come early before their course starts and can leave up to 4 months after they finish their course, whichever is shorter in their passport.
If the students is doing more than six months they can come to the United Kingdom up to one month before the course starts. If it is less than 6 months, students can come to United Kingdom up to seven days before their course starts.
CHANGING EDUCATION PROVIDER
Students can change their education provider before their visa expires.But they must get permission from UK Border Agency. They need to write a letter to the UK Border agency .Once, the UK Border Agency receive the letter they send confirmation saying that the student's request has been received by the UK Border agency.
EXTENSION OF STAY
Students can apply to extend their permission to stay while they are in the United Kingdom 30 days before their visa expires or can apply for an extension from outside the United Kingdom. They may need a lower amount of living costs.
The cost of an extension is:
Inside the United Kingdom by post - £357
Inside the United Kingdom at a public enquiry office (PEO) - £565
WORKING IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
Adult students are allowed to work part-time during term-time, which is no more than 10 hours a week and full time during vacations.