Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK Visa Immigration Support and Advice Advice from the VISA Team

Transcription

1 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK Visa Immigration Support and Advice Advice from the VISA Team Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

2

3 Online Applications: Inside the UK Tier 4 (General) Student Visa The Home Office has implemented a fully online application system. The process includes: Completing online application forms Paying the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) online as part of your visa application and paying the visa application fee online at your visa submission appointment with the VISA Team Printing the checklist The completed checklist and original documents are then posted to the Home Office s Online Document Centre in London by the VISA Team. Important As part of your Student Terms and Conditions while studying at GCU, you must submit your visa application through the VISA Team. Those applying for a Tier 4 student visa from 6 April 2015 and coming to the UK for 6 months or longer will require to pay an immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application fee. Initial advice When you first meet with a VISA advisor, you will receive a personalised checklist advising the original documents you are required to submit with your visa application. You will be given the link to the Home Office webpage where you can begin your application and links to calculate how much you will be required to pay for the immigration health surcharge. You are responsible for gathering all supporting documents in correct formats, and make them available for your submission appointment. You can obtain initial advice by coming to one of the VISA drop in sessions: international or alternatively by attending one of our Tier 4 (General) Student workshops. Following initial advice Once you have registered for your online visa application you will be ed a link from United Kingdom Visas and Immigration (UKVI). You will require to the link for your visa application to visa@gcu.ac.uk to enable an Advisor to check your application at your submission appointment. Advice from VISA Team 01

4 VISA 12 Step Tier 4 Student Visa Renewal Process within the UK Step 1 Brief yourself on Tier 4 General Student Visa Process & check funds required for application 90 days before visa expiration date. Step 2 Contact VISA for initial advice and checklist of supporting documents. Step 3 Start preparing your finances. Step 4 Apply for ATAS Certificate (if required). Step 5 Complete online visa application and collate supporting documents. Step 6 Ensure your university student record is up to date. Step 7 Request your Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) from the GCU online store or if you are a new GCU student complete your CAS data check as part of the Admissions process. Step 8 Cross reference your supporting documents with your checklist ensuring you have all required documents for your visa application. Step 9 Ensure your online application is complete up to CAS section. Step 10 Book your submission appointment with a VISA Advisor. Step 11 Attend your appointment with VISA Advisor. Step 12 Submit Tier 4 application to UK Visas and Immigration with VISA Advisor. 02 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

5 You are ready to start your application Tier 4 Student (In-Country) Application: Read the information on the page and Click Apply Now at the bottom of the page. You will need your passport and current Entry Clearance or Biometric Residence Permit to complete the application (and these documents for any dependants applying with you.) Your location select Yes you are currently in the UK Other Home Office Applications - select No. If indeed you have any outstanding applications with the Home Office please do not continue with your application and contact the VISA Team immediately. Advice from VISA Team 03

6 Legal representation - select No. - Although the VISA Team are assisting your with your online application, we are not acting as your legal representative. 04 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

7 In the next window provide your addresse(s) and create a password you will need this so you can save your application and go back to it later. Remember your application is valid for 56 days from the day of activation and refreshes for a further 56 days each time you log in. Once you have saved your address and password you will receive an confirmation with a link, which you can use to sign into your application later. You do not need to complete the application in one sitting, you can return to it anytime later using this link. NOTE: Please remember to your link to the VISA Team address: visa@gcu.ac.uk before your submission appointment and ensure you provide your name and student ID in your . You must remember your password and bring it to your submission appointment with your VISA Advisor. Please ensure you check your answers on the application so far as instructed in the next window. Advice from VISA Team 05

8 Answer questions about this person - If you are applying with dependants you can add them once you have entered all of your personal information. Click Answer questions about this person. Once you have entered all of your personal information you can add any dependants by clicking here. Your name enter your name as shown in your passport. If your CAS does not reflect the same information as on your passport, you must get it updated. If you are unsure who to contact to have your CAS updated please contact the VISA team If you only have one name (you do not have both a given name and a family name, click I am not sure how to enter my name followed by I do not have a given name and a family name. You will be able to provide your name there. If you have previously been known by or have now been officially known by any other name, you can declare this on the next page. You may need to provide evidence of both names as part of your application. 06 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

9 Applicant contact details You must enter your UK telephone number and your current UK residential address. You must then click the box for I want to receive mail at a different address and provide the university address: Glasgow Caledonian University, 70, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA. If you are studying at GCU London please click the box for I want to receive mail at a different address and provide the university address: GCU London, Fashion Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6PX. Your application will be posted by the University and you should receive all correspondence regarding your application to the university, and the VISA Team will contact you to advise you on the next step. When you click save and continue, you will get an alert if you missed something or any of your answers need to be corrected. Your gender and relationship status state your gender and relationship status accurately. Your nationality, date and country of birth Enter the details as shown in your passport. If you hold more than one nationality, you must declare it within this section. Click here if you need to add another nationality. You should add all of the nationalities that you currently hold. Your passport may state the city or region where you were born or it may only state the country of birth. You must input the same place stated in your passport. Advice from VISA Team 07

10 Your passport You must have a valid passport to apply for a visa because you will need to submit your original current passport as part of your application. After selecting Yes you will need to input the relevant details as shown in your passport. If you do not have a valid passport please contact the VISA Team immediately. Your current UK immigration status - choose your current visa type from the drop down list. If you currently have a Tier 4 visa, choose Tier 4 (General) leave to remain. If you do not have a valid visa, you must contact the VISA Team for advice. 08 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

11 Your current visa or leave to remain Enter the start and expiry date of your visa accurately in this section. Revocation, cancellation or curtailment if any UK visa that you have previously held was revoked, cancelled or curtailed, you must declare it here. You should have received a curtailment notification from the Home Office via if your visa was curtailed. If you have previously held a Tier 4 visa, it could have been curtailed if you interrupted your studies, deferred your exams or completed a course early. Contact the VISA Teams if you have any concerns regarding this question. Advice from VISA Team 09

12 Your most recent leave select Yes if you currently have a Tier 4 (General) Student visa issued after If you do not currently hold a Tier 4 (General) Student visa you must check with the VISA Team that you are able to switch to a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa within the UK. Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) you have a BRP if your visa is in the form of a plastic card (not your passport) which looks like this: You will find your BRP number in the top right hand side of the card. Valid from and expiry dates appear here. 10 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

13 If you have a BRP choose Yes and enter the number. If your current visa is a BRP but it has been lost or stolen, you can select the second option No, I had a biometric residence permit for my most recent leave, but I do not have it now. You may need to explain why you do not have your BRP because you should have reported it to the Home Office and Police immediately if it was lost/stolen. If you do not have a BRP because your current visa is in the form of a vignette (sticker) in your passport, choose the third option No, I did not have a biometric residence permit for my most recent leave. If your previous visa was in the form of a BRP but your current visa is a vignette in your passport, you should still choose the third option because this question is about your current visa. Your National Insurance number you will only have a National Insurance number if you plan to undertake paid employment within the UK. You would not be given a national insurance number automatically; you would have been required to have applied for one before receiving a job offer so you should know if you have one or not. If you have a National Insurance number enter the full number. If you do not have a National Insurance number tick the box. Advice from VISA Team 11

14 Public funds if you currently have a Tier 4 (General) Student visa, no recourse to public funds means that you are not eligible to claim financial benefits in the UK. Check this list for a definition of public funds: If you have claimed public benefits contact the VISA Team for advice. Convictions and other penalties - in this section you must declare if you have any of the listed convictions or penalties. If your answer is Yes, please contact the VISA Team before proceeding with your application. 12 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

15 War crimes in this section you must declare if you have been involved in any of the listed crimes. If your answer is Yes, please contact the VISA Team before proceeding with your application. Terrorist activities in this section you must declare if you have been involved in any of the listed activities. If your answer is Yes, please contact the VISA Team before proceeding with your application. Advice from VISA Team 13

16 Terrorist organisations in this section you must declare if you have been involved with an organisation concerned with terrorism. If your answer is Yes, please contact the VISA Team before proceeding with your application. Terrorist views In this section, you must declare if you have expressed any terrorist views. If your answer is Yes, please contact the VISA Team before proceeding with your application. 14 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

17 Sponsor licence number and address Complete the information as follows: Include the university sponsor licence J5TNG1750. University address: Glasgow Caledonian University, 70 Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA. If you are studying at GCU London enter 40 Fashion Street, London, E1 6PX. Primary site of study please answer Yes to this question. If you are studying at GCU London you will require to select No and enter the GCU London address: GCU London, Fashion Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6PX Advice from VISA Team 15

18 UCAS details if you have applied for undergraduate studies via UCAS and you have a UCAS number please answer Yes and ensure you enter your ID number otherwise please answer No. Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) if your course requires ATAS clearance you should have applied and received your ATAS certificate before applying for your visa. If ATAS clearance is required please answer Yes and enter your ATAS number. If you have any queries regarding ATAS please contact the VISA Team. 16 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

19 Current or past official financial sponsor in this section if you are currently or were receiving money from an official financial sponsor in the past 12 months, you will require to answer Yes. You will require to provide a letter from them which shows that they have no objection to you applying for your visa. Definition of an official financial sponsor can be found here. Future official financial sponsor in this section you are required to declare if you will be receiving money from an official financial sponsor for continuing your studies. Advice from VISA Team 17

20 Money (maintenance funds) please indicate in this section whether your maintenance funds are in an account in your name or a joint account you share with another person. If you are using money in a parent(s)/legal guardian(s) account select No. You will be prompted with further questions relating to documentation to be submitted with your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) bank statements. Course information in this section you are required to enter information regarding your course. You will also require your course name and level of your course which can be found on your CAS data check. Check the answers you provide match the information on your CAS. If you have any doubts with regards to the questions below please contact VISA for further guidance. Institution name: Glasgow Caledonian University. Please click No. If you are applying as a sabbatical officer please contact the VISA Team for further guidance. Enter your course start dates as per your CAS data check. 18 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

21 Doctorate Extension Scheme you should only answer Yes in this section if you are applying for the Doctorate Extension Scheme as a doctorate student applying for the DES (Doctorate Extension Scheme) at the end of their doctoral studies otherwise you should answer No. Accommodation payments in this section you are required to declare if you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have paid any money to Glasgow Caledonian University for your accommodation up to a maximum of 1265 if you have paid more than The additional amount will not be considered in your visa application. Please be advised this question should only be answered Yes if you are residing in GCU s on-campus student accommodation Caledonian Court. If you are residing in private accommodation other than Caledonian Court then you must answer No. Advice from VISA Team 19

22 Course fees in this section you are required to provide your total course fees and confirm if you or your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have paid any of your course fees. You will find your total and outstanding course fees on your CAS data check. If you have any queries regarding your outstanding course fees please contact the VISA Team. You are now ready to book your submission appointment At this stage in the application you should be making an appointment with VISA Team for submission. You will be unable to continue with the rest of your application until you input your CAS number. Your CAS number will be input by the VISA Advisor at your submission appointment. The remainder of the application below will be completed by your Advisor at your submission appointment. 20 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

23 Your Confirmation of Acceptance fo Studies - in this section you must select Yes because you can only apply for a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa if you have a valid CAS. Your VISA Advisor will complete this section as you will be provided your CAS at your submission appointment once your documents have been verified and confirmed as valid. A CAS can only be used once. If you have used a CAS number in a previous visa application, you will require to request a new CAS including any applications that resulted in a visa refusal Remember your CAS number will be input by the Advisor at your submission appointment. Check your answers Check that all detailed you have provided are true and accurate. If there are any errors, use the Change links on the right to edit your answers. All applicants this part of the application will give you the opportunity to add any dependants if you have not already done so to your application. Please add as relevant, ensuring that all details entered are correct. Differentiation arrangement you will only be asked this question if you are a national of a differentiation arrangement country. The contries are listed If you are a national of one of these countries VISA Team advise that you do not apply under the differentiation agreement as your Advisor will still require your original evidence of qualifications (if required), finances and passport which will be sent to the Home Office. This is also because the Home Office can still request to see the documents at any time while your application is being processed. Advice from VISA Team 21

24 Proving you have enough money to be in the UK - You must prepare your finances and supporting documentation before applying for your visa so will know if you meet the financial requirements. This will also be checked by your VISA Advisor at your submission appointment. This also includes low risk nationals. In this section you will require to indicate which documentation you will be providing to prove that you have sufficient funds. You must type the name of the financial insutition (the name of the bank) and select the type of original document you hold as evidence. If you are unsure if you meet the requirements please click one of the blue links in this section for further information. Alternatively contact VISA for guidance. Add another financial document If you are using multiple bank accounts in order to meet the financial requirements, you will be able to add information about the additional documents on the next page after clicking save and continue. 22 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

25 Declaration If you provide false information in your application but accept the declaration, you could be accused of deception. If you are submitting the application yourself, you should indicate that by confirming I am the applicant. You must then click the green button to confirm that you accept the terms of the declaration. Immigration Health Surcharge You will be given a final chance to check your application at this stage because once you proceeed to the IHS payment you will not be able to make any changes to your application. You will be required to pay an IHS fee of 150 per year. There will be a 75 charge for additional periods of up to 6 months and the full 150 will be charged for additional periods of up to one year. Use this calculator to find out how much you should pay: Advice from VISA Team 23

26 Summary You will need to enter some required information in order to proceed with the payment. Once you have read the IHS information, the next information.you need to complete the Missing Details which are highlighted in red in order to proceed. You must click here and complete the outstanding information. At your visa application submission appointment You will log into your online application form, which will be checked by an Advisor. You will require to provide all original documents as advised on your checklist. An Advisor will check and verify your documents. You will then finish and submit your online visa application form, pay the immigration health surcharge (if you are not exempt) and pay the Home Office visa application fee with a VISA Advisor. Please ensure you bring a debit/credit card for payment to your appointment. You must ensure your application fee will not reduce maintenance below the required level. If you fail to provide valid maintenance evidence demonstrating the required funds, you will be unable to submit your application and your CAS may be withdrawn. The VISA Team will send your documents to the Home Office for you, free of charge. VISA will be listed as your correspondence address therefore your documents will arrive in our office for you to collect. You will still need to give your biometrics at the Post Office as part of your application. The official date of your application is the date that the application is submitted and application fee is paid online. Remember that you cannot make a Tier 4 application after your current visa has expired. Your CAS will be withdrawn and you may be suspended from your studies at this time. We encourage all students to meet with a VISA Advisor at least 90 days before your visa expiry date and submit all your completed application no less than 3 weeks before this date. If you chose to attend the Home Office in person, you are still required to submit your online application first through VISA and your appointment will be arranged at the time of paying the online application fee. VISA will take a copy of your supporting documents for our records before you attend your appointment. If there are any questions you do not understand or cannot fill out, leave them blank until you see us. Remember that we are here to help you! Your VISA Advisor will provide you with a confirmation to confirm the documents you have submitted to VISA for posting to UKVI. Remember that regardless of whether you wish to apply by post or in person, you must submit your visa application through the VISA Team. If you have any questions about online applications, please contact us by (visa@gcu. ac.uk), phone ( ) or in person (George Moore Building 1st Floor) for drop-in times. Please also contact the service to arrange a submission appointment with a VISA advisor. If you are a GCU London student please contact the GCU London VISA Team via the contact details on the reverse of the brochure. 24 Guide to Tier 4 Online Visa Application: Inside the UK

27

28 Visa Immigration Support and Advice (VISA) Team Level 1 George Moore Building, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow G4 0BA. T: +44(0) E: visa@gcu.ac.uk GCU London VISA Team Student Office, Fashion Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6PX T: +44 (0) E: advice@gculondon.ac.uk gcuvisa.eventbrite.co.uk Glasgow Caledonian University is a registered Scottish charity, number SC Design and Print: Print Design Services, Glasgow Caledonian University. Glasgow Caledonian University PDS_106991_08/17.