UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Making a Tier 4 (General) application outside the UK

Do I need a visa?

Last modified: 05 July 2017

If you are a EEA or Swiss national then you do not need permission to enter the UK or to study here. See our information on staying in the UK as a EEA or Swiss national student for more information.

If you already have immigration permission to come to (or remain in) the UK in a non-study related category this might allow you to study. However, some immigration categories prohibit study so you should therefore seek advice from an adviser at the institution where you intend to study.

If you have been accepted onto a course of study there are two types of visa for studying in the UK: 'short-term student' and 'Tier 4' student visas.

If you are coming to the UK to study for a maximum of six months (or 11 months if you will be studying English language), you may be able to enter as a 'short-term student'. If your course is less than 6 months long, whether you need to apply for your visa in advance from outside of the UK (entry clearance) depends on your nationality. For some nationalities (‘non-visa nationals’), it is not compulsory to apply for entry clearance before travelling to the UK if your course is less than six months long.

However, if you choose to come as a short-term student you will be much more restricted than if you come as a Tier 4 student. You will not be allowed to do any work or work placement (even if it is part of a course or unpaid work). You will also not be allowed to apply to extend your stay in the UK.

See our information about Short-term student visas for further details.

If the short-term student route is not appropriate for you then you must apply for entry clearance as a Tier 4 student before travelling to the UK, regardless of your nationality.

Where can I study with a Tier 4 visa?

Last modified: 18 July 2016

As a Tier 4 (General) student, you can study at any school, college or university which has been granted a Tier 4 (General) sponsor licence by the Home Office. Only institutions with a Tier 4 sponsor licence can issue you with a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS),which you must obtain in order to apply for immigration permission as a Tier 4 (General) student.

Each institution granted a Tier 4 sponsor licence will be given a sponsor rating, either: Tier 4 Sponsor; or Probationary Sponsor. The courses that an institution can offer to international students will depend upon their Tier 4 sponsor rating. Institutions with Tier 4 Sponsor status can offer a wider range of courses than Probationary Sponsors.

You can check which institutions have a Tier 4 (General) or (Child) sponsor licence, and how they are rated, on the Register of Tier 4 Sponsors (approved education providers).

I already have a Tier 4 visa that is still valid. Do I really need to apply again?

Last modified: 18 July 2017

If you have a valid Tier 4 (General) visa, whether you can use this to return to the UK depends on a number of factors. Whether you are returning to study at a new institution or are returning to study at the institution that sponsored your current visa, you should check if:

the institution you are returning to study at still has a Tier 4 sponsor licence and they have agreed to sponsor you (or continue to sponsor you) under Tier 4; and
you have not been reported to the Home Office as having finished your course, interrupted your studies, or having not enrolled. If the institution that sponsored your current Tier 4 visa has reported you, it is likely that your visa has been "curtailed" and is no longer valid; and
you are eligible and can meet the requirements to make a further Tier 4 application from within the UK, if required.

New course at a new institution

If your Tier 4 visa is still valid but you are progressing to a new course at a new institution (Tier 4 sponsor), you will need to apply for a new Tier 4 visa. This is because your visa is issued for you to study at that particular institution, and in most cases, to that particular course. If you are travelling outside the UK before you start the new course, it is safest to apply for and obtain your new Tier 4 visa either before you leave the UK if you are eligible to do this, (see Making a Tier 4 (General) application in UK for more information), or if you are visiting your home country, to apply for a new Tier 4 visa while you are there.

You can use the Home Office's visa processing times tool to check current processing times in your home country.

If you cannot do either of the above, you may be allowed to re-enter the UK using your current visa if you have a CAS from your new sponsor institution, and they have Tier 4 Sponsor status on the Home Office's Register of Tier 4 Sponsors. However, the border force officer at the port of entry will decide if you can re-enter the UK. It is important that you carry a print-out of the CAS statement for your new course in your hand luggage so you can show it to the border force officer. It is also very likely that you will be asked questions about your reasons for returning and if the border force officer is not satisfied you may be refused entry.

Returning to study at the same institution

We strongly advise that you seek advice specifically with your institution before you attempt to enter the UK using Tier 4 immigration permission that was previously issued to you with their sponsorship.

If you are returning to the UK to continue your current course, you should check that your institution has not reported you to the Home Office, for example, as having interrupted your studies or for not enrolling. If the Home Office has taken action on such a report, your visa may have already been curtailed and may no longer be valid. If the Home Office has not yet taken action, they may be about to.
If you are returning to continue on a different course from the one your visa was granted for, your current visa may prohibit you changing course once you are in the UK, depending on when you applied for your current Tier 4 visa. It’s therefore very important that you seek advice from your institution prior to travelling to the UK.
If you have recently completed a course and you are progressing to start a new course at the same institution, even if your existing Tier 4 visa does allow you to enter the UK, it is often more straightforward to apply for a new Tier 4 visa before you travel to the UK. This would save you from making a leave to remain application from within the UK, which can be expensive and time-consuming.

Under eighteens

Last modified: 18 July 2016

If you are less than 16 years old, you can apply for permission to study at an Independent fee-paying school, but you must apply as a Tier 4 (Child) student, not under Tier 4 (General). Ask your school for information about how to apply.

If you are 16 or 17 years old, you can sometimes choose to apply either as a Tier 4 (Child) student or as a Tier 4 (General) student. This will depend on:

the type of institution (school, college or university) where you intend to study - for CAS assigned after 9 August 2015, Tier 4 (Child) students can only study at Independent Schools.
the type of Tier 4 sponsor licence the institution holds: a Tier 4 (Child) licence or a Tier 4 (General) licence, (or both)
the level of the course.

If you are applying as a Tier 4 (Child), speak to your institution directly.

If you want to study a short course in the UK, you may be eligible to apply to enter the UK as a 'short-term student' (or as a 'short-term student (child)' if you are under 18 years old). For immigration purposes, a short course is any course which lasts no more than six months or an English language course which lasts no more than 11 months. See Short-term student visas for more information.

Preparing your application

Last modified: 18 July 2017

If you want to come to the UK to study, you need to apply to the UK immigration authorities under Tier 4 of the Points Based System (PBS). You must meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules which are in force on the date that you submit your immigration application.

If you want to make a successful Tier 4 (General) application, it is extremely important that:

you read and understand the Home Office's Tier 4 policy guidance
you check that you meet all the requirements
you allow plenty of time to obtain the documents required to make your application
you provide your supporting documents in the exact format required by the Home Office, as explained in the policy guidance and on the application form
you complete all sections of the form, fully and accurately
you check your application will not risk being refused under the general grounds for refusal
you check with an adviser at the institution (school, college or university) where you intend to study, for any further changes that might affect your application.

You should wait until you have obtained your Tier 4 visa before you book any non-refundable tickets for travel.

The following checklist is designed to help you with the application process and includes links to external websites where appropriate. Please note this checklist by itself does not contain enough information to make a successful Tier 4 application. It is only a summary of the steps involved in applying for a Tier 4 visa, and does not contain detailed information about the Tier 4 requirements.

Choose institution and course, apply for a place, receive an unconditional offer and accept your offer
Apply for ATAS clearance (if applicable)
Request a ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’ (CAS) number from your institution and check the information on your CAS is correct when you receive it. The CAS issuing process varies from institution to institution, so enquire with your institution whether you need to provide further information or documents to support your request for a CAS. A CAS is only valid for six months and you must make your visa application within this time. You can only use your CAS once.
Check the visa process in your country of residence and the visa processing times. If there is more than one Visa Application Centre in the country where you live, decide where to apply
Book and take a TB test (if applicable)
Check that you meet the Tier 4 requirements
Make sure that you have all of the necessary supporting documents, including:
- Valid passport
- Photographs that meet the Home Office requirements
- ATAS clearance certificate (if required)
- Valid TB test certificate showing you do not have TB (if required)
- Evidence of qualifications listed on your CAS (*)
- Evidence that you meet the English language requirement, or are exempt from the requirement
- If you will be under 18 on the date that you apply for your visa, you will need a letter from your parent/legal guardian confirming their relationship to you and that they consent to your study and living arrangements in the UK and your travel arrangements. You will also need evidence of your relationship with your parent/legal guardian (e.g. birth certificate, certificate of adoption)
- Original paper receipts for any tuition fees and/or accommodation costs that you have already paid to your institution, if this information is not included on your CAS (*)
- Evidence that you can meet the strict financial requirements. Many Tier 4 refusals are caused by incorrect financial documents. It is very important that to check that yours meet the requirements and that you have held the correct level of funds for the necessary period of time. See 'Your money' and 'Consent of current or previous official financial sponsor' for information (*)
- Translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh
- Police Registration Certificate (if you have, or have previously held, a visa in the UK which required you to register with the police)
(*) If you are a low-risk applicant then you must confirm on your Tier 4 application form that you have these documents but you should not submit them with your application
Complete the application form and pay the immigration health surcharge (if applicable). See Where, when and how to apply for more information
Book an appointment at the VAC (if an appointment is required)
Attend the VAC and pay the application fee (if you haven’t already done so), provide your biometrics and submit your supporting documents (in some countries this is done by post). Note: some countries require you to submit duplicate copies of your documents
Attend an interview, if you are asked to do so. You may also be asked to have a further interview which you must attend
Wait for the outcome of your visa application. Your documents and passport will be returned to you by post, or you will be instructed to collect them.

Where, when and how to apply

Last modified: 25 April 2016

When your visa is issued

Last modified: 11 April 2017

Your visa will be issued as a vignette (sticker) in your passport. You should take a photocopy of this vignette and of the pages of your passport that contain your personal information, and carry these pages separately from your passport when you travel to the UK (and/or scan and save these pages), in case your passport is lost or stolen.

If your application was for leave for six months or less then your vignette will be valid for your whole stay in the UK. However, in most other instances the vignette in your passport will only be valid for 30 days.

This 30 days will start 30 days before the course start date on your CAS or seven days before the date that you specified on your application as your intended date of travel to the UK, whichever is later.

It's important to realise that if the intended date of travel that you state on your application form is less than one month before the course start date listed on your CAS then you will not be granted the maximum period of leave possible before the start of your course. Instead your visa will start seven days before the intended travel date on your visa application; you will not be able to travel to the UK before this date.

If you do not travel to the UK during this 30 day period then your vignette will expire and you will need to apply for another 30-day vignette if you still wish to travel to the UK. You will also need to do this if you lose your 30-day vignette before you travel to the UK. Information about applying for a new vignette is contained within the Home Office guidance for staff ECB17.3. You will have to pay £169 for this new application and provide your biometric information again, but you will not have to submit a new Tier 4 application. You should use the same online application form but you should select the following options:

Reason for Visit: Other
Visa Type: Others
Visa Sub Type: Vignette Transfer

At the end of the application form you should use the 'Any other information' field to explain that you have been granted a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK but you need a new 30-day vignette as you have not been able (or will not be able) to travel to the UK before the end of the 30-day vignette that you have been issued; or because your vignette has been lost or stolen.

If you are applying for a new 30-day vignette because your passport has been lost or stolen then the Home Office guidance says that you should provide evidence that you have reported the loss/theft to the police if it is reasonable for you to have done so.

Your 30-day vignette will be accompanied by a letter. When you enter the UK you should show the border force officer your 30-day vignette and this letter.

Refusals

Last modified: 12 December 2016

If your Tier 4 visa is refused your application fee will not be refunded, however if you have paid the immigration health surcharge then this will be refunded.

There is no full right of appeal if you apply for a Tier 4 visa from outside of the UK and your application is refused. If you think the refusal was incorrect, based on the evidence you submitted with your application, you can ask for an 'administrative review' of the decision to refuse it. There is no fee for this but you must request the administrative review within 28 days of the date you receive your refusal notice.

The process is explained in Annex 3 of the Home Office's Tier 4 policy guidance.

You cannot produce new or different documents for an administrative review unless:

your application was refused on grounds of deception, breach of conditions, or overstaying your previous leave; and/or
your application was refused on the grounds that it was submitted outside of the permitted time limits; and/or
the Home Office made an incorrect decision not to request additional evidence under paragraph 245AA of the Immigration Rules. This paragraph states that the Home Office can request missing documents if you submitted some of the necessary documents but:
- some of the documents in a sequence were missing, for example if one bank statement from a series was missing (Note: for Tier 4 applications made on or after 24 November 2016, the documents forming the beginning and end of the sequence must have been submitted); or
- a document was in the wrong format (for example, if a letter was not on letterhead paper as specified); or
- a document was a copy and not an original document; or
- a document did not contain all of the specified information.
It also contains a list of very limited circumstances in which the Home Office can exceptionally grant an application without requesting additional documents. If you think that this paragraph of the Immigration Rules should have been applied to your application then you should seek advice from a specialist before applying for an administrative review.

You cannot submit a new entry clearance application at the same time as requesting an administrative review of an earlier entry clearance application. If you make a new visa application while you have an administrative review pending then your administrative review will automatically be withdrawn.

Students' experiences: video stories

Last modified: 02 September 2015

The University of Sheffield commissioned the following videos about students from China and India as they prepare to make their visa applications for study in the UK, and then prepare to travel here.

Making a Tier 4 (General) application outside the UK