20 Jan 2023
UK Students Visa – Tier 4 Overview
Things to know about Tier 4
Tier 4 is a general student visa that provides opportunities to international students for studying in UK. The different types of student’s visa are listed as below:
Type of Visa
Eligibility
Visa Application Deadline
Tier 4 (General) student visa
Students aged 16 or over who have been offered a place in a course at a UK educational institution.
Three months before the start of your course.
Tier 4 (Child) student visa
Students aged between four and 17 who have been offered a place in a course at a UK educational institution with a valid Tier 4 sponsor.
Three months before the start of your course.
Short-term study visa
Students offered a place in a short-term course in the UK, such as an English language or training course.
Three months before the date of your travel to the UK.
*Please visit the Gov.UK website for more information
The eligibility criteria for Tier 4 student is as below:
- One should have an unconditional offer of a course with a licensed Tier 4 sponsor
- Should have appropriate requirement of IELTS to prove English proficiency
- Should have enough money to pay tuition and living expenses
Documents required for Tier 4 visa application:
- Recent passport
- Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
- Evidence of Funds
- Passport size color photograph
- Medical Report (if required)
- Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate (if required)
You need to provide additional documents in the following cases:
- Under 18 years of age at the time of application
- Have dependents (family) included in the application
- You are not a citizen of the country you are applying from
Note: All documents which are not in English needs to be translated and notarized.
Online Visa Application
The visa application for UK needs to be done online unless you are applying from North Korea. The official website is Gov.UK . Application needs to be made up to three months before the course commencement date. The date of application is understood as the date when the application fee is paid.
Requirement of English Language
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have their own standard English language requirements (IELTS), which needs to be met when you apply for your visa. Sometimes the University or College where you will be commencing your studies might have their own requirements, different from the Visa requirement.
Moreover, there are chances that the applicant will be interviewed by a UKVI officer as part of the visa application process. If the applicant cannot communicate properly the visa might get rejected.
Biometric residence permit
As a part of your application process, the biometric details have to be provided to the UKVI. For this applicant need to make an appointment at the VFS. The applicants also must obtain a biometric residence permit (BRP) from UKVI.
