How To Apply For a UK Student Visa?

The UK government has announced a new route for the UK student visa, which will introduce a new points-based immigration system. The new Student Route and Child Student Route opened on 5th October 2020. It is a simplified route for students, which treats all the students equally. The route is opened to attract international students in big numbers and therefore, there is no limit on the number of international students that can come to the UK. The route is a further improvement on the Tier 4 student visa making the process more streamlined and clear. 

• Securing admission into a UK university
• English language proficiency test
• Proof of funds
• A tuberculosis test

These are some of the basic requirements to apply for a student visa to the UK. Other requirements will be based on the type of visa a student applies for. 

The length of the course, type, and place of study decide the type of visa to apply for. There are mainly three types of visas - 

• A Short-Term Study Visa - This is for students planning to study short courses in the UK. The visa is valid for 6 months and can be extended to 11 months if the student is above the age of 16 and studying an English language course. Students cannot work on this visa.
• Student Route Visa - previously known as Tier 4 Student Visa - This is for students for the longer course duration. Students pursuing undergraduate courses, postgraduate courses, M.Phil, Ph.D. need to apply for this visa. Students must be sponsored by a college or a university and have a confirmed place to stay. Students can also work on this visa. 
• A Child Student Route Visa - previously known as Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa - This visa is for students aged between 4 to 17 years who want to study at an independent school. 

1. Choose a visa depending on the length and type of your course. 
2. Prepare your application. The visa can be applied online, which will include the visa fee and the healthcare surcharge. Both are mandatory to pay.
3. Attend an appointment at a visa application center to provide your biometric information such as your fingerprints and a photograph. You will have to submit documents proving your eligibility along with a Tuberculosis test. 
4. You will get a decision on your application within 3 weeks via a letter. If the application is accepted then you will be given a sticker called a vignette, which goes in your passport. This vignette will have the visa conditions such as what you’ve been granted, the validity of your visa, the conditions you need to meet. 

The vignette will grant one-time access to the UK and the student will need to collect their Biometric Residence Permit (BPR) if they have applied for a course that is longer than 6 months. This vignette is valid only for 30 days. 

A Biometric Residence Permit is issued to applicants who have applied to come to the UK for longer than 6 months. It is needed to confirm the applicant’s identity, the applicant’s right to work or study in the UK, and the right to any public service or benefits that they are entitled to. A BRP can also be used to open a bank account in the UK. There is no separate application for a BPR. It is automatically issued when the immigration application is approved. Most importantly, it needs to be collected before the vignette sticker expires or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later. 
A BPR Includes - 

• Applicant’s name, date, and place of birth
• Fingerprints and photograph
• Immigration status and the conditions of the stay
• Whether they can access public funds, such as benefits and health services

The  Student Route visa is for students applying for a course that is longer than 6 months. The visa allows students to study and work in the UK. A student can work for 20 hours per week during term-time and full-time during vacations. They can also apply to extend their stay. Students can also bring in family members/dependants on this visa. 
It is a point-based system with a total of 70 points. A student must meet the full requirement and have 70 points in total. To achieve the points, the student will have to -

• Demonstrate that they can fund their education in the UK, 
• Prove that they have an offer from an approved educational institution,
• Prove that they speak English. 

• The student must be aged 16 or over.
• The student must have an unconditional offer letter from a licensed sponsor.
• The student must have enough funds to support themselves and proof of those funds. The student is required to maintain the funds in the bank account for 28 days including living costs. The living expenses are set at £1,265 if you are living in London, and £1,015 if you are living outside of London. If the student has dependents, then they need approximately £800 per month for each of them. A loan sanction letter can also work as proof of funds. Remember that a certain kind of sanction letter doesn't work for the visa. To know in detail, you can get in touch with GyanDhan's education loan counselor.
• The student must also have basic language proficiency. 

It costs £348 to apply for this visa. In case there are any dependents, they will also have to pay £348 per person. 
Healthcare Surcharge - along with the visa fee, students will also have to pay a healthcare surcharge of £400 per year. For example, for a 2-year visa, the student needs to pay £800. It is also called the ‘Immigration Health Surcharge’ or the IHS. 
The amount is refunded if the visa application is rejected or the student withdraws the application. 

Before applying for a student visa, the student must provide the following information.
Documents Required - 

• A current passport
• Proof of funds 
• A ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’ given by the university. It is a reference number that needs to be entered in the visa application. 
• Documents verifying test scores and academic qualifications and transcripts. 
• Proof of English language proficiency
• An Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if applicable.
• A tuberculosis test result to prove that the student is medically fit. The certificate should not be older than 6 months. 

Process of Applying For the Visa - 

• Apply for the visa online and book an appointment.
• Select a visa application center to attend a visa interview. You will be provided with a UK student visa checklist and informed if you need to bring any of the documents with you on the day of your interview. 
• At the appointment, your fingerprints and photographs are taken as part of your application. 
• UK student visa processing time is usually 3 weeks. That is, the decision on the application is given within 3 weeks but you can get a faster visa decision at an additional cost. You can get it within 5 days - ‘Priority Service’ or 24 hours - ‘Super Priority Service’.  
• The process will end when your passport is ready for collection. At this point, you will be contacted to collect your documents. 
• Once you reach the UK, collect your Biometric Residence Permit within 10 days or before your vignette expires, whichever is later. 

Time is of the essence when applying for a visa. The earliest a student can apply for the visa is 6 months before they start the course. This is an improvement from the time granted in the previous Tier 4 visa. However, students should also keep in mind that they must apply for the visa no more than 6 months after they receive the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). That is, it should be used within 6 months of it being issued or it will expire. An expired CAS cannot be used and will lead to a rejected visa application. The student can enter the UK one month before the course starts. 

On 11th September 2019, the Prime Minister of the UK announced the Graduate Immigration Route which will allow students to extend their stay in the UK for up to 2 years. It is a one-time extension and will allow students who graduate in or after Summer 2021 to apply for this route. The details of the GIR are not yet available as it is still in process. However, some of the requirements are  - 

• Pursuing a degree that is either at an undergraduate level or above. 
• Completion of the said degree.

Students can apply for this route at the end of their course.

If your visa application is rejected, you will receive a letter explaining the reason for the refusal. The refusal letter will also explain if you have the right to either an - 

• Administrative review 
• Immigration decision appeal 

To make sure that you don’t face rejection, you can avail of visa counseling through GyanDhan. We have partnered with the best visa counselors to help students with their visa application, prep for the interview, and slot booking, as well as provide you with helpful tips. It is important to get your visa application approved in the first attempt as with every rejection your visa application history gets longer. To avail of this service at competitive prices, contact GyanDhan right away.