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GUIDE TO COMPLETING THE TIER 4 APPLICATION FORM

Applications made outside the UK Updated May 2019

This booklet should not be used as a stand-alone guide. Before beginning your visa application you must ensure that you read the UKVI Tier 4 Policy Guidance and the information on the RCM’s Visas and Immigration website. UKVI regularly makes updates to the Tier 4 Policy Guidance, so it is essential that you check the latest information before applying. Whilst the information in this guide is provided in good faith, and every effort is made to keep it up to date, the RCM accepts no legal responsibility for its accuracy.

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IMMIGRATION ADVICE AT THE RCM

The RCM’s international support staff aim to provide free, impartial, high quality immigration advice to RCM students, including offer holders. We can advise on Tier 4 (General) Student visa applications, Short Term Student visas, visa conditions during study and settlement applications for EU/EEA students. We also provide information on visas for family members, Schengen visas and options to remain in the UK after graduation. In addition, we offer more general support with welfare-related matters, such as opening bank accounts and accessing healthcare in the UK. You can find full details of what we offer in our Statement of Service.

A FEW THINGS TO NOTE BEFORE STARTING

Ensure that you read the RCM’s guidance on applying for a Tier 4 visa thoroughly. This is available at http://www.rcm.ac.uk/international/visas/ Have your passport and any other immigration documents to hand, well as your CAS Statement, as you will need to copy information from them. Once you progress to the “Declaration” stage of the form, you will not be able to make any further changes, so make sure you check your answers thoroughly first. Our immigration advisors will be very happy to check your application for you, and we encourage you to request this. Please e-mail a pdf of your application to international@rcm.ac.uk. The date that the application fee is paid is considered to be your “date of application”. This will be shown on your payment receipt. Your evidence documents (e.g. bank statements) must be dated on or before this date, or your application will be refused. The Visa Application Centre will retain your passport whilst your application is being processed, so you must not plan to travel overseas during this time.

Applicants under the age of 18 UKVI will calculate your age on the date of application. If you will be under 18 on this date, you must include a letter from your parents or legal guardians confirming they give permission for you to live and study independently in the UK, along with proof of your relationship (e.g. your birth certificate).

Tuberculosis tests Applicants from certain countries must have a tuberculosis test and include the test certificate with their visa application. You can check whether you require a test and view the list of approved testing centres for your country at https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa

Dependents

If you wish to bring a spouse/partner or dependent children with you to the UK, they must complete a separate application at https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/dependant. Only applicants on courses lasting 9 months or longer at RQF Level 7 (Masters) or above are eligible to bring dependents. You can find more information at https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa/family-members

If you have problems answering any of the questions on the online application form, and cannot find the answers in these guidance notes, contact international@rcm.ac.uk for assistance. An incorrect or missing

answer could result in your visa being refused, so please do not guess. We are here to help!

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GETTING STARTED

Begin your application at https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/tier4

If you are applying to extend a current Tier 4 visa from INSIDE the UK you cannot use this application form. Go to https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/product/tier-4-student to apply

Select Tier 4

(General) student

visa

Enter the country

where you are

applying. You can

apply in the

country where you

are a national, or

another country

where you are

living (e.g. if you

have a visa for

study or work).

You cannot apply

in a country if you

are only a tourist or

visitor. The only

exception is if your

country does not

have a UK Visa

Application Centre

and you are

required to travel to

a neighbouring

country to apply.

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You will be told

the locations of

Visa Application

Centres (VACs) in

your country and

asked to confirm

you can attend

one of them.

Enter your e-mail

address (ensure that

this is an account

you check regularly)

and create a

password.

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Enter your name

carefully, making

sure that it

matches the

information on

your passport and

your CAS

Statement.

You can save

your application

and return to it at

any time.

UKVI provides

help text to guide

you through the

form.

Answer “yes” if

you have ever

changed your

name (e.g. if you

married or were

adopted) or if you

ever use another

name for official

purposes.

Top tip! You can

view and change

the answers you

have given so far

by clicking this

link.

Copy this

information

carefully from

your CAS

statement.

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You will now be asked to enter some personal details, incluing: your address and contact telephone number, how long you have lived at that address, your gender and relationship status.

If you hold more

than one

nationality, enter

the nationality

shown on your

CAS statement

and ensure it

matches the

passport you are

using for your

visa application.

This normally

corresponds to

the country where

you are applying

for your visa. If

you hold any

other

nationalities, you

can enter the

information by

clicking the link

underneath.

Copy this

information

carefully from

your passport.

You must submit

your original

passport with

your application.

A photocopy is

not acceptable.

Students from the

USA should note

that all dates must

be given in the

format

DDMMYYYY –

make sure you

don’t mix up your

days and months!

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You may need

to answer “yes”

if you have

dual

nationality, or if

you have a

current UK visa

in an old

passport.

You will

probably not

have booked

flights yet, so

just put the date

you expect to

travel. The

earliest you can

arrive in the UK

is one month

before your

course start

date on your

CAS.

You can work

out the length of

stay from the

start and end

dates of your

course, which

will be shown

on your CAS.

We

recommend

that you select

English.

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If you answer “yes” you will not see the next question.

Only answer yes if

you studied a

course at a UK

school on a Tier 4

(Child) Student

visa.

The RCM is a

Higher Education

Institution.

Select “yes”.

You will not be

asked further

questions about how

you were assessed.

If you submitted a

SELT (e.g. IELTS) you

do not need to

include it in your

visa application. The

RCM will retain a

copy of the

evidence of your

English language

level on your student

file for UKVI to

inspect if requested.

If you want to bring

dependent children

with you to the UK,

you will need to

complete a

separate visa

application for

them.

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You will now be

asked to enter

your parents’

personal details.

If you already

have any family

members in the

UK, add their

details here.

This includes any

siblings who are

already studying

in the UK.

RCM students

should answer

“no” to this

question.

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You should

answer “yes” if a

parent or

someone else will

be travelling to

the UK with you

to help you settle

in.

If you will be

living with a

family member

you should

indicate that

here. If you listed

the family

member in the

previous section,

their name will

automatically

appear. If you

are not staying

with family, just

click “save and

continue”.

If you have

accommodation

arrangements in

place, add the

details here. It is ok

to say no if you

don’t.

If you have a room

booked at Prince

Consort Village, the

full address is:

Prince Consort

Village, 230

Goldhawk Road,

London, W12 9PL

Still looking for accommodation and need help with where to look?

Contact our Student Services team for advice and support on

studentservices@rcm.ac.uk

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Use this section if

you are going to

be staying

somewhere else

(e.g. a hotel)

before moving into

your main

accommodation.

Provide details

of any visits to

the UK during

the last 10

years, including

short visits for

tourism.

If your most

recent visit was

for your

entrance

audition, select

“other reason”

and add this

information in

the box that

will appear

below.

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If you previously

studied in the UK

and paid the

Immigration

Heath Surcharge

(IHS) you can

answer “no” to

the question

about payment.

Note that if you

were required to

pay for treatment

and NHS

records show

that you have a

debt of £500 or

more, your visa

application will

be refused.

If you answer yes

to this question,

you will be

asked to give

details of the

treatment you

received.

Answer “yes” if

you have

previously lived in

the UK and made

an application for

a further visa

inside the UK.

This does not

refer to

applications for

visas made

outside the UK.

If you answer “yes”, you will be asked to give details. If you

have applied for leave to remain on more than one

occasion, please give details of your most recent application.

If you had a problem with the application (e.g. if it was

initially refused and then the decision was overturned) there is

the opportunity to provide an explanation later in the form.

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You may have

an NI number if

you have

previously

worked in the

UK. This is not

the same as a

National Health

Service (NHS)

number.

You will now be

asked to list any

visits to certain

specific

countries.

The Schengen

area refers to a

group of 26

European

countries who

have abolished

passport controls

between their

borders. You

can find a list of

these countries

at

https://www.sc

hengenvisainfo.c

om/schengen-

visa-countries-

list/

Finally you will

be asked to list

visits to any other

countries.

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It is important to

declare any visa

refusals (inside

or outside the

UK) or other

immigration

problems, even

if the decision

was

subsequently

overturned. You

will have the

opportunity to

provide an

explanation on

the next page.

You must then

provide details of

any visa refusals

or other

immigration

problems that

occurred related

to another

country.

It is very important

to be truthful in this

section, as the

information can be

checked against

police records. If

you do not declare

an offence and it is

discovered, your

visa application

will be refused.

The next screen will

allow you to

provide an

explanation. You

must include

“spent” convictions

(i.e. convictions

which can normally

effectively be

ignored after a

specified period

under the

Rehabilitation of

Offenders Act

1974).

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If you have

worked for

one of these

types of

organisation

you must

declare it.

This includes if

you were

required to

complete

compulsory

national

service in your

country’s

armed forces.

The RCM is

your

sponsoring

institution for

your Tier 4

visa. You can

find this

information on

your CAS

statement.

Select

“Higher

education

institution.”

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The RCM

only has one

site, so

answer “yes”.

Answer “yes”

unless you are

joining the

RCM’s doctoral

programme or

are an

exchange

student. Your

UCAS ID

number will be

on your CAS

statement.

The answer

to this

question is

“no” for all

the RCM’s

courses.

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If RCM students have their visa applications refused, it is almost always due to errors in meeting the Tier 4 maintenance requirements. Fill out the following questions very carefully and always check that your financial

documentation meets the rules in the UKVI Tier 4 Policy Guidance.

Only answer “yes”

to this question if

your financial

sponsor meets the

official definition.

A private donor

cannot be

considered an

official financial

sponsor.

You should answer

“yes” if you are

receiving an RCM

Scholarship, which

will be confirmed

on your CAS.

For other sponsors

you will need to

submit an original

award letter.

Unless your sponsor

if funding all of

your tuition fees

and all of your

living costs, you

should choose the

bottom option.

If some or all of your

funds are in your

parent(s) bank

account, select “no”

and extra questions

will appear for you

to provide details.

If you are using any other form of evidence instead of, or as well as, a bank account (e.g. US

Stafford loan letter or scholarship letter), select “no”. You will have the chance to enter more

information on your financial documents in the “Documents” section of the form.

If you are using a joint account or an account in your parent(s)’ name, the account holder must

provide an original letter confirming their permission to use the money. Bank accounts belonging

to other family members are not accepted.

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Copy this

information

exactly as

shown on your

CAS statement.

All students

starting new

courses this year

will have a start

date of 16

September

2019. If you are

extending your

visa to continue

on the same

course, use the

start date shown

on your CAS.

Always select

“no”. Prince

Consort Village is

managed by

Campus Living

Villages and

payments are not

made directly to

the RCM,

therefore they

cannot be

counted here.

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You should now check your answers so far before going onto the next section.

You only need to

write something

here if you wish

to provide further

details about one

of your answers.

Copy this

information from

your CAS

statement.

You should also

include any RCM

scholarship that

has already been

deducted from

your tuition fees

here. If you make

a payment

towards your

tuition fees before

applying, make

sure you include

the information in

your CAS Request

so that our

International staff

can confirm it on

your CAS.

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Low risk nationals Certain countries have been classified by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) as ‘low risk’, which means applicants from these countries are subject to different documentary requirements when applying for a Tier 4 visa. This classification is sometimes referred to as the ‘differentiation arrangements’. If you are a national of one of these countries, you will be asked at this point whether you wish to apply under the differentiation arrangements and we recommend that you say “yes”. Students from low risk countries are required to submit less documentary evidence than students from other countries. For example, they do not have to supply bank statements or certificates at the time of application. However, these students should still prepare these documents as normal and have them available to send in if requested, as UKVI carries out spot checks.

Documents You must not submit your online application until you have prepared your supporting documents. You must be able to prove that you meet the requirements on the date you apply (not the date of your appointment).

You must indicate the

name of the bank

where your funds for

living costs are held. If

you are using accounts

from more than one

bank, you can add

another institution on

the next page.

If you are funding your

studies with a US

Stafford Loan, put this

as the financial

institution and select

the third option.

If you have a

scholarship that covers

ALL of your tuition fees

AND all your

maintenance, write

“N/A fully sponsored”

and select the third

option.

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Don’t forget that if you were required to have a tuberculosis test you also need to

submit your test certificate. It will not show up in the list!

If you are using

more than one

form of financial

evidence, you can

add the details

here.

The form will generate a

list of the documents you

must send in. Check this

carefully. If something is

not listed that you were

expecting, there may be

an error in that section of

the application.

You still can make

changes by clicking

“show and edit answers”

at the bottom of the page.

Click each box to confirm

you have the documents.

If you are a low-risk

national and not required

to send some documents

due to the differentiation

arrangements, you will be

asked to declare this on

this page.

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DOCUMENT CHECKLIST Have you prepared…?

Passport Current UK visa or BRP card (if applicable) Academic qualification used for admission to your course as listed on your CAS (original certificate,

with certified translation if the original is not in English). Financial evidence Letter of permission from your parents if you are under 18, plus evidence of your relationship such as

a birth certificate Up to date Police Registration Certificate (if you have previously lived in the UK and were required

to register with the Police) Tuberculosis test certificate (if required for your country of residence)

Check your financial evidence If you are using a bank statement as your financial evidence, check that:

The account holds cash funds and there are no restrictions on withdrawing the money (shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds are not permitted, nor are family business accounts)

The letter is printed on the bank’s headed paper If you are using electronic printouts, they are stamped on every page by the bank OR accompanied

by a letter from the bank confirming they are genuine The statement shows the account holder(s)’ legal name(s) The statement shows the account number and the financial institution’s name and logo The statement was issued no more than 31 days before the date of application The statement shows you have held the required amount of funds for at least 28 consecutive days You enclose a certified translation if your statement is not in English

If you are using a bank letter, check that:

The account holds cash funds and there are no restrictions on withdrawing the money (shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds are not permitted, nor are family business accounts)

The letter is printed on the bank’s headed paper The letter shows the account holder(s) legal name(s) The letter shows the account number and the financial institution’s name and logo The letter was issued no more than 31 days before the date of application The letter shows you have held the required amount of funds for at least 28 consecutive days (the

letter must state that the funds have been held “from X date to Y date”: it is NOT sufficient to simply state the amount of funds in the account on the date of issue)

You enclose a certified translation if your letter is not in English If you are using a bank account in your parent(s) or guardian(s)’ name, ensure you enclose:

Evidence of your relationship (e.g. birth or adoption certificate), with a certified translation if the original is not in English

Letter from your parents confirming they give you permission to use the money for your studies

Keep photocopies of all documentation you submit. You may need to rely on these if there is a problem with your application.

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We strongly encourage you to get your application checked by one of our international team. Please e-mail a pdf of your answers to international@rcm.ac.uk.

Do not continue past this point until you have thoroughly checked your answers and documents.

This is the last opportunity to make changes. After this point your answers will be locked.

This is a legal

declaration that all

the information in

this form is correct

to the best of your

knowledge, and

that you hold all

the required

documents (even if

you are a “low-risk

national”). If

anything is

subsequently

proven to be false,

your application

could be refused.

Click here to

download a pdf

document

showing your

answers.

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PAYING THE IMMIGRATION HEALTH SURCHARGE

We recommend that you print off the payment confirmation with your IHS reference number for your records.

PAYING FOR YOUR VISA APPLICATION In most counties you will now be taken through to the online application payment service. There are a few countries where this is not available, in which case you will pay your application fee on the date you attend your appointment at the Visa Application Centre. UKVI’s normal service standard for processing applications made outside the UK is 15 working days. However, there may be quicker priority services available at your local Visa Application Centre. Check whether these are offered and make sure you pay the correct fee. Once you have made your payment, you will be able to print your visa application. We suggest that you print two copies: one to take to your appointment and one to keep for reference.

BOOKING YOUR APPOINTMENT AT THE VISA APPLICATION CENTRE You should now be taken through to the booking system to make your appointment at your closest Visa Application Centre. On the day of your appointment, you will need to take along a print-out of your application and all of your supporting documents. These must be originals, not photocopies. You will have your “biometrics” taken (i.e. a digital photo and your fingerprints). You may also be asked to undertake a short interview via video-link with a member of UKVI staff in the UK. This will be in English and you will be asked questions about your course and where you plan to live in the UK, so make sure you know this information.

You will now be

taken through to

the webpage to

pay the IHS.

Note that the

charge is

calculated on the

length of leave

you will be

granted, not the

course duration.

You can find more

information at

https://www.gov

.uk/healthcare-

immigration-

application

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BRP COLLECTION Your visa will take the form of a “Biometric Residence Permit” (BRP), which is a plastic card the size of a credit card. These can only be printed in the UK, so initially you will be given an Entry Clearance sticker in your passport. This will be valid for 30 days to allow you to travel to the UK. Once you arrive, you will need to collect your BRP from the designated Post Office within 10 days. When your visa is granted your decision letter will tell you when and where your BRP will be ready for collection. Your BRP will either be delivered to the nearest Post Office branch to the RCM (on Kensington High Street) or the nearest branch to your accommodation, depending on the post code you provide. The RCM is not an Alternative Collection Location and does not have an ACL code. Applicants under the age of 18 should note that they are not permitted to collect their BRP without a responsible adult. If one of your parents will be travelling to the UK with you to help you settle in, you can nominate them to collect your BRP for you. You need to nominate them at least a week before you plan to collect your BRP, using the form at https://www.gov.uk/biometric-residence-permits/collect. If you are travelling to the UK alone, please contact international@rcm.ac.uk and we will arrange permission for one of our staff to attend the Post Office with you. This normally takes 5 working days so please give us plenty of notice. If you need us to provide this service, it is helpful if you can arrange to arrive a few working days before the first day of term, as our staff have limited availability to accompany you during the first few days of Induction Week.