Tier 4 Applications made in the UK
How to use the new Apply Online
service
This guide is for students who are ready to complete the online “Print
and Send” visa application form in the UK.
This booklet should not be used as a stand-alone guide. Before
beginning your visa application you must ensure that you read UKBA’s
Tier 4 Policy Guidance and the RCM’s booklet Important Guidance
Notes for Tier 4 (General) Student Visa Applications – Extending
Leave to Remain.
1|Page
A few things you should be aware of before you start your application
UKBA is currently using a “print and send” form. This means that once you complete the online application form,
you have to print it out and send it to UKBA.
This guide takes you through the online application process screen by screen. Before you start you should have
your passport and other immigration documents to hand, as you will need to copy information from them. You
should also make sure you have your CAS Statement, as you will need to copy the information about your course
from it.
Please also note that:
• Once you complete and pay for your online application form, you will not be able to make any further
changes, so make sure you check it thoroughly.
• Once the online application is complete, your application does not count as submitted. You will only be
considered to have submitted an application one you have either posted the form to UKBA or attended an
appointment to have your application considered in person.
• If you are applying by post, you have 15 days from the moment you complete and pay for your online
application to send your printed form and supporting documents to UKBA.
• If you wish to apply in person at a Public Enquiry Office, please note that appointments currently book up
a long way in advance. We recommend that if possible you begin preparing your visa application about 3
months before your current visa expires to ensure you have plenty of time to book and attend an
appointment. If your current visa is going to expire soon, it may be safer to apply by post to ensure you
do not overstay your leave before you can get an appointment.
If you have problems answering any of the questions on the online application form, and
cannot find the answers in the guidance notes, contact [email protected] for
assistance. An incorrect or missing answer could result in your application being refused, so if
in doubt please do not guess, ask us. We are here to help!
1. Getting started
The Apply Online service can be found at https://apply.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/iapply.portal
Go to the Apply
Online
homepage and
complete the
form as shown.
Note that if you
are applying
outside the UK
you cannot use
this service.
Find out
information on
how to apply in
your home
country at:
http://www.ukb
a.homeoffice.g
ov.uk/countries/
2|Page
Check the
information is
correct. Then
select the “print
and send”
option and click
“apply”.
You can check
your eligibility
to apply by
clicking on and
completing the
selfassessment
tool.
If you have
already
checked you
are ready to
apply, you can
skip straight to
the online
application by
clicking on
“Log in to
apply online”.
3|Page
2. Creating an account
You will need to
register for an
account before
you can use the
Apply Online
service.
Click the
“register” link.
Once you
have
registered, you
will receive an
e-mail from
UKBA asking
you to verify
your e-mail
address.
4|Page
You can log
into your
account and
access your
information
throughout the
application
process by
clicking on the
“My account –
Log in” button.
You will find
this in the topright corner of
the Apply
Online page.
Make sure you
save your work
regularly.
3. Customising your account
Make sure you
read the
information on
this page
before you
start. There
are also lots of
help notes
provided by
UKBA as you
complete each
question, so
please read
these
thoroughly.
5|Page
The Print and
Send form
selects and
hides questions
based on the
answers you
give on this
page. For
example, if you
indicate you are
not bringing any
dependants with
you then
questions about
dependants will
be hidden on
future pages.
4. Completing the form
You must
complete each
section of the
form. You can
check your
progress on
the “home”
page. In this
example, no
sections have
been
completed yet.
If at any point
you need to
check the Tier 4
Policy Guidance
you can find it in
the right-hand
toolbar.
6|Page
Personal Details
When you fill out
your personal
details, you will
find some of
them have
already been
filled out,
especially if you
completed the
self-assessment
tool. Check that
these are
correct.
Contact Details
You must give
at least one
contact
telephone
number (even
though this is
not marked
with an *) as
you have to
indicate your
preferred
contact
number in the
question
below.
7|Page
Reference Numbers
If you applied for
your last visa
outside the UK,
you may have
been given a
reference number
by your Visa
Application
Centre.
If you last applied
in the UK you can
use: the number
on your
acknowledgement
letter; the number
on your biometrics
invitation letter or
the Case ID on the
letter advising you
of the decision on
your application.
If you have ever
worked in the UK
then you should
have a National
Insurance number.
Passport or Travel Documents
You must give
details of ALL
passports you
have ever
used to travel
to the UK. If
you do not
have any of
them because
they have
been lost or
stolen, you
should indicate
this.
Additional
questions will
appear to
allow you to
add further
details.
8|Page
If you indicated
in the
“Customise”
section that you
have a BRP
(rather than an
old-style visa
sticker) you will
be asked to
provide details
here. Again, if
the BRP has
been lost or
stolen there is
the opportunity
to explain this.
Previous Addresses
You must give
the addresses
of all
residences
where you have
lived in the UK
for the past five
years, even if
you were only
there for a short
period of time.
9|Page
Personal History
If you are
unsure what
any of these
questions
mean, click on
the question
and you will
see the
explanation in
the orange box.
PBS (Points Based System) Immigration History
This question asks
about your visa
that was issued
when you first had
permission to
come to the UK.
This may not be
your current visa.
This is the number
that begins with
VAFXXXX, which
you will find in the
top right hand
corner of your visa
sticker (this still
refers to your first
entry visa for the
UK).
This question
refers to your
CURRENT visa.
If you have ever been refused entry to the UK, or have ever overstayed your leave – even for a few days – you MUST give
details here. You will be given the opportunity to give an explanation, e.g. if you were appealing an incorrect decision.
If your current leave has expired but you have overstayed by no more than 28 days, your application will still be considered by
UKBA. However, there are significant risks that you need to be aware of, and you must speak to the International & Awards
Officer before submitting your application.
10 | P a g e
Public Funds
Examples of
Public Funds
are
unemployment
benefit, child
benefit, housing
benefit etc. This
does not include
using the
National Health
Service.
T4 Course Details
Before completing this section you should make sure you have your CAS Statement to hand. If you do not yet have a CAS,
consult the RCM Guidance Notes for details of how to request one. The answers you give in the remaining sections must
match the information given by the RCM on your CAS. If you think there is an error on your CAS, contact
[email protected]
11 | P a g e
You can find
the RCM’s term
dates up until
the year 2020
at:
http://www.rcm.
ac.uk/visit/term
datesandopeni
nghours/
Maintenance (Funds)
If you have
already paid
some of your
tuition fees and
this is NOT
shown on your
CAS, you must
contact the
International &
Awards Officer
to get this
updated.
If you do not
know whether
you have an
established
presence you
should read
the UKBA
Policy
Guidance.
If you are using funds in your
parents’ name you should select
“no” here.
You can only
enter a
maximum of
£1000 in this
box, even if
you have paid
more. Please
see the
Guidance
Notes for
details.
12 | P a g e
Tier 4 General Attributes
Your course
level will be on
your CAS
Statement.
Music students
do not require
an ATAS
certificate.
Check your application
You will now
have the
chance to run
an electronic
check of your
application.
The system will
identify
whether there
are any errors
based on the
information you
have provided.
This will only
identify missing
information, so
you should
also check
your answers
manually.
13 | P a g e
If there are
any errors,
they will be
shown on the
“home” page.
Once you have completed making your corrections on a section, click “check section” at the bottom of that page, otherwise the
changes you made will not be recognised.
Supporting documents
The next screen
will tell you
which
documents you
need to send
with your
application,
based on the
answers you
have provided.
You should
indicate “yes” for
all those you are
enclosing with
your application.
NB documents
must always be
originals, not
copies. Make
sure you read
the UKBA Policy
Guidance very
carefully to
ensure you
understand what
types of financial
evidence are
acceptable.
14 | P a g e
5. Final Check
At this point you should…STOP!
Do not go beyond this point without thoroughly checking your form.
After this point you will not be able to go back and amend your
answers.
You should print off a pdf of your completed form (go to My Account, then click “View Application”). Check
through all of your answers and make sure that they are correct and that they match the information on your
CAS.
If you are a current RCM student applying for a new visa, you are strongly advised to make an appointment
to see the International & Awards Officer ([email protected]) to get your application checked. You
should print off your pdf and bring it to the appointment, along with your supporting documents.
New students starting at the RCM in September are welcome to e-mail their pdf print-out to
[email protected] for us to check the answers they have given.
IF YOU ARE APPLYING BY POST, ONCE YOU COMPLETE THE NEXT STAGE YOU HAVE 15 DAYS TO
POST YOUR FORM AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO UKBA, SO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THEM
READY!
6. Declaration and payment
You should now
read and
complete the
declaration.
You will then be
directed to the
payment page
to pay for your
application by
debit / credit
card.
Make sure you
know before
paying whether
you want to
apply by post
or in person, as
you cannot
change your
mind once you
have paid!
15 | P a g e
7. Submitting your application
You must now print off the final version of your application form and submit it to UKBA. You can choose to
submit the form by post or in person. The submission date of your application will be counted as:
• The date you posted the application to UKBA OR
• The date you attend your appointment at a Public Enquiry Office (PEO)
Applying in person (Premium Service)
IMPORTANT: Please note that you should not book a Premium Service appointment before completing your
online application, as the system will not be able to detect that the application and appointment are linked. If you
have indicated during payment that you require an appointment at a PEO, you will be directed to the booking
screen.
Appointments book up many weeks in advance, so if you want to use this application method, you should prepare
your application as early as possible.
Please note that from 5 April 2013, £100 of the Premium Service application fee will be the cost of your appointment. If you
do not attend your appointment, UKBA will not return this £100.
16 | P a g e
You should try
to keep your
search as wide
as possible to
increase your
chances of
finding an
available
appointment. If
possible, try to
look at PEOs
in more than
one location.
To see the
maximum
options just put
the year in the
date ranges.
Applying by post
When you print off your application form you will find information on the final page about how and where to post
your application. Before posting the form and original supporting documents, make sure that you:
•
•
•
•
Sign the printed application form (it will be invalid without your signature)
Enclose all your supporting documents
Take a copy of your application form and supporting documents (strongly recommended, as if your
application is refused UKBA retains these documents until you leave the country, causing difficulties if
you need to appeal the decision)
Send your application via Special Delivery and keep a copy of the receipt of postage and the tracking
number
17 | P a g e