Step 1: Becoming a Student Again
To be able to apply for your student visa you have to have been accepted to a university, and received a form from the University called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). You can only apply for your CAS 4 months in advance of your start date, and I had to pay my deposit first. My deposit was £1000, approximately $1500.
Step 2: Finances
You have to be able to prove your financial standing whether it be a sponsor, scholarship, or personal funds. Presently the standard is your tuition and then 9 months of living expenses; the UK Border Agency deems it necessary to have £800 per month outside London or £1000 per month for London and metropolitan area. Every thing must be listed in British Pounds (GBP), and the UK Border Agency uses a particular website for conversion.
A scholarship through your university will be listed on your CAS, as will any payments already made like your deposit. These amounts can be deducted from your minimum required amount of financing. If using personal funds a bank statement must be provided and you must have held the minimum required balance for at least 28 days.
Step 3: Applying for Visa
A. Application
You must submit your online application, pay the application fee (which is approximately $500), and choose a date for your biometrics meeting. The online application is your personal information. Then for US nationals there is a paper component that covers the program you'll be studying and the finances. You must include a recent passport photo on the application, no more than 6 months old.
B. Biometrics meeting
This is an appointment at an immigration office near you. Mine was about an hour away from my house. At this appointment they take your photo and all 10 of your finger prints. I had to schedule a meeting time, however upon arrival I was placed into a queue of people and had to wait for my number to be called. The only rationale I could come up with for having a scheduled appointment time was for them to ensure that a manageable amount of people showed up during each hour. Once I was called back the process of taking my information took all of 5 minutes. You have to take a specific form that is printed with your online application and then they stamp it and it must be included in the application that is mailed to the UK Border Agency.
C. Mailing It In
For US nationals it must be mailed. And they tell you where to mail it. I had to send mine to the British Consulate in NYC. Inside must be:
-your printed online application
-your paper application including recent passport photo
-your CAS
-your financial proof
-your stamped biometrics form
-your passport (yes, the real thing)
-a prepaid envelop to mail your documents back to you
This must all be mailed within 2 weeks of your biometrics meeting. I had mine mailed overnight priory there, which included $100 of insurance. I received an email stating that they had received my application the next day. I had heard a few different time frames to hear an approval or denial, somewhere between 8 and 21 days. Well I received an email after 1 week that it had been approved and was in the mail back to me. Two days later I received my passport and visa inside. My visa is actually a sticker on a page in my passport.
With my Tier 4 Student Visa I am able to work up to 20 hours per week during term time. Personally, I have not decide yet if I want to work. I am going to wait to see how intense my program is first and I also want to find an internship like opportunity before taking a menial waitressing job or something similar.
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