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Advice for International Students:

Advice for UK students:

Immigration, including visas

19 April 2010

Tier 4 sponsor's licence:

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 student immigration application in your home country


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 student immigration application in your home country Making a student immigration application in the UK

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'.

If you want to come as a 'student visitor' you must show that you have been unconditionally accepted on a course that is provided by an organisation listed on the Register of Education and Training Providers or is accredited by an accreditation body approved by the UK Border Agency . You must be at least 18 years old, and have the financial resources to accommodate and maintain yourself during the visit.

You should only come as a 'student visitor' if you are absolutely certain you will not want to work in the UK and you will not want to stay for longer than six months. 'Student visitors' do not have to study full-time.


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.

Your family's immigration

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.

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.

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.

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 identity card 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.

What is an Identity Card for Foreign Nationals?

It is the new 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). It is the shape of a credit card and shows your photo on the front, together with information about how long your extension is. 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 extension application by post, be ready to respond to any letters from the Home Office asking you to make an appointment to give your fingerprints and have your photo taken, straightaway. They will give you a very short deadline to respond to their letter, and if you do not respond in time, they are allowed to refuse or disregard your extension application (although they will normally give you 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, however important those things are (for example, you may have to miss classes or lectures). 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 and so fares will be high.

If you are going to make your extension application in person (paying the higher rate of fee), you will probably not be sent any letters, but will have your fingerprints and photo taken at your extension appointment. You will not be given your student extension (the card) on the day, but will have to wait for it to be sent to you by post, later.

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, later. Do not make any arrangements to travel until you have the card, as you do not know how long it will take (and Home Office estimates of how long it will take are likely to be unreliable).

Home Office leaflet 'Identity cards for Foreign Nationals - useful information'

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:

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