University of East London is a public university located in the London Borough of Newham, London, England, based at three campuses in Stratford and Docklands, following the opening of University Square Stratford in September 2013.

Student Visa requirements for the UK

The UK Government provides an opportunity for all students to study in the country but as a prerequisite, you’ll have to obtain a student visa first to study in UK.

The visa you need will depend on your age and the type of study you wish to pursue in the UK.

Here’s an overview of the types of study visas and their application requirements:

Type of student  visa	Who it’s for	When to    apply	Arrival in the UK
Tier 4 (General) student visa	Students aged 16 or over who have been offered a place in a course at a UK educational institution	Three months before the start of your course	Up to one week before if your course lasts six months or fewer. Up to one month before if your course lasts more than six months
Tier 4 (Child) student visa	Students aged between four and 17 who have been offered a place in a course at a UK educational institution with a valid Tier 4 sponsor, such as an independent fee-paying school	Three months before the start of your course	Up to one week before if your course lasts six months or fewer. Up to one month before if your course lasts more than six months
Short-term study visa	Students who have offered a place in a short-term course in the UK, such as an English language course or training course	Three months before your date of travel to the UK	Depends on your nominated travel dates
Tier 4 (General) student visa	Students who have been offered a place in a course at a UK educational institution with a valid Tier 4 sponsor	Three months before the start of your course	Up to one month before if your course lasts more than six months

 *For detailed information, please visit the Gov.UK website

To be eligible for a Tier 4 student visa, you must:

• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed Tier 4 sponsor
• Be able to speak, read, write and understand English
• Financial proofs i.e., exhibiting enough money to support yourself and pay for your course
• For short term study visa, you must show the intention to leave the UK within 30 days of the end of your study (i.e., before the end of date of your immigration permission)

 Documents required for Tier 4 student visa

When applying for your Tier 4 visa, you will generally need:

• A current passport or other valid travel documentation
• Evidence of funds to provide your living expenses for the duration of your course
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number and documents used to obtain CAS
• Passport-sized colour photographs
• Tuberculosis screening (if required)
• Assessment documentation
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate (if required)

Additional documents may also be needed if you are:

• Not a citizen of the country you are applying from
• Under 18 years of age
• Have family (dependents)

If any of your supporting documents is not in English, you will need to have it translated. Each translated document must be dated, and include the translator’s name and signature and confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document.

Visa fee

Visa fee depends upon the visa that you will apply for:

Visa type	Visa fee
General student visa (Tier 4)	It costs £348 as the application fee for the visa from outside the UK. Also, you must pay £348 per person for any dependants.
Tier 4 (Child) student visa	It costs £348 as an application fee for a Tier 4 (Child) student visa from outside the UK. Also, You’ll have to pay the healthcare surcharge that will be part of your application.
Short-term study visa	It costs: •             £97 for a 6-month visa •             £186 for an 11-month visa

 Mode of payment 

• Online mode i.e., MasterCard or Visa card
• Through demand draft to be submitted at the visa application centre or the selected branches of Standard Chartered Bank
• Through Cash payment at the visa application centre or the selected branches of Standard Chartered Bank

 English language requirements

To gain your UK student visa and study abroad, you’ll have to provide evidence of proficiency in the English language. This usually means passing a secure English language test to be able to prove your communication and correspondence skills.

IELTS for UKVI is an IELTS test approved for UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) purposes. This applies to everyone coming from a non-English-speaking country. While there is no change in the content, format or level of difficulty and scoring, IELTS for UKVI simply follows certain extra security protocols to ensure the authenticity of the test taker.

You may also have to appear for a personal interview at the UK embassy or consulate.

It depends upon the type of visa that you will apply, as it will include the minimum requirement of IELTS exam:

Visa type	IELTS requirement
Tier 4 (General) student visa – below degree level and pre-sessional courses	IELTS for UKVI – 4.0 overall, and in each of the four skills
Tier 4 (General) student visa – degree level and above	IELTS/IELTS for UKVI – 5.5 overall, and in each of the four skills

 Biometric residence permit

As part of your application, you must also obtain a biometric residence permit (BRP) from the UKVI. You will need to make an appointment with the UKVI to have your fingers and thumbs scanned and a digital photo taken of your face.

You can always contact us for a free counselling session and we can guide you on how to go about the entire visa application process.