You will need 40 points in order to qualify for this type of visa. The points can be scored in the following areas:
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies - 30 points
Before you apply for the Tier 4 General visa you need to be assigned a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies ("CAS") by your education provider. It is an electronically created record on a special database to which the UK Border Agency will have access. Based on the information entered on this system, UK Border Agency will determine your eligibility for the visa. It will contain the details of your course and your personal details, including your passport number and information about documentation the education provider used to assess your eligibility for the course.
Your school or university will provide you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies ("CAS") reference number which you will enter on your application form. This way the UK Border Agency will have access to your details. You should also be informed by your education provider as to detail of the information that has been used to assign the CAS.
CAS is valid for 6 months and can be used only once. If your application is refused, you will need to obtain another Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
Funds - 10 points
You will need to prove that you have access to a sufficient amount of funds in order to be able to support yourself in the UK during the time of your studies as well as paying your course fees.
Put simply: Funds = Course fees + Maintenance
Course fees
If you start a new course which is more than a year long, you will only be required to show funds to cover your first year of studies. This amount will be confirmed on your CAS. However, if your course is less than a year or if you apply to continue your studies, the CAS will confirm the outstanding fees (up to one year).
If all the fees had been paid already, CAS will also confirm this.
Maintenance
You will need to prove that you have enough funds for your living expenses. The UK Border Agency has set a minimum standard for applicants. The exact amount of funds which you need to show will depend on two factors:
- The place of study - if your main place of study is going to be in inner London, the minimum monthly allowance is £800. Inner London boroughs: Camden, Islington, Southwark, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Lambeth, Wandsworth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Lewisham, Westminster, Haringey and Newham. Students studying outside of the above areas will need to show £600 of funds available.
The monthly allowance needs to be then multiplied by a specific number of months. This will depend on whether you already have an established presence in the UK as a student.
- Established presence in the UK - if you have been studying in the UK for at least 6 months you will need to prove that you have enough money for 2 months. For example, if your main place of study is going to be in inner London (e.g. Camden) and you have established presence in the UK as a student, then the total amount on your account for your living expenses should be no less than £1600 (£800 x 2). If the studies are going to take place outside of inner London and you have an established presence in the UK, then the minimum amount of funds available for your living expenses cannot be less than £1200 (£600 x 2)
- No established presence in the UK as a student - if you have not been studying in the UK (leave as a Tier 4 Student) for at least 6 months or if you completed your course more than 4 months ago, you will need to prove that you have enough funds to support yourself for 9 months. However, if your course is shorter than 9 months, then you will need to show that you have sufficient funds for the duration of your studies only. Inner London students will therefore be required to provide evidence of at least £7200 (£800 x 9), unless the course is shorter than 9 months. All students from outside of inner London boroughs will be required to show at least £5400 (£600 x 9), unless the course is shorter than 9 months.
Examples
- Your are starting a new course that lasts for 3 years and at least 50% of your studies are going to take place in Westminster, London. The fees for the first year are £6000. You have not been studying in the UK before. The amount of money available on your account must be: £6000 (course fees) + £7200 (maintenance £800 x 9) = £13200
- You have been studying in Bristol for a full year and you wish to extend your stay in the UK as a Tier 4 General student. You have 2 more years to complete your course. The fees for the second year of your course are £5000: £5000 (course fees) + £1200 (maintenance for students with established presence outside inner London £600 x2) = £6200
- You have been studying for a full year in Camden and you have 4 more months to complete your course. Your university fees have been paid in full: £0 (course fees) + £1600 (maintenance for established students in inner London £800 x 2) = £1600
- You are applying from abroad to study on a 6 month course, in Ealing, London. You have not studied in the UK during the past year. The fees for the full course are £4500: £4500 (course fees) + £3600 (maintenance for non-established students in outer London £600 x 6 months for the duration of the course) = £8100
The funds must be present in your account for a period of 28 consecutive days, and the last day of this period cannot be more than one month before the day of your application. They must be in the form of cash funds.
Alternatively, you can rely on a loan or official financial or government sponsorship.
Please note that the rules prescribing acceptable forms of evidence with regards to funds are very complex and the UK Border Agency is exceptionally strict in applying those rules. It is not uncommon to have an application refused on formality, where a student in fact meets the requirements. It is strongly advisable to seek professional advice before you put your application through to the UK Border Agency, because consequences of a refusal can be far reaching and may interrupt your studies and affect your immigration history.
