Student Visa

                          
How does the student visa process work ?

Is it easy getting a student visa to the United Kingdom?’ this is one of the common questions that one hears from students. Let’s now see on how the student visa works

To get a student visa under the TIER 4 point based system you need to get 40 points.

Having a CAS get you 30 points

Having the required maintenance funding gets you 10 points
 
What is a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)?

A CAS is an electronic document that is created by a UK Border Agency licensed sponsor to demonstrate that they have accepted an applicant to join one of their courses in the UK. Under Tier 4 an applicant must have a CAS before making an application. The CAS must demonstrate that the applicant has an official, unconditional offer from the sponsor for the course of study he / she wants to undertake. The applicant must note the unique fourteen digit reference number for their CAS on the appropriate field on their application form.

The CAS must be issued no longer than 6 months before the date of application, otherwise it will expire. Having a valid CAS will not guarantee entry clearance as the applicant will still need to demonstrate that they meet all the Immigration Rules for the category.

You may obtain several CAS from different licensed sponsors, but you should only apply for a visa with the one from your chosen institution. The others will automatically be made obsolete once your application is made.

How to show your maintenance funds?
 
One of the requirements of Tier 4 is that an applicant coming to the United Kingdom must be able to support himself/herself for the entire duration of his/her stay in the United Kingdom without use of public funds.

On a course of more than 9 months you will need to show the first year of tuition fees plus 9 months of maintenance at the rates given above. 

This would mean £7200 for studying in the Inner London Boroughs and £5400 for studying elsewhere. 
 
Documents needed to prove funding

Savings account pass books
 
These should clearly show:
       Your name/the name of your parent(s) or legal guardian, if applicable;
       Your account number;
       The financial institution’s name and logo;
       The level of funds available.

Letter from a bank confirming funds
 
These should clearly show:
       Your name/the name of your parent(s) or legal guardian if applicable;
       Your account number;
       The date of the letter;
       The financial institution’s name and logo;
       The funds held in your account;
       That there is enough money in the account to cover your tuition fees and living costs.

Letter from a regulated financial institution confirming funds or loan
 
These should clearly show:
       Your name/the name of your parent(s) or legal guardian if applicable;
       Your account number (unless for a loan);
       The date of the letter;
       The financial institution’s name and logo;
        and either
       The funds held in your account; or
       The funds available to you as a loan.

Students using money held by his / her parents

If you are relying on money held by your parent(s) / legal guardian, you must show that you are related to your parent(s) / legal guardian.

You must provide either:
Your birth certificate showing names of your parent(s);
Your certificate of adoption showing names of both parent(s) or legal guardian;
A court document naming your legal guardian.
The document must be the original legal document or a notarised copy.

If you are relying on money held by your parent(s) / legal guardian, you must also show that your parent(s) / legal guardian has given their permission for you to use this money. You must provide:

A letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian.

The letter must confirm:

The relationship between you and your parent(s) or legal guardian; and
That your parent(s) or legal guardian has given their consent to you using their funds to study in the UK.

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Funding Your Studies

                          
MANY people see education as a cost, and not an investment. But things are changing for the better as mindsets are changing. If the cost of education is to be a worthy investment, it's imperative to plan for the same. Here we offer you a few pointers to keep in mind while planning for your funds for your course.

Payback period

From an investment perspective, you would definitely give preference to a stream that leads to a commercially rewarding career. For instance if you aspire for an MSc Advanced Computing course from a UK University, one of the guiding factors would be the return on your initial investment, i.e. the cost of education at the University. Say your one-year stay there costs Rs 10 lakh. A look at the average salaries offered if a student is successful in getting a job in the UK reveals that the payback period for your most critical investment would be less than three years or at the maximum, five years. However this does not hold true for all the courses, as for some courses the payback period is not as short as it is for the computing career.

Same course different institutions

If the pedigree of institutions is similar, opt for the one with the lowest cost structure. So while the inflows after your course will roughly be the same, you could improve on the return on investment by minimising your initial outflow.

Loans

One of the best options is educational loans, which have several benefits like:

Banks can now lend up to Rs 15 lakh to a single borrower.
An initial moratorium period till you finish your course and get a job; so there is less pressure to repay.
When you move into a job or, for that matter, the highest income bracket, you can deduct the interest cost you incur for this loan from your taxable income.

Say, you want to finance your MBA in the UK by taking a loan for Rs 13 lakh from a bank at 12 per cent per annum for 7 years. The repayment would begin after one and a half years out of the campus or when you get into your first job.

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Pre-departure guidance

                          
VASA Student Services arranges a number of pre departure briefings before the start of the course every year. Typically the pre departure briefing would cover the following topics

Information on Flight ticket
Information on Accommodations
Information on What to carry with you
Information on What not to carry
Information on Essentials things to Buy from India
Information on Weather
Information on how to pay your Tuition Fees
Information on When and where to arrive
Information on Travel from the airports to the University
Information on Opening a Bank a/c
Information on Enrolment
Information on Safety and Security
Information on Driving in the UK
Information on Working as a Student/Mobile
Connections/Cooking/Plagiarism

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Scholarship guidance

                          
VASA Student Services offers you advice on scholarships you will be eligible to apply for and how to apply for them.
Please contact our counsellors on how to go ahead with the application process.
Click Here for a list of scholarships

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