International Student Support

Tier 4 Visa Extensions

Most international students, at some time, need to extend their Tier 4 (General) student visa.  International Student Support and Advice and Support at Keele (ASK) are here to support and advise students who wish to extend their visas.  We recommend that you print off a Tier 4 (General) visa extension application form first and attempt to complete as much as you can in pencil before making an appointment with an adviser for checking and further assistance.  It is best to start your visa extension preparation at least one month before the expiry date of your visa.

You will need the following for a Tier 4 (General) Student visa extension:

• A completed Tier 4 (General) visa extension application form
• The visa application fee in postal orders (available from the Post Office in the Students' Union)
• Your passport (and previous passport if you used it to travel to the UK to study)
• Your Biometric Residence Permit (if you have one)
• Two identical passport photographs taken within the last month (we recommend you get your photographs from 1st Cameras in Newcastle - opposite the Roebuck Centre)
• Your up-to-date Police Registration Certificate (if you are required to register)
• Your CAS details
• Bank Statements
• Sponsor letter and statements

The Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS)

The CAS is a unique reference number that you will need when you make your visa application.  It confirms that you are a student on a degree course at Keele University and that this University is your Tier 4 sponsor.  The CAS number is obtained from the UK Border Agency by the Visa Compliance team at Keele and then given to you, after you have previously checked that all your details are correct on our records system.  The Visa Compliance team are based on the first floor of the Walter Moberly Building.  Please allow up to two weeks for the production of a CAS number.  Once you have the number, you can then use it in the relevant section of the visa extension application form.

How much money will I need to show?

International students who have already been studying on a course of more than six months (or have completed more than six months of their current course) will need to show £1,600 for their living costs.  Other international students will need to show £7,200 for their living costs (please see International Student Support or Advice and Support at Keele for more information).

The only thing that can reduce the amount of living costs that you must show, is if you live on-campus and have paid the University any accommodation fees for the current academic year.  If this applies to you, the amount paid can be shown in your CAS and a maximum of £1,000 can then be deducted from the amount required for living costs.

You will also need to show any outstanding tuition fees owed to the University for the current academic year.  If you have already paid all or part of your tuition fees, this can be shown in your CAS so you don't need to provide any further evidence of this amount paid.

How can I show this money?

You will need to provide bank statements that show at least the minimum amount of money required in your account for EVERY DAY of a minimum period of 28 days.

Any statement you provide must be no more than one month old on the date you submit your application.  The statement should be in your name, or include your name if it is a joint account. 

Statements from non-UK bank accounts can be used but you must provide an official translation, if not in English, plus a printed page from the OandA currency conversion website showing the amount in sterling and exchange rate for the day the statement was printed.

You are permitted to use your parents statements, but this can be difficult as you must obtain the statements, provide an official translation if not in English, include a printed page from the OandA website (see above), submit your birth certificate proving the relationship and an official translation if required and finally a letter from your parents that confirms the relationship and also confirms that they are willing to support you financially until the end of your course and an official translation if required!

Finally, if you are a sponsored student, you should include a recent letter from your sponsor confirming that they will continue to support you financially.  The letter should also include information on whether you are receiving sponsorship for your tuition fees only or tuition fees and living costs and amounts as applicable.  If you receive a scholarship from Keele University, information on this will be included in your CAS.

Working in the UK

Police Registration

Students from certain countries are required by law to register with the Police when they first arrive in the UK.  Click here to find a list of the nationalities required to register with the Police.  You are only required to do this if you have text on your entry clearance stating, for example, "Police Registration within 7 days of arrival" or if it has been stamped in your passport by passport control.

If you are required to register, you must do this within 7 days of your arrival in the UK.  The only exception is if you have made an appointment with International Student Support to attend one of the Police Registration days organised in October.  These days are for September starters only. 

If you arrive in the UK at any time other than September, will be living in Staffordshire, and need to register, please call Carole Madden in the Overseas Visitor Registration Office at Staffordshire Police Headquarters on 01785 235281.  Also, if you are already registered with Staffordshire Police and have recently extended your visa or have changed address, please also call Carole Madden on 01785 235281 and she will advise you on what you need to do.  This is because all changes must be reported to the Overseas Visitor Registration Office.

If you have any questions about Police Registration, please email internationalsupport@keele.ac.uk   

Visits from Family

Your friends or family members may wish to come to the UK for a short holiday and to see you during your time studying in the UK.  They may also decide to come to the UK for your graduation ceremony and for these visits they need to apply for a visit visa.

The UKVisas website has information on how to apply and also any forms they will need.  Please note that there are General Visitor and a Family Visitor visa categories.  Friends should apply for a General Visitor visa and family members should apply for a Family Visitor visa.

The documents they will need to provide with their application include:

• Applicant's passport
• Two identical photographs
• A letter of invitation from you (a Visitor Invite Example letter is provided)
• A Confirmation Letter from either Student Records in the Tawney Building or your Research Institute confirming your student status and details of your course
• A photocopy of the visa page (or Biometric Residence Permit if you have one) plus the personal details page in your passport
• The visa application fee
• Financial evidence that the applicant can support themselves during their time in the UK (usually three months of bank statements)
• Any travel or accommodation bookings
• An itinerary giving details of how time is to be spent in the UK
• Proof of intention to return home (e.g. a letter from an employer or a return ticket)
• Evidence of the family relationship may also help

For information on how to apply for a dependants visa to bring your husband/wife and/or child to the UK to join you for a longer period of time, please see the Dependants section of this website.

Dependant Visas

Leave of Absence and Extenuating Circumstances

Graduation

All international students should have sufficient time left at the end of their visa to attend their graduation ceremony.  You should have received a visa for the length of the course plus an additional four months if your course is 12 months or longer, or an additional two months if your course was less than 12 months.

Some students have to extend the submission date of their dissertation and therefore, graduation does not take place when initially expected and sometimes after the visa expiry date.  It was previously possible for those in the UK on a student visa to apply to the UKBA to 'switch' status and remain in the UK on a visitor visa for up to six months from the date of this new application but this is now not possible.  The UKBA now expect international students who have a graduation ceremony date after the expiry date of their student visa to leave the UK, and re-enter as a visitor just to attend the graduation ceremony.  The UKVisas website gives information on how to apply for a visit visa.

Visiting other countries

Many students wish to make the most of their free time between periods of study by visiting other countries, either in Europe or beyond. 

For countries outside of Europe, students should apply for a tourist/visit visa for each country they will visit.  Applications must be made to the relevant Embassy in London (or Edinburgh, Belfast etc if offered).

For visits to European countries, Britain has a special agreement that means that international students in the UK with a Tier 4 (General) visa or with Visa Student status, can apply for a 'Schengen' visa to enter a European country or several European countries as part of the same trip.  The golden rule is that you should always apply to the Embassy of the country that you will visit first - for example, if you are planning a trip and will fly into France, then travel to Italy and then cross into Germany before returning to the UK, the application must be submitted to the French Embassy in the UK.

The visa application process is different depending on the Embassy, some allow postal applications, others ask you to attend a pre-booked appointment in person.  You should check the website of the Embassy you are applying to. 

The things that you have to submit are always the same however, and these are:

• Your passport (and biometric card if your visa is not inside your passport)
• Two recent passport photos
• The visa application fee
• The Visa application form (downloaded from the Embassy website)
• Proof of funds for the trip (28 days of bank statements ending no more than one month before application.  The amount recommended is £30 for each day of your trip)
• Evidence of trip planning, e.g. travel bookings, hotel reservations, letters from friends/family offering accommodation
• Proof of Travel Insurance for the trip (the French Embassy prefer travel insurance policies from the Post Office)
• Trip itinerary

Do check on the website for a full description of the documents required and consult International Student Support if you need any further help.

Tier 4 Responsibilities