Guide to Documentation Required by the Home Office for Tier 4 (General) Student Visa Extensions

Under the new ‘Points Based Immigration System’ students must now submit very specific documents to the Home Office in support of their Tier 4 (G) application form when applying to extend their visa in the UK.

Tier 4 Application Form An on-line application form should be completed in full at https://apply.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/iapply.portal and should be checked by ISAO prior to submission. Guidance on how to complete this form can be found on our website at:

Application Fee The application fee is currently £406 for a postal application and £781 if you are applying at a Public Enquiry Office. Applicants are now required to pay on-line using a credit or debit card before the application will be accepted by the Home Office. It is recommended that you contact your bank and inform them of this payment otherwise they may withhold the payment.

Photographs You will need 2 passport sized photos that have been taken within the last month. You should not use the same photo as you have used in your current visa or passport. Further guidelines for acceptable photos can be found here: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/flr/photoguidance0409.pdf

Passports In addition to your current passport, you should send all previous passports that you have used to travel to, and remain in the UK.

CAS Letter Your CAS letter will be provided by Heriot Watt University and will contain a unique CAS number, programme details (including programme dates and tuition fees), details of the qualifications the University has used to assess your admission on to your chosen study programme, and whether or not you require ATAS approval (see below).

ATAS Certificate Students studying certain postgraduate qualifications need to be granted approval by the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO). If you require an ATAS Certificate, this will be shown on your offer letter. You should apply for ATAS Clearance by visiting the FCO website: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/. FCO aim to provide an ATAS certificate within 20 working days, however the wait can be significantly longer so you should apply as soon as possible.

Qualification Documents All qualifications listed in your CAS letter need to be sent with your application. These must be the original documents and if they are not in English they need to be sent along with official translations. Translated documents should always include the following:

Details of the translator/translation company’s credentials

Confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document; and

The translator/translation company’s contact details.

It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.

You can use any official translation company, but you may wish to look at the following companies: Integrated Language Services Alphatrans The Confucius Institute Hilary Knecht 18 Haddington Place 1 Marchhall Crescent Henry Prias Building Edinburgh Edinburgh Heriot Watt University EH7 4AF EH16 5HP +44 (0) 131 451 3159 +44 (0) 131 558 9003 +44 (0) 131 662 2180

Police Registration Certificate If you were required to register with the Police when you came to the UK, you must send your police registration certificate with your new application. This must show your current address. Further information can be found on the Lothian and Borders Police website: http://www.lbp.police.uk/information/service_information/foreign_nationals.aspx

BRP Card A BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) is the format which the UK Border Agency uses to grant visa extensions. It is the size and shape of a credit card and has your photograph on the front. If you have one of these, you must include it with your application.

Consent letter (for applicants under 18) If you are under the age of 18, you must provide a consent letter from your parent or guardian confirming that they support your application. The letter should confirm; that they consent to your Tier 4 Visa application and your UK living arrangements. It must also confirm their relationship to you.

If a parent or guardian has legal custody or sole responsibility of you, the letter must confirm this and be signed by that parent or legal guardian. If not, then both parents/ guardians must give their consent and the letter must be signed by both parents, or legal guardians.

Finance Documents You are required to show that you have had the full tuition fee (minus any amount already paid), plus maintenance of either £1600 or £7200 available in your bank account for AT LEAST 28 DAYS.

You are regarded as having an established presence (and therefore eligible to show the reduced maintenance rate of £1600) if you currently have valid immigration permission as:

A Tier 4 (General) student

A Tier 4 (Child) student

A student under the immigration rules in place before 31 March 2009

AND

You have finished a single course that lasted six months or more during this immigration permission, OR

You will continue to study on a single course and you have already completed at least six months of that course

If you are unsure about what level of maintenance you should show, please contact ISAO at isao@hw.ac.uk.

We do not recommend the use of Personal Certificates of Deposit

Personal UK Bank Account

We recommend that you use a UK bank account that is in your own name and that contains the following information:

Your name

Your account number

The date of the statement (must be produced less than 1 month before your application)

The bank’s name and logo

The amount of money available in your account

**If you do not have a standard postal bank statement then you can also use an online banking report or a bank print-out, provided it contains all the information as detailed above, and the banks official stamp on every page.

Personal Foreign Bank Account

This bank statement should show the same information as detailed above, however, in addition, the balance of your account should be shown in British Pounds (GBP). Your currency must be converted into pounds using the exchange rate found on the OANDA website at www.oanda.com/convert/classic. This conversion should be handwritten on the bottom of your bank statement along with the date you converted it. .

Parent/Guardian Bank Account The Home Office have agreed to also accept parental bank statements, provided these are accompanied by your birth certificate, and an original signed letter from your parent(s) detailing (i) their relationship to you (ii) the amount shown on their bank statement and (iii) giving their permission for their funds to be used to pay for your UK tuition fees/living costs during your studies. If these are not written in English they will need to be translated by an official translator (Please see 'Qualification Documents' section for further information on translated documents.

Official Financial Sponsorship

An official financial sponsor is: Her Majesty’s Government; your home government (or embassy); the British Council; or any international organisation, university or company. If you are being financially sponsored (either full, or in part) you will need to provide an original letter from your sponsor, this must be written on their official letter-headed stationery and be stamped with the official stamp of the organisation. The letter must be dated (we would recommend your letter be no more than three months old) and include:

Your name

The name and contact details of your official financial sponsor

The length of time your sponsorship covers

The amount of money they will pay towards your fees and monthly living costs. Alternatively, your sponsor should state on the letter that they will cover all tuition fees and living costs.

If your sponsor is also providing money to cover living expenses for your family members during their time in the UK then this should be stated in the financial sponsor letter, and should include the names of all family members covered by the funding so that the same financial sponsor letter can be used in support of any dependant (family) visa extensions.

If your sponsor has indicated that you are due to return to your Home Country by a certain date, this may reduce the duration of your visa to below that which you would normally expect. If you are no longer receiving funding in the UK, but have done so in the last 12 months, your financial sponsor must still include a statement giving their consent to you remaining in the UK. If they do not give this permission then your application will be refused.

Other Acceptable Finance Documents

There are a number of other documents that the Home Office will accept as proof of funds. For a full list, or for further information on any of the methods mentioned above, please visit the Home Office website: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/Tier4migrantguidance.pdf