UK Student Visa

Hi Greenoak

Thanks for the response. So I gather that my application would be approved as long as my account shows that I have at least the amount recommended by the UK Border Agency.

By the way - I think you would still need to show 7200 (12 months) based on one of the visa appendix (I believe app 8) that I was going through. So you may want to take a look.

Hello again Scorpioguy,

Thanks for the advice - but could you please post a link where to look? I can't find this requirement

From the application form itself, it seems that you would have shown a greater amount (i.e., Schools's maintenance requirements) only if it is stated in the Visa Letter somehow (i.e. the amount of required living expenses was calculated as ... GBP). But the draft of visa letter that I saw had no such requirement - will tell you about the original when I receive it.

Greenoak - Here is the link: https://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply ... pbsstudent

I was referring to document "PBS Appendix 8 (General) Student (all mandatory sections completed)". The link for this doc can be found under the question "What do I need to make my application?".

I was confused by the question 6.9 and the instruction for the same - but multiple sources have told me that it would be sufficient to show funds for 9 months. So i am going to assume 9 months and proceed with my application.

Thanks for the link!

I see that the way the explanation for p. 6.9 is formulated is a bit confusing - but still, they have these words 'up to 9 months max'.

So let's hope we will not need to show more!

Btw, what have you put in the question about 'maintenance outstanding fees'? I wasn't billed for accommodation yet, so, technically, I have no outstanding fees. I know that I will be required to pay before the course starts, at some point - but there will be no mention about that in my visa letter. Is your situation the same?

I have paid the deposit for my campus housing. But it is not displayed in my visa letter (my housing was allocated after the letter was generated.

Either way, I am thinking the answer to that question (6.13) would be NO - as the accommodation is just a service provided by the University and is not included in the fees.

guys tell me something... do we need to fill in and submit TWO forms as in the Appendix 8 and VAF9 or just one form which is the Appendix 8 (general student) on ukvisa website?... I can't quite understand this. If someone could explain this it would be really nice. and please do include the link to the form.

thanks buddy

scorpio guy i couldnt find where it is mentioned that you have to send both

Refer the question - "What do I need to make my application? "

Hi! I would like to get feedback on my current problem. I got offer to enrol PhD in UK but..2 times visa rejected due to title of course in the visa letter. My sponsor (education provider) stated in the Title: Research Higher Degree and Thesis, and at the Qualification Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy (Management). The Clearance Officer mentioned in the refusal notice that it was not the correct title of course. I have emailed the British High Com to verify but no reply. Should it be my research title or what? Hope someone could response to this.

Thank you.

Should only be the nine months required for maintenance (and first-year fees for courses longer than 12 months). I had originally put the entire course fees (total maintenance and tuition for two years) and had to change it to the lower amounts since I don't have any funds for the second year anyway (applying for second-year loans next year).

For Appendix 8, it's required but it varies by location whether they actually use it. I had a walk-in appointment at one of the consulates here in the USA, and the officer didn't even look at it. But I know for India (and Australia, as bsd_lover can attest to) they definitely check to make sure it's included in your application.

Hi Zeta11,

I believe you should contact your education provider and explain them your situation: I think they should know that the visa letters they issue don’t satisfy the UK Embassy. Typically, the educational provider works out the form of the visa letter in collaboration with the UK Embassy (that’s how it was in the case of Oxford University) – so perhaps they will sent you another visa letter with the right course title.

I’m not an expert here, but it seems to me that ‘Course title’ should be more specific, e.g. ‘Doctor of Philosophy in Management’ (not 'Research Higher Degree' etc., because it’s too vague). The name of award in this situation could be the same as the course title.

For example, for MBA we have 'Master of Business Administration' (and not smth like 'Taught Higher Degree') both as course title and as an award title.

I went to the UK consulate in Chicago for a walk-in visa appointment. My experiences are given below. FYI - it is a repost from an email I sent to my to-be classmates in US.

The experiences in other countries might be different.

Also as PRASHOK mentioned the consulate did not ask for the appendix.

**************
Just wanted to let you know how my biometric and walk-in visa appointment went.

Biometric - My appointment was on 6th july. But I walked in to an ASC on 30th June and got it done. The person at the ASC was not happy about me coming in earlier but at least I got it done. My wife's biometrics was on July 1st in Grand Rapids and we completed that the same day.

Our plans were to send the application to Chicago UK consulate on July 1st. But on coming back to Detroit we decided to drive down to Chicago in the morning and walk-in. Since this is the first year for the new PBS tier 4 we wanted to make sure that there was no problem.

At the consulate, you have to specifically mention to the security that you are applying for a student visa - else they don't let you in. The visa appointment was a breeze. The officer asked for my visa letter, funds, marriage and birth certificate (for my son).

For funds - The officer calculated the remaining fee and 9 months maintenance for self, wife and son. He was fine with seeing just 2K over the required amount. I told him I had additional funds but he said that he did not need to see them.

He said that we will be getting our passport by mail by next friday. Same day delivery was not possible as:

1) My wife's biometrics, which was completed on July 1st, hadn't reached Chicago by July 2nd.
2) Even though my son did not require biometrics, the visa officer still needs to manually verify his information which takes a day.

I carried the following docs:
1) Application
2) Photos - 4 (required only 1)
3) Visa letter
4) Letters from bank + print out from OANDA for the amount in the letter
5) Marriage certificate
6) Birth certificate for son
7) H1 and H4 visa papers - visa officer did not ask for this.

If anyone is planning for a walk-in, I would suggest that you do it approximately 1 week after the biometrics. Arrive by 10:00AM and you would definitely get the passport the same day - the others who were at the consulate were asked to return the same day to get their passport.

Let me know if you have any questions.
**************

Thanks for the report, scorpioguy. For anyone in the USA, I would also recommend the walk-in sessions, as they are much easier than the traditional postal method. I did the same for the Los Angeles consulate, and they processed in 48 hours (their stated expedited time) versus 10-15 working days through post.

More information on the Chicago, NYC and Los Angeles walk-in sessions can be found here:

Los Angeles:
https://www.nafsa.org/regulatory_informa ... road/uk_la

New York City:
https://www.nafsa.org/regulatory_informa ... road/uknyc

Chicago:
https://www.nafsa.org/regulatory_informa ... _consulate

Just wanted to add to my earlier post:

Walk-in appointment was on Thursday (July 2nd). Friday (July 3rd) was a holiday for the consulate. I received an email on Monday (July 6th) morning that the visa was approved and passports were returned by courier.

The passports are expected to reach me by tomorrow (july 7th).

Hey everyone. I was wondering if any one could offer any advice or help. I have been refused my first visa application on the grounds that my visa letter did not meet all the new Tier 4 requirements - specifically infromation on my original degree certificate.

When I contacted my school, they claimed there was no problem with the letter and no other students were having issues - so I submitted an appeal, which was also denied on the same grounds. However, no where do they specifically say what was wrong/missing. I cannot find a sample letter online anywhere to compare an accept letter to the one I have. I can't get a hold of anyone at the NYC consulate and the World Bridge phone system (which I paid $12 for!)was no help.

Any suggestion on where else to look or what I can do next? I'm scheduled to leave for the UK in less then a month.

Hi Airicka,

In your visa letter, there should be one or two lines where it is stated which degree and from which institution was considered by the adcom when reviewing your application for the admission to their programme of studies.

You should verify that the name of your previous institution and the title of your degree are exactly the same as in the copies of the certificates that you submit with your documents to the embassy. If your certificates are not in English and you submitted a translation - then this info should match the info on this translation. That's what I was told when they prepared my visa letter at Oxford.

I still haven't applied for visa and so can't provide you with a 'successfull' letter - but feel free to PM me if you are comfortable with sharing the info on your visa letter; we could discuss the possible problem in more detail.