Studying in the UK- Tier 4 Adult Students

Ah, that comforting yellow sign when you touch down in England. But there is a  detailed immigration process for students wanting to study in the UK.

So you've decided to study abroad at an English university. And you're all excited about studying in London, Leicester, Manchester, etc. But you forget about an important detail- the visa process. When dealing with foreign governments and their immigration system, it can be very daunting and very confusing. Often times there isn't precise information out there on what documents you need and what visa you need to get. But, need not fear, for surprisingly the United Kingdom has done a pretty decent job about being clear on who needs to apply for the visa and what documents they need. Well, kinda.

If you are not a citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) or a British Commonwealth or territory, then you will need to obtain a Tier 4 student visa. Britain seems to be unique in that you must qualify for the visa based on a points system. 30 points are awarded for students who have a valid confirmation of acceptance for studies and have acceptable English language skills (more on that in a bit), while 10 points are awarded if students meet the financial requirements.

An acceptable course of study ranges under the Tier 4 guidelines. First, the student must be registered full-time, and the course must be as part of their Bachelor's degree or higher (the Bachelor's degree is referred to as level 6 on the National Qualifications Framework [NQF], so it must be level 6 or higher). Or, the course can be an English Language course at or above level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR- I am not really sure what this is so more research is required on my part!). Or, the student must be involved in 15 hours of daytime study, which is specified as between 08:00-18:00 (hadn't heard that one before!).

However, if the course is below NQF level 6, then the course must be part of what is called a pre-sessional course,which is supposed to prepare you for the main course that you will be taking immediately following. For instance, some schools offer a pre-sessional English course to help prepare foreign language students for their true course of study. Also, the course could also be on level 3, which is considered to be equivalent to English A-levels, only if the student is studying with a Highly Trusted Sponsor. Think you might have trouble finding one of these "Highly Trusted Sponsors"? Fear not- the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) lists over 2000 institutions that fall into this category!

OK, so that is a very rudimentary introduction to students studying under the Tier 4 visa. Up next, we will delve more deeply into this visa, and wade through the waters of students whose first language is not English, and will have to prove their English language skills. It gets tricky, but after understanding the terminology and acronyms, it gets a lot easier!

UK Border Agency Tier 4 website: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/studying/adult-students/

Rule #12 for Breaking into the Field of International Education: Understand the immigration procedures for countries where your students will be travelling to or from.

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/zack-wright/49/b26/265