No. 46 - Adult Student Visas - Acceptable Courses - Part 1

Adult students may only study courses deemed acceptable by the UK Border Agency.  Acceptable courses include those:

No. 47 - Adult Student Visas - Acceptable Courses - Part 2

[Continued from Immigration 101: Adult Student Visas - Acceptable Courses (#46)]

What about work placements?

Adult students are allowed to do a work placement as part of their course of study, as long as the work placement is an assessed part of the course.  In most cases, the work placement must be no more than 50% of the length of the course in the UK.  An example is if a course is two years long and the first year of the course involves full-time study, with the last year in a work placement.

The work placement can only be more than 50% of the length of the course if there is a legal (statutory) requirement for the course to contain a specific period of work placement.

Anyone with a home or work address in the Greater Manchester region can now make an appointment to register for their identity card, with the first appointments taking place at the end of this month.

The new National Identity Service will soon be rolled out nationwide.  The cards will cost £30 cards and provide a secure and convenient way for people to prove their identity.

The Government hopes identity cards will deliver a number of other key benefits to residents, businesses and local authorities, including:

• A universal and simple proof of identity that means an end to the use of photocopied bank statements, phone bills and birth certificates, and brings convenience for both organisations and individuals;
  
  
• Ensures that foreign nationals living, working and studying here legally are able to easily prove their identity and prevent those here illegally from benefiting from the privileges of Britain; &
  
  
• Allows citizens to use the identity card, which fits in a wallet or purse, in place of a passport for travel throughout Europe.

The Government announced new rules for migrant workers yesterday.  Under measures in the draft Immigration Bill, the five current application categories available to migrants will be replaced by one clear concept - permission to stay in the UK.

Over the past three years the UK has seen the introduction of e-borders to check individuals in and out of the country and the implementation of the points based immigration system so that only those who benefit the economy can come here to work.

The Government is now proposing a new Bill to bring forward a new legal framework to simplify and consolidate 40 years of Immigration laws.

Border and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said:

[Continued from Immigration 101: Student Visa Sponsors - Part 2 (#44)]

Overseas higher education providers (continued)

If a provider is teaching full programmes to students enrolled full-time in the United Kingdom, they will need United Kingdom accreditation before they apply for their tier 4 licence.  If they are delivering a 'study abroad' programme through a third party (such as a United Kingdom university), the third party will need United Kingdom accreditation before it can apply for a tier 4 licence.

The student visitor route (see below) will be appropriate for some study abroad students, provided that they:

[Continued from Immigration 101: Student Visa Sponsors - Part 1 (#43)]

Accreditation (continued)

All other providers outside the system of public reviews must show that they hold valid accreditation from one of the following bodies:

Only approved education providers offering acceptable courses of study are eligible to be tier 4 student visa sponsors.  The only exceptions are as follows:

• The Foundation Programme Office may sponsor migrants on the two-year Foundation Programme for postgraduate doctors and dentists.
  
  
• Where the migrant's programme of study forms part of an overseas degree course, the prospective sponsor in the United Kingdom can be an organisation linked by common ownership or control to the overseas university.  But the UK Border Agency (UKBA) may ask for proof of these links before they will consider granting a sponsor licence.

What education providers must show

Education providers seeking a tier 4 sponsor licence must show that:

No. 42 - Adult Student Visas - Provider License

License withdrawal & suspension

The licence of your approved education provider may be suspended or withdrawn at any time.  The affect this has on you will depend on when the suspension or withdrawal occurs:

An approved education provider is a student's immigration sponsor while they are in the UK and must comply with a number of duties.

The education provider must be approved by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and have a licence to bring students to the UK. 

Once they are licensed, they are given a rating and added to the UKBA tier 4 register of sponsors; they can also issue visa letters to people who want to apply for student visas.

Once an education provider has been chosen, the student should ensure it is on the Register of sponsors; if the provider is not on the register, it will not be able to sponsor the student for a visa.

No. 40 - Adult Student Visas - How Do I Apply?

The application process for adult student visas depends on where you are when you apply.

Students in the UK

If you're applying inside the UK, you should first choose the course you want to study and check that it's accepted by the UK Border Agency. 

No. 39 - Adult Student Visas - What Do I Need?

To obtain an adult student visa under the UK's points-based immigration system, an applicant must have 40 points:

1. A place on an acceptable course with an approved education provider (also known as sponsorship) is valued at 30 points.
   
   
2. The applicant must also show they have enough money (also known as maintenance or funds) to cover their course fees and monthly living costs for a 28-day period ending no more than one month before the visa application is submitted.  This is valued at 10 points.

No. 38 - Adult Student Visas - How Long Can I Stay?

As the table below illustrates, the length of time someone can stay in the UK on an adult student visa depends on the type and length of their course:

No. 37 - Adult Student Visas - Can I Apply?

All people aged over 16 years old who want to come to the UK (or remain here) to study can apply for an adult student visa.

16 and 17 years olds should be aware that they can choose whether to apply as an adult student or a child student, depending on the type and level of course they want to study.

You do not need a student visa if:

• you are an European Economic Area or Swiss national;
  
  
• you are a British overseas territories citizen, unless you are from one of the sovereign base areas in Cyprus;
  
  
• you are a Commonwealth citizen with permission to enter or stay in the UK because at least one of your grandparents was born here; or
  
  
• you have no conditions or time limit attached to your stay in the UK.

No. 36 - Adult Student Visas - Overview

Adult student visas are for people aged over 16 years old who want to come to the UK or remain here to study .

NB. 16 and 17 years olds should be aware that they can choose whether to apply as an adult student or a child student, depending on the type and level of course they want to study.

Foreign students play a big role in the UK's cultural and economic wealth and help make the country's education sector one of the finest in the world.  In 2008, tuition fees from international students totalled over £2.5 billion. 

Over the past month, we've taken a look at almost every aspect of child student visas.