UK Visa Guide

According to the most recent information, the number of people applying for student visas to study in the UK from India has surged by 89%. In light of these circumstances, efforts are currently being made to improve the processing time for student visas to the UK. Students who desire to study in the United Kingdom for a period longer than 6 months should familiarise themselves with the following three types of UK Study Visas:

• Short-term Study Visa: The UK's Short-term Study Visa is designed for individuals who wish to enrol in an English language programme for up to 11 months.
• Student Visa: Applicants who desire higher education in the United Kingdom are the only ones eligible to apply for this visa category. The Tier 4 Student Visa was once known as the Tier 4 (General) Student Visa. These days, however, the Tier 4 Student Visa is the term that is most generally used.
• Child Student Visa: This visa is for children between the ages of 4 and 17 who wish to attend an independent school in the United Kingdom and fall within the eligibility requirements. The previous designation for this visa was the Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa.

UK Point-based Visa System
 

Students must be made aware that the United Kingdom Visa is a point-based visa system and that in order to apply for one, candidates need to fulfil all of the conditions outlined in the Immigration Rules and have a total of 40 points.

UK Student Visa Part-time Work 
 

You are permitted to work for up to 20 hours per week (UK Student Visa) as long as you are enrolled in a bachelor's degree programme or higher at a UK college that is listed on both the official 'UKBA Sponsor list and the list of recognised bodies.' Additionally, you are permitted to work full-time during vacations or summer holidays. Students should be aware that they are permitted to work for ten hours per week if the level of their course is lower than that of a degree programme in the United Kingdom (for example, foundation or pre-sessional English). In addition, students who possess a Short-term Study Visa are not permitted to hold employment. 
 

UK Student Visa: Dependents 
 

The spouse and/or children of the principal applicant are eligible to get a Dependent Visa for the same duration as the primary applicant. The application for the Master's degree is the only one for which this is relevant. Your training programme needs to be at least nine months long and must be at level 7 or higher on the RQF scale. In the United Kingdom, dependents are not permitted to travel with undergraduate students.

Your dependents can seek immigration status as "dependents of a Points-Based System migrant" if you have a student visa. Each person who is considered a dependent must submit their own application and pay their own fee. 
 

You are required to show proof of your own maintenance funds in addition to an additional £845 (within London) or £680 (outside London) for each dependent for each month that you are applying for up to a maximum of 9 months' worth of maintenance funds. This requirement applies only if you are applying for maintenance funds within London. If you already have a scholarship, you can put it toward covering the costs of your dependents' upkeep by using the money from the scholarship. The letter offering the scholarship needs to clarify that there is money available for your dependents as well.

UK Student Visa: Additional Information

If you wish to work in that country after finishing your education there, you will first need to submit an application for a Graduate Visa, and then you will need to submit an application for a Tier 2 visa, which is for Highly Skilled Workers. Therefore, you will not be granted a work permit in addition to your student visa. You are required to submit a separate application for a work visa. 
 

If the vacation is granted for more than a year, your spouse will be able to find employment in the United Kingdom. Your spouse would not be able to find employment in the United Kingdom (UK)if the visa that was granted to you was for a period of less than a year or if you are enrolled in a programme of study that is at a level lower than a degree.

Premium Visa Services

Students can choose to pay an additional charge for either the Priority Visa Service or the Super Priority Visa Service to shorten the amount of time it takes for their UK Study Visa to be processed. The standard processing period for a UK Study Visa is at least three weeks. When you submit your biometric information, UK Visas and Immigration will make a decision on your Priority Visa application and will get in touch with you to let you know that your passport is ready to be collected within five working days of receiving it. This is part of the Priority Visa Application, and it is one of the goals of this programme. The same amount of work is finished in a period of just twenty-four hours if you apply for a Super Priority Visa. Candidates should be aware that the cost of this service is in addition to the fee for applying for a visa and that the money is non-refundable in the event that the application for a visa is denied or, in rare instances, if it takes much longer to process. 
 

• There is a further fee of £500 associated with the UK Priority Visa.
• Additional fees of £800 are required for applicants seeking a UK Super Priority Visa. 
   

UK Student Visa: Where to apply

Tier 4 visa applications for study in the United Kingdom can be submitted entirely online. The URL to the form, which you can fill out, can be found below:
 

You are required to go to VFS Global's Visa Application Centre in Delhi in order to have your biometrics interview:

VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

Shivaji Stadium Metro Station, Mezzanine Level, 

Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place, 

New Delhi- 110001.
 

Locations of the United Kingdom's Embassies and Consulates

1. British High Commission New Delhi 
 

Shantipath, Chanakyapuri

New Delhi 110021

Phone: 011-24192100

2. British Deputy High Commission Mumbai

Naman Chambers, 

C/32 G Block Bandra Kurla Complex,

Bandra (East), Mumbai 400051

3. British Deputy High Commission Chennai 
 

20, Anderson Rd, Thousand Lights West, 

Gandhi Nagar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600006

4. British Deputy High Commission Kolkata

1A, Ho Chi Minh Sarani Rd, Kankaria Estates, Park Street area, 

Kolkata, West Bengal 700071

5. British Deputy High Commission Bengaluru 
 

SAFINA TOWERS, 5th Floor, North Tower, 3, 

Ali Asker Rd, Bengaluru, 

Karnataka 560052
 

Scholarships for Studying in the UK

It is widely acknowledged that the educational system in the UK is among the very best in the world. However, the vast majority of overseas students require some form of financial help in order to continue their studies at that location. Scholarships of varying kinds are offered to international students who wish to pursue their education in the United Kingdom in order to facilitate the achievement of their goals. You can discover a list of some of the most prestigious scholarships for academic study in the United Kingdom down below. 
 

• Lady Meherbai D.Tata Education Trust Scholarship
• The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India Scholarships- University of Cambridge
• London Business School Fund Scholarships
• Global Study Awards 
  
   

Update on PSW UK 
 

The new post-study work visa (PSW UK) for overseas students has been made officially available by the Home Office in the United Kingdom. Following completion of their academic programmes, students from India and other countries would be able to remain in the United Kingdom legally and look for employment there. The Graduate route is structured in such a way that it encourages international students who have graduated from a recognised university in the UK to remain in the country and look for work for a minimum of two years before applying for the next stage of their immigration process. 
 

Those international students who are considering beginning their postsecondary education in the United Kingdom beginning in the academic year 2020–21 will find that the new immigration laws are to their advantage. Candidates who started their studies in the fall of 2020 or in the spring of 2021 will have until September 27, 2021, to be in the United Kingdom with a valid student visa. In addition, students who are planning to begin their studies later this year or early the following year must be physically present in the United Kingdom by April 6, 2022, at the latest.

• An academic course must have been offered to the student by a licenced student sponsor before the student can enrol.
• A student must have adequate financial resources to maintain their living expenses during the course duration.
• A student is expected to be fluent in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding the English language.
• Students who are 16 or 17 are required to receive permission from their parents before taking part in certain activities.
   

UK Student Visa: Documents Required

UK Student Visa Requirements: By comparison, if you want to apply for a student visa, you'll need to bring a lot more paperwork with you than if you want to apply for a tourist visa. Documents required to be submitted by aspirants include financial and academic records, in addition to supporting documents that must be submitted. Before you go to the consulate for the interview for your UK student visa, make sure you look through the checklist that is provided for you.
 

Before you apply, make sure you have the following documents in your possession:
 

• An application for a student visa that has been completed in its entirety
• A letter stating that you have been accepted onto the programme. Your official educational provider will provide you with an acceptance letter (also known as CAS or Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) and a visa letter. These documents represent official and unreserved offers of a place on a programme of study. It is required that the visa letter be granted no more than six months before the application is submitted. Students have six months from the time they get their CAS to submit an application for a study visa to the United Kingdom.
• Even though you have a visa letter, there is no assurance that your application will be approved. The applicant needs to satisfy all of the criteria for the category in question and the criteria for immigration laws in general.
• Proof of Funds: The amount of money you need to show covers your tuition for the first year of your programme of study and your living expenses for up to nine months (1 academic year). The sum that you will require will be determined by whether you are applying as a kid or an adult, as well as by whether you will be studying in London or somewhere else. You are required to provide evidence that you have held onto the money for at least one month. The conclusion of that 28-day period must fall within 1 month of the date on which you submit your application at the very latest.
  • You are required to demonstrate that you have the following sum of money to cover your basic living expenses (fees are not included) for a period of up to nine months: £12,006 for nine months (£1,334 per month) if you live in London; £9,207 for nine months (£1,023 per month) if you live outside of London.
  • On the other side, a student is free from having to submit proof of funding when applying for a visa if they have been in the country with a valid visa for at least a year.
• The confirmation receipt for the payment of the visa fees
• Payslips
• Mark sheets and interim certificates are the originals.
• Score sheet for many standardised tests such as the TOEFL, GMAT, and IELTS.

There are several steps involved in the application process for a student visa to study in the United Kingdom. The processing time for applications for a UK Study Visa is three weeks after the application has been submitted in its entirety.

Step 1 - Determine whether or not you meet the requirements to apply for a student visa. You are required to demonstrate that you have the following:

• A place that has been reserved for you at the university, college, or other educational institution that you intend to attend. A "confirmation of acceptance for studies" is the name given to this document (CAS).
• A sufficient amount of money, often known as "maintenance or finances," to pay for your tuition and living expenses in the United Kingdom.
   

Step 2: Prepare all of your necessary documentation.
 

Step 3: Apply for the visa online. On the official website for the UK Visa, you will be required to register and create an account. After you have finished filling out your online application form, you will need to print out the form and sign it after it is finished. In order to schedule an appointment at the visa application centre, you are required to use the online appointment calendar. After you have finished submitting your application online, you will get a notification in your email inbox that contains your application number.

Step 4: Pay your application cost. Your visa application fee can be paid in one of four different ways.

• Payment at Standard Chartered Bank - Some locations of Standard Chartered Bank allow you to make your payment for the service charge there. The demand draught will be made payable to 'The British High Commission' and will be issued by the bank.
• You can pay your charge by obtaining a demand draught from either a nationalised or a foreign bank. This type of draught can be used to pay for your fee. The fees that a bank will charge for providing this service will vary. It is imperative that the demand draught be made payable to "The British High Commission."
• The processing of payments at the Visa Application Center When you travel to the centre where visa applications are processed, you will have the opportunity to pay the visa application fee. This can be done when you submit your application for a visa.
• You can pay for your visa application cost online using a credit or debit card issued by Visa or MasterCard. This option is available to you.
   

Step 5: On the date that was previously scheduled, go to the visa application centre. You need to make an appointment at the visa application centre and show up for it in order to submit your application, as well as a photograph of your face and your fingerprints.
 

It is acceptable for students to cancel their applications at any time. They need to get in touch with UKVI in this regard (UK Visas and Immigration). Their payment will be returned in the event that the application review procedure has not yet begun.

If students apply for a UK Student Visa from a country other than the UK, the application price is £363 (about Rs. 35,100). This fee was formerly the Tier 4 (General) Student Visa. In addition, you will be required to pay a healthcare premium, which is determined by the length of your stay. The various ways that payments can be made are detailed down below.
 

• Student can pay for our online purchases with a MasterCard or a Visa card.
• Through the use of a demand draught, which can be obtained at the visa application centre as well as certain Standard Chartered Bank locations.
• Cash transactions can be completed at the visa application facility and select Standard Chartered Bank locations.

Students are cautioned to be aware that if they are already present in the UK and desire to switch to a UK Student Visa, they will be required to pay a cost of £490.