International Student Advisers Office, Heriot Watt University v.

02/10 v2

Guide to documentation required by UKBA for Tier 4 (General) Student Visa extension

Under the new Points Based Immigration System students must now submit very specific documents to
the Home Office in support of their Tier 4 (G) application form when applying to extend their visa in the
UK. Students must be able to claim a total of 40 points to apply for a student visa extension:

30 points for your Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS*)
10 points for Maintenance (funding) documents

* CAS must be used for all Tier 4 student visa applications submitted after 21
st
February 2010; Visa Letters are no longer valid.

CAS

Your CAS will be provided by Heriot-Watt University, who acts as your educational sponsor under the
new Points Based System. These documents are produced by different staff within the University, and
depend on the level of your course and the stage you are at with your studies. Depending on your level
and stage of study, your CAS can be collected from one of the following three locations:

Recruitment & Admissions Office - for students starting undergraduate courses
- for students starting Foundation or Pre-Sessional
English Language courses

School Postgraduate Admissions Staff - for students starting postgraduate courses

A new course CAS will list the documents used to assess your admission application. These same documents
(transcripts, results or certificates) must be included in support of your visa extension application. Some
postgraduate courses require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. If this is indicated
on your unconditional offer or CAS, along with a J ACS code, please see www.fco.gov.uk/atas .

School Student Office - for students continuing undergraduate courses

Continuing postgraduate students should check with their individual School what arrangements are in
place for requesting their CAS; these will normally be produced by the Student Office or Postgraduate
Administration Section.

University staff will input the information required to produce your CAS onto the Home Office online
Sponsor Management System. The University will then provide you with a written copy of your CAS,
detailing the reference number and including a summary of the key information which has been input
onto the Home Office system.

If you have a scholarship from Heriot Watt University this should be detailed as a note in your printed
CAS and should confirm whether the scholarship covers part or all your tuition fees, and the amount of
any monthly stipend. If you have received a separate letter showing details of a University scholarship
you can also include this additional document with your application

MAINTENANCE

The amount of funding for tuition fees and living expenses which you need to show depends on what
stage you are at in your studies and your previous study history further information is contained in the
Tier 4 (G) student visa application form and associated Tier 4 Help Text leaflet.

The following documents are accepted by the Home Office as proof of funding:

Original Bank/Building Society Statements must cover at least one month duration and include the
following information:

Your name
Your account number
The date of the statement (must be less than 1 month before your application)
The banks name and logo
The amount of money available in your account

THE FINAL BANK BALANCE WHICH YOU RELY ON TO SUPPORT YOUR APPLICATION MUST BE
HELD IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT FOR AT LEAST 28 DAYS BEFORE YOU APPLY.

International Student Advisers Office, Heriot Watt University v.02/10 v2
Internet bank statements can be used as long as they include all of the information above. If using
internet statements each page must also be stamped by your bank; please note that some banks (e.g.
HSBC) will not stamp their duplicate or internet statements; these will be rejected by the Home Office.

Many banks send postal statements automatically either monthly or quarterly. If you need to order bank
statements this normally takes between 5 10 working days and your bank may charge you a fee. You
must use statements for a cash or current account; other accounts such as shares, bonds, pension funds
and similar savings accounts will not be accepted. J oint bank accounts can be used but you must be
named on the statement as one of the account holders.

The Home Office have agreed to also accept parental bank statements, provided these are accompanied
by your birth certificate, and an original signed letter from your parent(s) detailing (i) their relationship to
you (ii) the amount shown on their bank statement and (iii) giving their permission for their funds to be
used to pay for your UK tuition fees/living costs during your studies.

Please note that bank statements from your home country must show the balance of your account in
British Pounds (GBP). Your currency must be converted into pounds using the exchange rate found on
the OANDA website at www.oanda.com/convert/classic and handwritten on your bank statement.

Official Financial Sponsorship
An official financial sponsor is: Her Majestys Government; your home government (or embassy); the
British Council; or any international organisation, university or company.

If you are being financially sponsored you will need to provide an original letter from your sponsor, this
must be written on their official letter-headed stationery and be stamped with the official stamp of the
organisation. The letter must be dated (we would recommend your letter be no more than three months
old) and include:

Your name
The name and contact details of your official financial sponsor
The length of time your sponsorship covers
The actual amount of money they will pay towards your fees and monthly living costs

If your official financial sponsor is providing you with only part of your tuition fee/living costs funding then
the financial sponsor letter must still include the same information as detailed above, but you would also
provide additional documentation e.g. bank statements to show you have the rest of the money needed.

We advise that the letter from your financial sponsor should state the actual amount of money you will
receive, either in total or each month. If your sponsor is also providing money to cover living expenses for
your family members during their time in the UK then this should be stated in the financial sponsor letter,
and ideally the names of all family members covered by the funding should be included so that the same
financial sponsor letter can be used in support of any dependant (family) visa extensions.

For degree level students, the Home Office can extend your visa up to a maximum of four months
beyond your course end date. Any financial sponsor letter must give consent to this extra time
being granted, as without this permission the maximum extension that can be considered is only
to the course end date, with no extra time for examination boards or graduation.

If your sponsorship has finished within the last 12 months, or if it is due to end before your studies are
complete your financial sponsor must still include a statement giving their consent to you remaining in the
UK. If they do not give this permission then your application will be refused.

Loan Letters
You can also use a loan as proof of funds. The letter must be from a regulated company and include the
following:

Your name
The date of the letter
The loan companys name and logo
The amount of money available

Please note: This information is a summary of the key Tier 4 Policy Guidance regarding supporting documentation,
however before submitting a student visa extension application we advise you to read the full Home Office Student
Visa extension guidance document available at:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/adult-students/