Tier 4 Students
Tier 4 student visas are for individuals who wish to study in the UK on a short-term or long-term basis.
There are 3 ways of securing entry as a Tier 4 student:
1. Tier 4 (General) Student visa
This route is for students coming to the UK for post-16 education. You must be at least 16 years old and have been offered an unconditional place on a course by a licensed Tier 4 sponsor.
There are 4 key requirements:
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS): This is a reference number which holds your personal details and contains information about the course that you’ve been offered by a fully licensed Tier 4 sponsor.
- Evidence of English language: You must provide evidence that you are either a national of an English speaking country or hold a recognised qualification taught in English or have passed an English language test by a recognised provider at level B2 or above.
- Maintenance funds: You must provide evidence that you are able to cover your course fees and maintain yourself and any dependants that will be joining you in the UK without recourse to public funds. This means that you need to have enough money to cater for yourselves in the UK.
- The “genuineness test”: You need to show that you genuinely intend to study in the UK. For these reasons, you need to provide evidence to show that your intentions are genuine.
Once the application is approved, you will be given an initial leave based on the time given on the duration of your course plus 1 month, which can be extended for further periods, subject to meeting the requirements for leave to remain in the immigration rules. Upon completing 10 years, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain under the long residence provisions followed by British citizenship.
2. Tier 4 (Child) student visa
This route is for children aged between 4 and 17 years who are coming to the UK to study only at independent schools.
There are 4 key requirements:
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS): This is a reference number which holds your personal details and contains information about the course that you’ve been offered by a fully licensed Tier 4 sponsor.
- Consent letter: You must provide a letter from your parents or legal guardian confirming their relationship with you and confirming they have given their consent for you to study, live and travel independently to the UK.
- Maintenance funds: You must provide evidence that you are able to cover your course fees and maintain yourself and any dependants that will be joining you in the UK without recourse to public funds. This means that you need to have enough money to cater for yourselves in the UK.
- The “genuineness test”: You need to show that you genuinely intend to study in the UK. For these reasons, you need to provide evidence to show that your intentions are genuine.
Once the application is approved, you will be given an initial leave up to 6 years (if you are under 16) or 3 years (if you are over 16) which can be extended for further periods, subject to meeting the requirements for leave to remain in the immigration rules. Upon completing 10 years, you can apply for indefinite leave to remain under the long residence provisions followed by British citizenship.
3. Short-term study visa
This route is for individuals who wish to undertake a short course of study in the UK, such as an English language course, research as part of their degree course or a training course. Otherwise, you need to apply for a standard visitor visa.
There are 3 key requirements:
- you must have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accepted place of study.
- you must have enough money to support yourself without the need to secure work or seek public funds; alternatively, relatives and friends can support and accommodate you.
- you must be able to pay for your return or onward journey.
There are additional requirements if you’re under 18:
- you have made arrangements for your travel and stay in the UK
- you have permission from your parent or guardian to study in the UK
Once the application is approved, you will be given an initial leave up to 6 months (for any short course, or short period of research) or 11 months (English language course). You are unable to extend your stay or apply for settlement under this visa.
Your family
Your family members (partner and children under 18) can apply to join you in the UK under this visa. Once the application is approved, your dependants will be granted leave in line with your leave which can be extended subject to meeting the requirements for leave to remain of the Immigration Rules. You may then be eligible to apply for settlement followed by British citizenship.
Making an application
At Axiom Stone, we work closely with our clients’ needs and objectives and achieve results in an efficient and timely manner, aiming to continue the relationship once you have secured your visa and beyond.
We assist our clients and their family members of all ranges and ages and in respect of all types of visa applications from entry clearance, extension of leave and settlement to British citizenship. We can guide you through the points scoring nature of business immigration and on how to score the relevant points for this visa.
To apply for any of the above visas or to make an enquiry, please contact us on 0207 016 9341 or by e-mail to immigration@axiomstone.co.uk to speak to our dedicated team of immigration professionals.