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info@portsmouthels.co.uk

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Visa Information

We are a UK Border Agency Tier 4 sponsor. This means that we are a genuine school who can ‘sponsor’ students from non-EEA member countries. We have been A rated and our sponsor licence number is WJADMB8T7.

There are two routes of application. When you apply for a course with us, we will advise you on which one to follow:

1. Student Visitor Visa

This is for courses up to 6 months.
There is no minimum English language requirement but the following features of the visa must be remembered:

• you will not be entitled to use the National Health System (NHS)
• you need to have your own relevant medical insurance cover
• you will not be able to work in the UK
• the visa cannot be extended in the UK
• you will not be exempt from paying Council Tax
• you may experience difficulty in opening a bank account here in the UK so you must ensure you make the relevant arrangements to have sufficient funds to cover the duration of your course and all your costs. Do not bring large sums of money in cash as it may be queried by immigration officials and it is of course more ‘risky’ than having all of your money safe in a bank

2. Tier 4 General Student Visa

This is for courses longer than 6 months.
There is a minimum English language requirement for this Visa. You must provide us with evidence that your level is B1 or higher. The evidence that we accept is an internationally recognised English language test/exam, such as IELTS (Band 4), TOEFL (110-120 of the interned-based test), TOEIC (Listening and Reading 875, Speaking and Writing 360), Ascentis/Anglia ESOL (C1 and C2 Pass), Cambridge ESOL (CAE and CPE Pass) and ESOL Skills for Life (Level 2).

** For other tests/exams accepted by the UK Border Agency, go to http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/pbs/approvedenglishtests.pdf

You will also need to complete a questionnaire (copy available on request) which will supply us with all relevant information about you. We must obtain this personal information before we make a decision on your suitability for this visa.

Subject to meeting the above conditions, you will be issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). You use the CAS to apply for the visa. You will receive 30 points for it. In order to obtain the visa, you will need a further 10 points, which will be awarded once you have provided the UK Border Agency with sufficient evidence about your finances. Please make sure you read the application notes carefully as many applications are turned down because some paperwork related to finances is incomplete. It is very important to complete the application accurately and thoroughly.

The following are features of the Tier 4 general Student Visa:

• you will be entitled to use the National Health System (NHS)
• the visa can be extended in the UK
• you will be exempt from paying Council Tax as long as your course with us is for at least 21 hours per week

**Please note that if you are a government sponsored student, there is no minimum language requirement to meet. However, all your paperwork confirming your status must be forwarded to us when applying for a course.

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