UKCISA - International Student Advice and Guidance - Tier 4 - Eligibility and Requirements

10/6/2020 UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Tier 4: eligibility and requirements
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Tier 4: eligibility and requirements

Last modified: 24 September 2020
Tier 4 (General) student visas can only be issued for certain courses. If your course is eligible,
your education provider (Tier 4 sponsor) will give you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
(CAS) which you use to apply for a Tier 4 visa. The course details will be on the CAS.
Tier 4 (General) visas can also be granted for work as a student union sabbatical officer, as a
postgraduate doctor or dentist in training, or as a PhD graduate under the Doctorate Extension
Scheme.
This information is based on the Immigration Rules and on the Home Office's Tier 4 policy
guidance. We update our information as soon as possible after any changes. However, if you have
printed this webpage, we advise that you check on our website that it is still the most recent
version.
Please see our news item for further information on how the Tier 4 (General) route will be changing
from 5 October 2020. This page still refers to 'Tier 4' and also signposts to the 'Tier 4 Policy
Guidance' but includes changes that will result from the introduction of the 'Student' route.
Eligible courses
Time limits
Requirements
Evidence
Eligible courses
Tier 4 (General) students can study a range of courses, but those courses must meet certain
requirements including minimum levels of qualifications.
For information about how different qualifications compare across the UK and Ireland, see the
guide Qualifications can cross boundaries
You may be able to undertake work placements as part of your course, depending mainly on the
level of your course. Tier 4 (General) students are subject to time limits on their study.
If the course you want to study does not seem to fit within the Tier 4 requirements, ask the course
provider for advice and you might want to consider whether you can qualify for leave under a
different category which permits study, for example, Tier 5 (Youth Mobility) or UK ancestry.
Full-time degrees and degree-level courses

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You can study a full-time recognised UK degree or degree-level course which leads to an approved
qualification at Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) level 6 or Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level 9 or above.
You can browse the list of colleges and universities which award recognised UK degrees. Their
websites will give you information about their academic requirements and how to apply.
A course delivered through a partnership arrangement between a higher education institution and
a research institute must be at (RQF) level 7 or SCQF level 11 or above (postgraduate).
Part-time postgraduate courses
Education providers listed as higher education providers with a track record of compliance (HEPs)
in the Register of Tier 4 sponsors may sponsor part-time postgraduate study (courses leading to a
qualification at RQF level 7 or SCQF level 11 and above).
Tier 4 students studying part-time are subject to certain restrictions: no work, no work placements,
no dependants.
Since 10 January 2019, part-time Tier 4 students have been able to apply to extend their leave
under Tier 4 in the UK. This means that they can now be eligible for the Tier 4 Doctorate Extension
Scheme.
Study abroad
Study abroad means you are currently studying a course outside the UK which is equivalent to a
UK degree (contact UK NARIC), and as part of that course you come to the UK for a short period
of full-time study.
Courses below degree level
Courses below degree level must involve at least 15 hours a week of organised daytime study and
lead to an approved qualification. These qualifications include, but are not limited to, A levels,
Scottish Highers, Foundation degrees, Higher National Diplomas, Higher National Certificates.
The qualification must normally be at RQF level 3 / SCQF level 6 or above. If you will be studying
at an institution which is a Probationary Sponsor and you are 18 or older, the minimum course level
is RQF level 4 / SCQF level 7 or above. The Home Office's Register of Tier 4 sponsors lists
Probationary Sponsors.
Pre-sessional courses
A pre-sessional course prepares you for your main course of study. It need not lead to an approved
qualification but it must be at the same minimal level as courses below degree level (above) or
English language courses below).
English language courses
English language courses must involve at least 15 hours a week of organised daytime study and
must lead to an approved qualification at level B2 of the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR).
If you want to study an English language course which is below level B2, or if you want to learn
English at an institution which does not have a Tier 4 (General) sponsor licence, you can normally
come to the UK as a short-term student instead.
If you are 16 or 17 years old and you want to study an English language course, you must apply for
a Tier 4 (General) student visa, or as a short-term student (child). You cannot apply as a Tier 4
(Child) student.
Re-sits and repeats
Your institution may be able to to issue a CAS so you can apply as a Tier 4 (General) student to re-
sit an exam or to repeat a module as part of your current course. You will be granted enough leave
to re-sit the exam or repeat the module.
In practice, your institution may not be able to issue a CAS for a Tier 4 extension application in the
UK if there is too long a period when you have no required participation on the course. In this
case, they will expect you to leave the UK once you are no longer required to attend your course,
then return either with a new Tier 4 visa or as a short-term student for the re-sit.
Either a Tier 4 visa or a short-term student visa is fine for the re-sit itself, but if you then need more
time to complete your course, it is important to understand that only someone with a Tier 4 visa
can apply in the UK to extend their stay. If you had a short-term student visa for the re-sit or repeat
you will need to return to your home country to make any Tier 4 application. We advise you
discuss in advance with your institution what will be the best way for you to return to the UK for
your re-sit.
Postgraduate doctors and dentists in training
The Foundation Programme for postgraduate doctors and dentists in training can be undertaken
with Tier 4 (General) student leave. You must have a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies
(CAS) from Health Education England. You must have a recognised UK degree in medicine or
dentistry from a UK institution and you must have had Tier 4 (General) student leave for the final
academic year and at least one other academic year of those studies.
Erasmus
The Erasmus programme is open to anyone who is studying for a degree at a registered institution,
and includes people studying in the UK with a Tier 4 visa. Talk to your university's international
office or Erasmus co-ordinator for more information.
For information about the requirements for student visas in the country where you will study, use
this list of foreign embassies in the UK. Select the website for the UK embassy of the country in
which you want to undertake your period of Erasmus study.
If you are likely to need more time to complete your UK studies as a result of doing an Erasmus
placement, check with your UK education provider before you set off whether you will be able to
apply in the UK or in the country where you will be doing your placement, or whether you will have
to return to the country where you usually live.
If you continue to have valid immigration permission as a Tier 4 student during your time abroad on
an Erasmus or study abroad programme, this time will be included in the Home Office's study limit
calculations. You should talk to a student adviser at your university about this before undertaking
study abroad if you think that the extra time might take you over the limit which applies to you.
Supplementary study
While you are studying the course for which your Tier 4 (General) was issued you can take extra
courses at any level, with any course provider. This includes short courses during vacations and in
the period between the end of your course and the end of your visa. The provider of the extra
course is not required to have a Tier 4 sponsor licence. There is no need for either the provider or
you to notify the Home Office about the supplementary study. While there are no immigration
restrictions on supplementary study, you should check that the academic regulations at your
sponsor institution allow you to take an extra course.
Time limits
See our news item for details about changes to the time limits for applications made from 9.00 am
on 5 October 2020.
There are time limits ('caps') on how long you can study with a Tier 4 visa. Before they issue your
CAS, a Tier 4 sponsor will check that your proposed studies will not take you over the cap. When
assessing your application, the Home Office will also check that you will not exceed the cap,
unless there are "compelling and compassionate circumstances", such as injury or disability.
The concession for Syrian nationals provides an exception from these study limits. If you need to
rely on this concession, you should speak to an immigration adviser before you apply and include a
letter with your application explaining your situation and asking for the concession to be applied.
How the time limit is calculated
Both your Tier 4 sponsor and the Home Office use the same system to calculate the cap in years
and months. Individual days or weeks are rounded up or down to the nearest month. For example,
three months and ten days is rounded down to three months while three months and three weeks
is rounded up to four months.
The Immigration Rules make it clear that the whole duration of your leave (your visa) is counted,
including the extra periods of time added to your visa before and after your course. There are no
deductions: vacations, time spent outside the UK, any time spent not studying, and any time spent
on a different level course are all included. However, the Home Office's Tier 4 policy
guidance confirms that if your visa is curtailed only the period before the new expiry date is
counted.
Your course is below degree level
If you are under 18, there is no limit on your Tier 4 leave.
From your 18th birthday you can spend up to two years on a Tier 4 (Child) student and/or Tier 4
(General) student visa studying courses that lead to a qualification below degree level. You can
spend the two years studying a single course or several courses.
The limit applies, whether you apply for your Tier 4 (General) student leave inside or outside the
UK. Time you have spent studying with any other type of immigration permission is not counted.
The two-year cap is extended to two years 11 months if:
you have never studied in the UK as a Tier 4 (General) student before; and
you are applying for leave to study a two-year course
If you are applying for leave to study a course that requires you spending up to 12 months at sea,
speak to your Tier 4 sponsor directly to check whether the course is one which attracts a longer
limit, of three years or three years six months.
Your course is degree level
The limit on study on degree-level courses applies to Tier 4 (General) student leave and pre-Tier 4
student immigration permission (leave). Only leave you have been granted to study degree-level
courses will be counted. From 6 April 2019, student leave you had before your 18th birthday will
not be counted.
In most cases, this limit is five years. But in certain circumstances the five-year cap is extended to
six years, or for students studying at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance
(HEP), five years 11 months, or six years 11 months.
Some courses are exempt from the five-year limit when you apply for leave to study them,
including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, architecture and some legal qualifications
(specified conversion and vocational courses), PhDs and certain specified postgraduate research
qualifications. If you later make another application to study a different course, the time you were
granted to study these usually exempt courses will be counted.
If you have already completed a PhD (or one of the postgraduate research qualifications listed in
annex 3 of the Home Office's Tier 4 policy guidance) in the UK, any new Tier 4 application is
subject to an eight-year limit.
You can find full details of these time limits in the Home Office's Tier 4 policy guidance.
Requirements
See our news item for details about changes to the maintenance and English language
requirements for applications made from 9.00 am on 5 October 2020.
In addition to studying an acceptable course and not exceeding any relevant time limits on study
with Tier 4 immigration permission, there are some other requirements you must meet in order to
apply for leave as a Tier 4 (General) student.
Information about how you prove that you meet these requirements is set out in Evidence.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
You must have a CAS before making an application as a Tier 4 (General) student. A CAS is an
electronic document that your college, school or university issues when they make you an
unconditional offer. It is stored on a database the Home Office can see.
Your Tier 4 sponsor will send you a unique CAS reference number, which you will need to enter
onto your online Tier 4 application form. Your Tier 4 sponsor should also provide you with the
information used to generate your CAS, usually called the 'CAS statement'. The CAS statement
itself is not required for your Tier 4 application, but it gives you all of the information about your
course and Tier 4 sponsor, and some of the information about money, that you need to complete
your Tier 4 application form. Your application may be refused if there are any discrepancies
between the information used by your institution to generate the CAS and the information on your
application form, so contact your sponsor before you apply if you notice any details which might
cause a problem.
If you currently have a Tier 4 visa for the UK, or if you previously had one or a pre-Tier 4 student
visa, your CAS needs to confirm that you are making academic progress in your studies. For
information about this, see the Tier 4 policy guidance.
You may obtain a CAS from several different institutions. However, before you apply for your Tier 4
visa you must decide where you intend to study and use the CAS from that institution in your
application. At this point any other CAS that you have been issued with will become 'obsolete', and
you cannot use them in a Tier 4 application. When your Tier 4 visa is granted and you use it to
enter the UK, you must study at the institution that issued your CAS.
Maintenance requirements
You will need enough money to pay for your course fees and your living costs. The Home Office
calls this the maintenance requirements.
Course fees
You must have enough money to pay for the course fees for the first year of your course, or the
entire course if it is less than one year long. If your CAS has been issued for further study on a
course that you are already partway through, the 'first year of study' means the first year of this
new period of study. The Home Office will use the details in your CAS to confirm how much money
you need for your course fees.
If you have already paid all your course fees, or for study abroad or other course with no fees, your
CAS will confirm this.
Living costs
The Home Office uses fixed amounts, which may or may not reflect your actual living costs.
For study in London you need £1,265 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of nine
months. This means that if you will be studying in London for a course that lasts one month only,
the amount that you will need is £1,265. If you will be studying in London for a course lasting nine
months or more, the amount that you will need is £11,385. If you are not sure whether you will be
studying in London, ask your Tier 4 sponsor.
For study elsewhere in the UK, the monthly amounts are lower: you need £1,015 for each month of
your course, up to £9,135 for a course lasting nine months or more.
Use the course start and end dates on your CAS to calculate the length of your course and
therefore how many months' maintenance you will need. If the length of your course includes a
part of a month, round it up to a full month. For example if your course dates are 30 May until 1
October, this is four months and two days so you would need to show five months' of funds.
If you apply in the UK under the Tier 4 (Doctorate Extension Scheme), as a postgraduate doctor or
dentist, or as a student union sabbatical officer, you have to show living costs for only two months.
Deductions
You can deduct the following from the total amount of money that you need as part of your
immigration application:
money that you have already paid to your Tier 4 sponsor towards your course fees, and
up to £1,265 that you have already paid to your Tier 4 sponsor for your accommodation fees,
if you will be living in university or college accommodation.
You cannot deduct any advance payment for any other type of housing, nor can you adjust the
amounts if you will have no housing costs (for example if you will be living with a relative free of
charge).
Your CAS may include details of any money paid to your institution. If not, you will need to provide
a paper receipt confirming how much you have paid towards your course fees and/or your
accommodation fees.
Low-risk applicants who have a receipt do not need to include it with the application.
English language ability
Tier 4 sponsors are required to assess your ability to read, write, speak and understand English.
The method of assessment will vary. For example, there are special arrangements if you are a
national of a majority English-speaking country, have a qualification taught in an English-speaking
country, are spending no more than six months in the UK as part of a USA degree-level course,
have previously studied in the UK as a Tier 4 (Child) student, or plan to study at degree level at a
UK higher education provider with a track record of compliance. Your Tier 4 sponsor will tell you
how it will assess your English and the level of English you must have, which is subject to
minimum levels set by the Home Office.
For applications made from 9.00 am on 5 October 2020, nationals of Ireland and Malta will also be
regarded as being nationals from majority English speaking countries. This means you will be able
to rely on your nationality to satisfy the English language requirements if you are a national of one
of those two countries. Similarly, you will be able to satisfy the English language requirements if
you have a degree or degree level qualification taught from an institution in Ireland or Malta.
If you are required to take one of the Home Office's approved secure English language tests
(SELTs) as evidence of your English language ability, your SELT must show that you achieved the
required score in each of the components during a single sitting of that examination (unless you
are exempt from a component due to a disability).
Only four test providers are considered to offer secure English language tests for UK visa purposes
- IELTS SELT Consortium, Trinity College London, LanguageCert and Pearson. Trinity College
London tests must be taken in the UK only. The three other providers' tests may be taken in the UK
or overseas. A list of approved test centres can be found on the Home Office website.
Trinity College London tests can be booked online. If your Tier 4 application requires a CEFR level
of B1 then you should select an 'ISE I (B1)' test. If you need CEFR level B2 for your Tier 4
application then you should select an 'ISE level II (B2)' test. You may find it easier to book a test
by selecting the type of test and the location from the drop down menus at the top of the page.
IELTS offer a number of different tests but a test will only be considered to be a SELT if it was
taken at an approved test centre and is an 'IELTS test for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
purposes'. These tests will have a 'UKVI number' on the results certificate. If you have any
questions about whether the test you are taking is a SELT then you should check this when you
make your booking. You cannot use an IELTS Life Skills test as a SELT for a Tier 4 application;
instead you should check with your institution whether they require you to take an Academic or
General IELTS test.
Note: IELTS results certificates state a CEFR level, however this is the CEFR level of the overall
band score and is not necessarily confirmation that you have obtained this level in each of the four
components. If in doubt, check with your Tier 4 sponsor.
You can book an IELTS test online by selecting the relevant country.
Criminal convictions
The application form requires you to declare any criminal convictions, including traffic offences,
that you have obtained in any country, and to provide details. This is because the Immigration
Rules include provision to refuse the application of someone with certain criminal convictions,
under the general grounds for refusing (see next section). The Home Office's modernised guidance
for staff assessing Tier 4 applications states that Home Office staff should check the Police
National Computer to see if you are listed on it.
You are not required to obtain or include any specific evidence relating to the convictions.
For further details about the types of convictions that you must declare, see the Home Office
document Naturalisation as a British citizen - a guide for applicants. This guidance is aimed at
those applying for British nationality, but the information about criminal convictions is relevant to
those applying for a visa.
If you have ever lived in Northern Ireland, you will need to confirm this when you complete your
application and the Home Office will contact you and ask you to complete a DAT1 form. The form
is an authorisation to run a criminal records check with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
General grounds for refusal
The Immigration Rules include provision for an application to be refused under the 'general
grounds for refusal'. The Home Office has detailed internal guidance on the general grounds for
refusing, with separate guidance for applications in your home country (entry clearance) or
applications in the UK (leave to remain). The guidance for leave to remain applications
summarises that Home Office staff should be checking applications for:
“...evidence of any adverse
behaviour (using deception including false representation, fraud, forgery, non-disclosure of

material facts or failure to cooperate)
character, conduct or associations (criminal history, deportation order, travel ban, exclusion,
non-conducive to public good, national security)
immigration history (breaching conditions, using deception in an application).”
The Home Office can also refuse your application if you have an outstanding debt for NHS
treatment of £500 or more - see Health and Healthcare for information about receiving NHS
treatment in the UK.
Other general grounds for refusal include staying in the UK beyond the end of your immigration
permission (being an overstayer); health issues; not attending an interview if you are asked to do
so; breach of conditions, which means doing something your immigration permission does not
permit you to do, for example working more hours than allowed. The application form has
questions about these matters and it is very important to answer them honestly, as not doing so
can have very serious consequences including accusations of deception and the refusal of any
future, as well as this, application.
Seek help and advice from your Tier 4 sponsor before you make your application if you think any of
the general grounds for refusal might apply to you.
Evidence
You must meet all Tier 4 (General) student requirements and be able to provide evidence in the
required format in order to make a successful application. Your documents may be copies or
originals.
Many Tier 4 sponsors offer their students help in checking documents. Make sure you submit only
the documents your Tier 4 sponsor has approved, as other formats may result in a refusal. If in
doubt, go back to your Tier 4 sponsor before submitting a different document, even if the difference
is very small.
See our July 2017 series of blog posts about common myths and misunderstandings about
evidence of your money for a Tier 4 application.
Passport
Your Tier 4 application must normally include your valid passport and all the documents listed in
the application forms and guidance. Your passport must contain at least one full page that is blank
on both sides.
Unlike many other countries, the UK does not require that a passport is valid for any particular
period of time after arrival in the UK, but it must be valid when you make your application and when
you arrive in the UK. UKVI web information for people arriving in the UK does say that your
passport must remain valid for the full length of your stay, but this has no basis in any law or
guidance and we do not know of any student who has been refused entry to the UK on this basis. It
would be very common for someone's passport to expire during a long stay in the UK. We have
asked UKVI to amend this information which we feel is causing confusion.
However, if your passport will expire very shortly after you arrive in the UK, it is advisable to renew
it before you apply for your Tier 4 visa, if there is time to do so. If your passport will expire at any
other point during your time in the UK, you should check with the passport issuing authority in your
home country if you will be able to replace it in the UK. This is possible for most nationalities, but
not all.
Low-risk applicants
See our news item for details concerning the additional nationalities to be regarded as 'low risk' for
applications made from 9.00 am on 5 October 2020.
Some Tier 4 applicants do not need to provide evidence of their qualifications or their money.
The Home Office calls this the 'differentiation arrangement' for 'low-risk applicants'.
You are a low-risk applicant if you apply for Tier 4 (General) student leave (inside or outside the
UK) to study at an institution that has Tier 4 Sponsor status, and you have a passport issued by
one of the countries or territories listed in Appendix H of the Immigration Rules.
If you apply on or after 6 April 2019, this list of countries will be different. The following countries
will no longer be on the list, which means you must submit evidence if your passport is issued by
one of them:
Argentina
The Maldives
Trinidad and Tobago
The following countries will be added to the list on 6 April 2019, which means you will no longer be
required to submit evidence of qualifications and maintenance if you hold a passport issued by one
of them and apply for leave on or after 6 April:
Brazil
Kazakhstan
Mauritius
Oman
Peru
Tunisia
You are treated in the same way as a low-risk applicant, regardless of your nationality, if you apply
for Tier 4 (General) student leave to study a Master's course at a university taking part in the Tier 4
pilot, and the course is 13 months or less. For more information about the pilot, see the Tier 4
Policy Guidance, annex 5.
In our guidance, we provide specific information for low-risk applicants where appropriate. If we do
not refer to low-risk applicants when talking about a specific matter, this means the requirements
are the same for all applicants, including low-risk ones.
It is very important that as a low-risk applicant you still obtain the evidence of your qualifications
and your money, even though you do not need to send them. This is because the Home Office can
request this evidence as part of its decision-making process and will refuse your application if you
are unable to provide it by the given deadline. The Home Office's modernised guidance for staff
assessing Tier 4 applications says that a low-risk applicant who is found to have a record on the
Police National Computer (PNC) will be asked for evidence of qualifications and money.
Your qualifications
Send the certificate or transcript of results for all qualifications listed in the 'Evidence used to obtain
offer' section of your CAS. You also have the option of submitting print outs of your qualification or
transcript results from the awarding body’s online checking service. The print outs must clearly
show your name, the title and date of the award, and the name of the awarding body.
The Tier 4 policy guidance provides details of what is acceptable, under the heading 'Documents
used to obtain a Tier 4 (General) CAS'. This includes the exception for students who have already
studied in the UK, applied for a new course through UCAS and are making their Tier 4 application
in the UK.
If you submit any certificates or transcripts that are not in English (or Welsh), you must also include
a translation of each. Read the section on Translations for more details.
Low-risk applicants do not need to submit these documents, but should have them available in
case the Home Office asks to see them.
For applications made from 9.00 am on 5 October 2020, you will also not be required to submit
these documents if you are studying at degree level or above, and are sponsored by a higher
education provider with a track record of compliance.
English language evidence
Your Tier 4 sponsor must confirm on your CAS that it has either assessed your level of English
language in reading, writing, speaking and listening, or that it is not required to do so.
Whether and how you need to provide evidence of English language in your Tier 4 application
depends on what your Tier 4 sponsor has entered in this field of the CAS.
National of a majority English-speaking country

Evidence: your passport
You have a degree-level qualification taught in a majority English-speaking country

Evidence: certificate or results transcript plus a statement of comparability from UK NARIC
confirming that the qualification meets or exceeds the level of a UK degree.
You have completed a degree in the UK

Evidence: certificate or results transcript
Study abroad student

Evidence: confirmed on the CAS, no other evidence required.
Former Tier 4 (Child) student

Evidence: confirmation on the CAS, certificate or transcript
'Gifted' degree student at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance
Evidence: confirmed on the CAS, letter from your institution you must carry with you when you
enter the UK.
Your Tier 4 application is for degree-level study at a higher education provider with a track
record of compliance, and you don't meet any of the previous provisions
Evidence: your CAS confirms that your Tier 4 sponsor has assessed your English language ability
to be at a minimum of CEFR level B2 in each of the four components, and that your sponsor has
used either its own method of assessment or one of the Home Office's approved secure English
language tests (SELTs). If you used a SELT, enter the test reference number on your Tier 4
application form so that the Home Office can verify your SELT results online. No further evidence is
required.
You Tier 4 application is for degree-level study at an institution that is not a higher
education provider with a track record of compliance, and you don't meet any of the
previous provisions
Evidence: your CAS confirms that your Tier 4 sponsor has assessed your English language ability
to be at a minimum of CEFR level B2 in each of the four components, using one of the Home
Office's approved secure English Language tests (SELTs). Enter the test reference number on your
Tier 4 application form so that the Home Office can verify your SELT results online. No further
evidence is required.
Your Tier 4 application is for study below degree level and you don't meet any of the
previous provisions
Evidence: your CAS confirms that the Tier 4 sponsor has assessed your English language ability to
be at a minimum of CEFR level B1 in each of the four components, using one of the Home Office's
approved secure English language tests (SELTs). Enter the test reference number on your Tier 4
application form so that the Home Office can verify your SELT results online. No further evidence is
required.
Evidence you meet the maintenance requirements
If you are a 'low-risk' applicant, you should obtain the evidence of your money in the format
explained here, but you do not need to include it with your initial application. All other applicants
must include this evidence with their application.
Evidence of your money must meet specific requirements. If it does not, your immigration
application is likely to be refused.
If you have already paid money to your institution for your course fees or accommodation, submit
paper receipts with your application as evidence of this, unless this information is included in your
CAS. See Deductions for more information.
As evidence of your money, you can use any one or more of these forms of evidence:
personal bank statements

certificate(s) of deposit [see below]
letter from your bank, or a regulated financial institution
letter from an official financial sponsor [see below]
letter from a regulated financial institution confirming that you have a loan [see below] from
the national government, the state or regional government, or a government-sponsored
student loan company
letter from a regulated financial institution confirming that you have a loan [see below] that is
part of an academic or educational loans scheme
statements of a passbook from a building society
Certificate of deposit
This is a certificate issued by a bank to confirm that the named person has deposited or invested a
specific amount of money. Certificates of deposit are not listed as acceptable evidence in the
Immigration Rules but the Home Office's modernised guidance for staff assessing Tier 4
applications confirms that a certificate of deposit is accepted if it meets both the following
requirements:
the certificate of deposit must have been issued within 31 days of the date of application
at least 28 days must have elapsed between the date of the deposit and the date of issue of
the certificate
There are no further requirements for the certificate. For example, there is no maximum time limit
on how long you have held the funds, and a certificate is acceptable even if it has wording that
says the funds are frozen or inaccessible.
Loans
If you are applying for your visa from overseas the loan must be available to you before you travel
to the UK, unless it is an academic or student loan from your country's national government and
will be released to you when you arrive in the UK, or it is a loan for your living costs that is paid to
your Tier 4 sponsor for passing to you. Any other type of loan will not meet the Tier 4
requirements. If you wish to use money from any other type of loan, you need to transfer the funds
to a bank or building society account in your name (or a parent's name) and use one of the other
forms of evidence listed above.
Check your financial documents carefully
It is very important that your financial documents contain all of the required information. Paragraph
1B, Appendix C of the Immigration Rules lists the information that must be included in any
financial document that you use to support your application.
Maintenance must be in the form of cash funds. You cannot use evidence of other types of
finances, such as shares, bonds, or a pension fund. You also cannot use an overdraft facility or a
credit card.
Unless you are using a loan letter, your financial documents must show that the full amount of
money that you need has been in the account for 28 consecutive days up to the date of the closing
balance. This means that the account must not have dropped below the amount that you need to
show at any time during the 28 day period. If it does your immigration application is likely to be
refused. In addition, the final date of this 28 day period must not be more than 31 days old on the
date that you submit your application.
A loan letter must not be dated more than six months before the date on which you make your
application. The loan must be in your name only.
A bank account can be in your name or in one or both of your parent's or legal guardian's name,
and it can be a joint account you hold with someone else. You can use more than one account if
necessary, and you can use a combination of your account(s) and your parent's or legal guardian's
account(s).
You can use an overseas bank account. If your funds are not in British pounds (GBP), you should
convert the closing balance into GBP using OANDA and the conversion rate on the date on which
you make your application. Write this sum on the statement.
If you use statements which have been printed from online, they must include all the standard
required information and must also either be stamped on every page, or be accompanied by a
supporting letter from the bank or building society confirming that the statement is authentic. You
cannot use mini-statements obtained from automatic teller machines (ATMs).
An online statement may have a 'date of issue' that is later than the last transaction shown in the
statement. According to the Home Office's modernised guidance for staff assessing Tier 4
applications, an entry clearance officer or caseworker has the discretion to judge whether the
balance is likely to have fallen between the last transaction and the date of issue, and whether this
extrapolated lower balance would mean you do not meet the maintenance requirement. The
guidance for Home Office staff says:
Banks will often stamp electronic statements with a 'date of issue' stamp. You may accept this as
the date of the closing balance but where there is a gap between the last transaction date and the
date of issue stamp, you must consider the type of account and the frequency of transactions.
For example, if the last transaction was two weeks before the date of issue stamp and the account
is a savings account where transactions are infrequent, then you may accept that the balance will
not have changed. If, however, the account is a current account where there are daily or weekly
transactions, you must ask your senior caseworker for advice.
Acceptable and unacceptable financial institutions
Appendix P of the Immigration Rules lists the banks in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Iran,
Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka whose documents can be safely used in immigration
applications. It is possible to use documents from other banks in these countries, in which case the
Home Office will need to verify the documents on a case-by-case basis. In Bangladesh, India, Iran,
Pakistan and the Philippines you should also check that your bank is not on the "unacceptable" list.
Using your parent(s)' or legal guardian(s)' funds
You may use a personal bank account in your parent's or guardian's name (or names). Business
accounts are not acceptable because the Immigration Rules (Appendix C paragraph 1B) specify
that accounts must be personal.
If you wish to use a personal bank account in your parent's or guardian's name (or names), you
must also include evidence of their relationship to you. (If you are a 'low-risk' applicant you should
obtain this evidence, but you do not need to include it with your application.) This evidence of your
relationship with your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) can be:
your birth certificate, or a copy, showing the name of your parent(s) whose bank account you
are using for your immigration application
if you are adopted, the certificate of adoption, or a copy, showing your name and the name of
your parent(s) whose bank account you are using for your immigration application
if you have a legal guardian, a court document, or copy, which shows the name of your
guardian(s) whose bank account you are using for your immigration application
If you do not have any of the above, but you have a government-issued household register
showing your name and your parent or parents' name(s), the Home Office's modernised guidance
for staff assessing Tier 4 applications confirms that this is acceptable evidence of your relationship,
though this option is not listed on the application form or in the Tier 4 policy guidance.
The same page of this guidance also instructs Home Office staff to accept "whatever document a
country issues and not restrict it only to those documents specifically called 'birth certificates'. "
Therefore you can use whatever official document your country of nationality issues as evidence of
its nationals' birth and family relationships, even if it is not called a 'birth certificate'. However, this
provision is only for people whose country of nationality does not issue birth certificates at all. If
your country of nationality does issue birth certificates then you must submit this as evidence of
your relationship to your parent(s).
You must also provide a signed letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s), confirming the
relationship between you, and confirming that they consent to the funds being available to you for
study in the UK.
Any other relative (or unrelated person) can pay money direct to your Tier 4 sponsor on your
behalf, for example to pay your course fees or housing costs. However, any evidence of money
that you submit in support of your Tier 4 application (for example bank statements) must be in your
name or in your parent's / legal guardian's name (or names).
You cannot use evidence of money held in any other person's name, even if you have their
permission to do so. If someone who is not your parent or guardian is giving you money for your
living costs, they will need to put the money in your own account (or in your parent or legal
guardian's account), allowing enough time for you (or your parent or legal guardian) to hold the
funds for at least 28 days and get evidence of this, before you apply for your Tier 4 visa.
Official financial sponsors
Official financial sponsors are defined in the Tier 4 policy guidance, and the guidance sets out the
requirements of their letter of financial sponsorship. If your official financial sponsor is your
university, you do not need a letter if the details of your financial sponsorship are on your CAS.
If your official financial sponsor is a government and they have sent you a sponsor letter by email,
a print of this letter should be acceptable as evidence of the sponsorship. The entry clearance
officer can still ask for an original letter, so it is a good idea to ask your government sponsor for a
paper copy too.
The list of acceptable official financial sponsors includes an 'international company'. The Home
Office has not defined this but means a company with a trading presence (an office) in more than
one country.
If you are a 'low-risk' applicant, you should obtain the sponsor letter and keep it safe, but you do
not need to include it with your initial application.
If your official financial sponsor is not covering all of your course fees and maintenance, you must
show that you have the rest of the money required. You can use any combination of the forms of
evidence listed above.
Consent of current or previous official financial sponsor
Your evidence of funds letter, if provided by a government or an international scholarship agency,

must also specifically state that your financial sponsor consents to your Tier 4 (General) student
application.
This consent letter is also required if you have previously received financial sponsorship from a
government or international scholarship agency and the sponsorship ended less than 12 months
ago.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
See our news item for details about changes to the ATAS requirements for applications made from
9.00 am on 5 October 2020.
If your course leads to a qualification at Master's or doctorate level, or a postgraduate qualification

abroad, ask the university whether you need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)
clearance certificate for the course. This is a certificate issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (FCO), which gives you security clearance to study certain subject areas where the
knowledge gained may have application in the development of weapons of mass destruction (for
example, certain science subjects, mathematics, engineering, technology or medicine). You can
check the list of subject areas that require an ATAS clearance certificate in the Applicants'
criteria section of the ATAS website.
Your institution must confirm on your CAS whether you require an ATAS clearance certificate. If
you do, you must apply to the FCO and obtain your ATAS clearance certificate before you submit
your Tier 4 application.
When your ATAS clearance certificate is issued, it is valid for 6 months to use in a Tier 4
application. Once you have used it in your application, it gives you security clearance for the whole
proposed period of study on your CAS. You will not need to apply again unless your original course
end date is delayed or postponed by more than three months or your course contents or research
proposal change.
Students who apply to study a course of any length in a relevant subject area require ATAS
clearance. This includes short-term students - see Short-term student visa.
Parents' consent if you are under 18 years old
If you submit an application as a Tier 4 (General) student when you are 16 or 17 years old, you
must include a letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to show that they support your
application. This letter must confirm all of the following:
their relationship to you

that they consent to your application as a Tier 4 (General) student
that they consent to your living arrangements in the UK
if you are applying for entry clearance, that they consent to your independent travel to the UK
If one parent (or legal guardian) has legal custody or sole responsibility for you, the letter must
confirm this and be signed by that parent (or legal guardian). If not, then both parents (or legal
guardians) must give their consent and the letter must be signed by both parents (or legal
guardians).
Translations
If your application includes any documents which are not in English or Welsh, you must also
include a translation of each document. Each translation must contain:
confirmation from the translator / translation company that it is an accurate translation of the
original document
the date of the translation
the full name and signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of the translation
company
the contact details of the translator or translation company; and
(if you are already in the UK and are applying for further leave) certification by a qualified
translator and details of the translator or translation company’s credentials
Police Registration Certificate
If your most recent immigration permission has the condition to register with the police, you must
send your police registration certificate with your Tier 4 application.
Make sure your police registration certificate is up to date and shows your current address and
current immigration status. For more information, see Tier 4 conditions.
Syrian applicants
Syrian nationals applying for Tier 4 (General) student leave in the UK who are not able to obtain
the required documents should explain this and refer to the concession for Syrians. If you need to
rely on this concession, you should speak to an immigration adviser before you apply.
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statement and the reference to UKCISA's website as a source of further updates, and provided that no charge is made to any persons for
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This information is given in good faith and has been carefully checked. UKCISA, however, accepts no legal responsibility for its accuracy.
UKCISA is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (Company Number: 4507287) and a charity registered with the
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10/6/2020 UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Tier 4: eligibility and requirements

Tier 4: eligibility and requirements

Full-time degrees and degree-level courses

Part-time postgraduate courses

Courses below degree level

English language courses

Re-sits and repeats

Postgraduate doctors and dentists in training

How the time limit is calculated

Your course is below degree level

If you are under 18, there is no limit on your Tier 4 leave.

The two-year cap is extended to two years 11 months if:

Your course is degree level

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

English language ability

General grounds for refusal

“...evidence of any adverse

behaviour (using deception including false representation, fraud, forgery, non-disclosure of

English language evidence

National of a majority English-speaking country

You have a degree-level qualification taught in a majority English-speaking country

You have completed a degree in the UK

Study abroad student

Former Tier 4 (Child) student

Evidence you meet the maintenance requirements

personal bank statements

Check your financial documents carefully

Acceptable and unacceptable financial institutions

Using your parent(s)' or legal guardian(s)' funds

Official financial sponsors

Consent of current or previous official financial sponsor

Your evidence of funds letter, if provided by a government or an international scholarship agency,

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

If your course leads to a qualification at Master's or doctorate level, or a postgraduate qualification

Parents' consent if you are under 18 years old

their relationship to you

Police Registration Certificate

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