Visa Guidance

Visa Guidance

You are advised to check the latest information and policy guidance before you make any application. The United Kingdom is considering leaving the European Union, which will probably have an impact on the visa requirements for all overseas applicants.  You may find the following websites helpful:

https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/EU-EEA--Swiss-Students/Brexit-what-does-it-mean-for-students-and-their-family 

https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/studentnews/1252/UK-Government-white-paper-on-post-Brexit-immigration-system

The information below is for guidance only.

Who Needs a Visa?

You will need a visa if you are not from the European Economic Area (EEA) or a Swiss National. The British Government has a helpful website: GOV.UK which has all the relevant information you will need to apply for a visa. Please ensure you are aware of the visa requirements, particularly the time scales and costs involved before applying so that if your All Nations application is accepted, you can plan ahead in time for the start of your study programme.

Further information on studying in the UK can also be found at:
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk
http://www.britishcouncil.org

Tier 4 Student Visa – Studying for more than 6 months

Please note that only applicants for OU-validated programmes (Cert HE, Dip HE and BA (Hons)) may apply for a Tier 4 visa. The UKVI will not grant Tier 4 visas to students taking the ANCC Certificate and ANCC Diploma programmes.

You can apply as an adult student if you are coming to the United Kingdom for your education and are over the age of 16 years.

To be able to apply for a student visa you must provide the following proof. All of these must be ORIGINAL documents; photocopies will not be acceptable
(NB Online bank statements are not permitted – you need to obtain an original bank statement directly from your bank):

• Academic IELTS for UKVI test. Please note that the IELTS test must be sat at a UKVI approved centre. See www.gov.uk for the list of approved centres.
• Academic qualifications certificate – this will be one of the certificates you have already sent to the College with your application. The Administrators will let you know which one you need to take with you to the visa office when they issue your CAS.
• Proof of funds. This will be a bank statement showing that you have had sufficient funds in your bank account continuously for the 28 days prior to your visa application, for fees and living costs for a whole year. The amount changes each year but it is more than the cost of your course and the accommodation costs charged by All Nations (about £4,500 more); the Administrators will give you the current figure required. For full information see the UK Visa and Immigration site: www.gov.uk website. For other costs, see also the note on the Health Surcharge below.
• All the other documents you need to take with you are listed on the UK Visa and Immigration site: www.gov.uk website.  
• Tuberculosis Testing is a requirement for students entering the UK from certain countries. See www.gov.uk for more information.

You must also arrange to have your photograph taken and give your fingerprints, which are known as biometric information. See www.gov.uk -biometric information website for more information.

You may not apply for your visa until All Nations has issued you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). This document is the College's confirmation to the visa office that you have a genuine place with us and to indicate the paperwork that forms part of our offer and must therefore be submitted with your application. In order to issue your CAS we will need to see:

• Proof that sufficient funds have been in your bank account continuously for 28 days prior to making your visa application
• Academic certificates and/or transcripts (we will let you know if we also need NARIC verification of the equivalency of your qualification)
• A copy of your passport
• An academic IELTS for UKVI certificate taken at a SELTS centre and showing the correct score.
   

Please note that we are not licensed to provide a CAS for dependants (ie for a spouse or children) even for postgraduate studies.  See www.gov.uk for more details.

You may find the following helpful:

• The College is known as your ‘sponsor’. All Nations holds an “A” rated Sponsorship License and is accredited by the OUVS and the British Accreditation Council.
• The Administrators will inform you as soon as your CAS has been issued and remind you which original documents you need to take with you when you apply. NB You still need to check the visa website to ensure you have ALL the documentation they require.
• You must take all the documentation we have mentioned on the CAS with you when you visit the visa office. If you do not take everything with you and your CAS is rejected we may not be able to reissue you with another CAS and you will not be able to come to the College to study as planned. We are only allocated a certain number of CAS applications per year so please double check that you have done all you need to do.
• The CAS is valid for 6 months from the date of issue, but a CAS will be withdrawn if we discover anything wrong with your application.
• The Tier 4 visa does not permit a student to work whilst in the UK.
• We are required to inform the home office if a Tier 4 student is either not attending classes or, if non-resident at the College, the student moves without informing the College.
• See the important note on the new Health Surcharge below.
• Please note: If you wish to continue studying with us beyond the length of your original course for which your visa is valid, you will need to renew your visa from overseas and supply proof of funds. (see page 1 paragraph 3).

Student Visitor / General Visitor – Studying for less than 6 months

You can apply as a student visitor if you are 18 years old or over, you want to come to the United Kingdom to do a course for up to six months, and you do not want to work while you are here.
You will not be able to switch and apply for an adult student visa while you are in the United Kingdom as a student visitor. If you want to apply for an adult student visa, you must apply from the country you live in.

To come to the United Kingdom as a general visitor, you must be able to show that:

• you are 18 years or over;
• you only want to visit the United Kingdom for up to six months, or up to 12 months if you are accompanying an academic visitor;
• you intend to leave the United Kingdom at the end of your visit;
• you have enough money to support and accommodate yourself without working or help from public funds, or you and any dependants will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends;
• you can meet the cost of the return or onward journey; and
• you are not in transit to a country outside the common travel area.

Immigration Health Surcharge 

All non-EU citizens entering Britain, must pay £300 per year of planned study at the time of your visa application i.e. If you are coming to study for three years, you must pay a £900 Health Surcharge (see www.gov.uk for more information.) From October 2020 the Health Surcharge will increase to £470 per year of study.