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Frequently Asked Questions:
How to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
Contents
• I plan on travelling in the summer. Can I apply for a Tier 4 visa before I go travelling?................................ 2
• This will take too long. Can I apply for my Tier 4 visa from another country, which is not my home country, while I am travelling?............................................................................................................................. 2
• Can I apply for a Tier 4 visa in the UK?................................................................................................................. 2
• I am a non-visa national. Why can I not study my degree course on a student visitor visa, which is stamped into my passport at the UK port if arrival?........................................................................................... 2
• Can I study at the University of Edinburgh on a General visitor visa?................................................................ 2
• Do I need to have a UK address before I can apply for a Tier 4 visa?................................................................ 2
• Can my family come and visit me when I am in the UK?.................................................................................... 3
• Can my friends come and visit me while I am in the UK?................................................................................... 3
• The sponsor licence number of the University is only 9 characters. The form has space for 12 – is this right?............................................................................................................................................................ 3
• Does the CAS need to be given to the British Embassy on an official University letter?.................................. 3
• Can someone check my application before I send it to the British Embassy?.................................................. 4
• Can the international office liaise with the British Consulate in my country if there is something wrong with my visa application or if my application is refused?....................................................................... 4
• I have already given my fingerprints for a visa in the past – do I need to give them again as part of
the visa process?.................................................................................................................................................... 4
• What are “original” documents?.......................................................................................................................... 4
• My Tier 4 visa expires before the date of my graduation ceremony. What should I do?................................. 4
Frequently Asked Questions: how to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
1
Frequently Asked Questions:
How to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
I plan on travelling in the summer.
Can I apply for a Tier 4 visa before I go
travelling?
You cannot apply for a Tier 4 visa more than 3
months before the start of your course. When you
apply for your visa, you must supply your original
passport as one of the supporting documents.
Your passport will not be returned to you until the
outcome of your visa application has been decided.
Please take this into consideration and do not book
any travel until your passport and entry clearance
(visa) are returned to you. UKVisas have published
the following continuously updated information
advising on processing times in your country:
www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/
processingtimes
You should allow around 28 working days total
turnaround for the visa to be issued. At certain times
of year, it can take longer.
This will take too long. Can I apply for
my Tier 4 visa from another country,
which is not my home country, while I
am travelling?
You must apply for your Tier 4 visa from the country
in which you are resident or ‘living’. In certain
countries the British Consulate or High Commission
offers a premium or express service for Tier 4 visa
applications, meaning that your visa application
is normally decided within 48 hours. If you are a
resident of a country where the British Consulate
offers a premium service, this may be an option
for you, so that you can get your passport and visa
quickly before travelling to the UK. There is normally
an extra charge for this service. To find out if you can
do this from your home country, please follow the
link below:
www.visainfoservices.com/Pages/Welcome.aspx
Can I apply for a Tier 4 visa in the UK?
You must make your initial Tier 4 visa application
from your country of residence, regardless of your
nationality.
Once you are in the UK, you may need to extend your
existing Tier 4 visa. For example, if you want to take
further study. You would normally be able to extend
your Tier 4 visa from within the UK, provided you
meet the criteria for this.
I am a non-visa national. Why can I not
study my degree course on a student
visitor visa, which is stamped into my
passport at the UK port if arrival?
A student visitor visa can only be used for specific
courses which are no longer than six months in total.
A student visitor visa cannot be extended and you
cannot switch from a student visitor visa to a Tier 4
visa. You will also be prohibited from taking any kind
of employment, paid or unpaid under the student
visitor route.
Can I study at the University of
Edinburgh on a General visitor visa?
No. A general visitor visa prohibits study and we will
not be able to matriculate you if you are in the UK on
a general visitor visa.
Do I need to have a UK address before I
can apply for a Tier 4 visa?
You do not need to have a UK address for the
purpose of your Tier 4 visa application unless you
are 16 or 17 years old. On the Appendix 8 visa
application form, in Section 2 it asks for the address
where you will be residing in the UK. Section 2 only
needs to be completed by those students who are
16 or 17 years old. If you are older than 17 then
you should skip section 2 of the Appendix 8 form
and go straight to Section 3.
Frequently Asked Questions: how to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
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Frequently Asked Questions:
How to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
Can my family come and visit me when I
am in the UK?
Yes, your family members would need to apply for
a Family visitor visa from the British Consulate/ High
Commission in their country. They would apply using
form VAF 1B. They will normally need to provide the
following documents with their Family visitor visa
application:
• Payment for visa application
• Original passport(s)
• One recent passport sized photograph
• Evidence of your family member(s) employment
or other means of financial support e.g. recent
payslips and letter from employer authorising
absence
• Evidence of your family member(s) total monthly
income from all sources e.g. friends, family,
property, savings etc
• A letter of invitation from you stating when you
would like your family to visit and giving the
address of where they will be staying.
• Proof that you are a student in the UK. You can get
a confirmation of student status letter from your
school or college office.
• A photocopy of your passport pages, showing
your personal details, your current UK visa and the
most recent immigration stamp from the British
Authorities.
For further information, please follow the link
below:
www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/
inf2visitors#564054582
Can my friends come and visit me while
I am in the UK?
Yes, your friends would need to apply for General
visitor visa from the British Consulate/ High
Commission in their country. They would apply using
form VAF1A. They will normally need to provide the
following documents with their General visitor visa
application:
• Payment for visa application
• Original passport(s)
• One recent passport sized photograph
• A letter of invitation from you stating when you
would like your friend(s) to visit and giving the
address of where they will be staying.
• Proof that you are a student in the UK. You can get
a confirmation of student status letter from your
school or college office.
• A photocopy of your passport pages, showing
your personal details, your current UK visa and the
most recent immigration stamp from the British
Authorities.
• Evidence of your friends’ employment or other
means of financial support e.g. recent payslips
and letter from employer authorising absence
• Evidence of your friends’ total monthly income
from all sources e.g. friends, family, property,
savings etc
• Planned itinerary
• Details of any flight/ hotel bookings etc
For further information, please follow the link
below:
www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/
inf2visitors#564054582
The sponsor licence number of the
University is only 9 characters. The form
has space for 12 – is this right?
Yes. The University’s sponsor licence number is
23CYGN5K3. This is shorter than the section on the
form allows for, but the number is still correct.
Some Universities/Colleges have longer numbers.
Does the CAS need to be given to the
British Embassy on an official University
letter?
No - we email you with the details of your CAS.
You need only write the CAS number on the
application form. There is no requirement in the UK
immigration rules for the CAS to be a formal letter
from the University.
Frequently Asked Questions: how to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
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Frequently Asked Questions:
How to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
Can someone check my application
before I send it to the British Embassy?
The International Office cannot check that your
original documents are suitable from a fax or an
email. We do however provide detailed information
on how to apply for a UK Tier 4 General Visa. It is
your responsibility to make your visa application to
come to the UK and therefore, we strongly advise
that you take the time to read the information.
In various countries, there are UK visa agencies that
can check and handle your visa application. This is
normally for a fee. You should check carefully that
they are a reputable company before handing over
responsibility for your application to them.
Can the international office liaise with
the British Consulate in my country
if there is something wrong with my
visa application or if my application is
refused?
The International Office maintains contact with
various British diplomatic missions. These are only
used for information sharing purposes. We are not
in the position to instruct visa offices to issue visas
or to speed up decision making and are not able to
intervene in an application made outside of the UK.
I have already given my fingerprints for
a visa in the past – do I need to give
them again as part of the visa process?
Biometric data collection (fingerprints and a
biometric photograph) are part of the UK visa
process. Each time you apply for a visa, you will
need to give these details.
What are “original” documents?
Original documents are the first version of the
document. In the case of degree certificates/
transcripts, these are the actual documents
released by the University. For bank statements/
letters, these are bank statements or letters printed
on the headed paper of the bank.
My Tier 4 visa expires before the date of
my graduation ceremony. What should
I do?
If you have finished studying it is not possible to
extend your Tier 4 visa simply for the purpose of
attending your graduation ceremony. If your Tier
4 visa expires before the date of your graduation
ceremony, then you will need to think about what
you wish to do before your current visa expires.
If you are planning to work in the UK, then you
should look at the different visa options:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/
working
However, if you ONLY want to stay in the UK to
attend your graduation ceremony, then you will
need to obtain a General visitor visa. If you are a
visa national, you will need to return to your home
country to apply for the General visitor visa. If you
are a non-visa national, then the General visitor
visa can be stamped into your passport on entry to
the UK. You can check if you are a visa or non-visa
national here:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/
general-info/non-visa-nationals
Version 2 March 2012
Published by The University of Edinburgh, The International Office, 57 George Square - EH8 9JU, Edinburgh
Frequently Asked Questions: how to apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa
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