UK Immigration

Working in the UK

This section contains details of most of the categories available to migrants who want to work in the United Kingdom. Each category has different requirements, so you should read the eligibility requirements for your chosen category in full before you apply.
If you are an employer in the United Kingdom and you want to know how to employ migrant workers, go to the Employers and education providers section.
Introduced in 2008, our points-based system for immigration has replaced most of our previous work-based categories. For more information about this change, see the Comparisons page.
If you are coming to the United Kingdom for a short time as a businessperson, sportsperson, entertainer or special visitor, see the Business and special visitors section to find out how to apply.

For highly skilled workers, investors, entrepreneurs and recent graduates from UK universities

This section contains details of the routes available to highly skilled workers, investors and entrepreneurs wanting to work in the United Kingdom. You should read the eligibility requirements for your category in full before making an application.

Our service standards set out how quickly we aim to decide applications. The standard for applications made under an employment route, which includes each of the categories below, is that we will decide 75% of applications within four weeks

On 29 June 2008, several former immigration categories closed. If you currently have permission to stay in the United Kingdom under one of those categories and want to extend your stay you will need to apply under one of the categories below.

• Highly skilled workers

This section explains the requirements for applying under the Tier 1 (General) of the points-based system. You do not need to have a specific job offer but will need to demonstrate you are highly skilled, have money to support yourself and are able to speak English.

• Entrepreneurs

This section explains the requirements for applying under Tier 1 (Entrepreneur) of the points-based system. If you want to come to the United Kingdom as an entrepreneur, there are specific arrangements for you.

• Investors

This section explains the requirements for applying under Tier 1 (Investor) of the points-based system. If you want to invest in the United Kingdom you will need to demonstrate that you have the money to do so.

• Post-study workers

This section explains how you can come to the United Kingdom or remain here as a post-study worker (Tier 1 Post-study work) under our points-based system to work in the United Kingdom. If you graduated from a university in the United Kingdom, you can apply to stay in the United Kingdom to work once you have completed your studies.

For skilled workers with a job offer

If your prospective employer in the UK is willing to sponsor you, you can apply to come or stay here to do a skilled job.

Sponsored skilled workers

This section contains information about the immigration routes currently available to skilled workers who have a job offer.

If you are a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, see the European citizens section for information about your right to work in the UK.

If you are a national of a country outside the EEA or Switzerland (except Turkey - see below), you will need to apply under the points-based system. You must:

• have a job offer from a licensed sponsor and a valid certificate of sponsorship; and • pass the points-based assessment.

Before you apply, you should read the eligibility requirements for your category in full. If you are a Turkish citizen and you are already in the UK with a visa that gives you the right to work, you may have certain rights under the European Community Association Agreement with Turkey. For more information, see the Citizens of Turkey section.

Categories of skilled worker

There are four categories of skilled worker under the points-based system:
• Tier 2 (General)
• Tier 2 (Minister of Religion)
• Tier 2 (Sportsperson)
• Tier 2 (Intra Company Transfer)

For temporary workers with a job offer

If your prospective employer in the UK is willing to sponsor you, you can apply to do certain types of temporary work here.

Temporary workers This section contains information about the routes available to temporary workers who want to come to the United Kingdom to do temporary work for a licensed sponsor.

You must have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, a valid certificate of sponsorship and pass the points-based assessment to be eligible to apply. You should read the eligibility requirements for your category in full before applying.

Applying on or after 27 November 2008 If you are applying on or after 27 November 2008 you will need to apply under either the temporary workers category or the youth mobility scheme within the points-based system.

Our service standards set out how quickly we aim to decide applications for living in the UK as a temporary worker. The standard for applications made under an employment route, including each of the categories below, is that we will decide 75% of applications within four weeks.

• Temporary workers - creative and sporting
• Temporary workers - charity workers
• Temporary workers - religious workers
• Temporary workers - government authorised exchange
• Temporary workers - international agreement
• Youth mobility scheme

Other categories

You can also apply to work in the UK as a domestic worker; as the sole representative of an overseas firm; or as a representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organization.
This section contains information about other work-based categories available to people wanting to come to the United Kingdom to work.
We are currently reviewing our immigration system. The categories below are still under review - they will remain open at present but may change in the future.
More details of any changes will be published on this website later in the year.

• Domestic workers

This section explains how you can apply to come to the United Kingdom to work as a domestic worker in a private household.

• Sole representatives of overseas firms

This section explains the process for coming to the United Kingdom as a sole representative of an overseas firm without a work permit.

• Representatives of overseas newspapers, news agencies and broadcasting organisations This section explains how you can apply to come to or stay in the United Kingdom as a representative of an overseas newspaper, news agency or broadcasting organisation.

Other categories - now closed

The following work-based categories have recently been closed. If you want to come to the United Kingdom to work in one of these areas, select the type of work below to find out how you should now apply.

• Clinical attachments and dental observer posts
• Film crew on location
• Overseas qualified doctors taking the PLAB test
• Postgraduate doctors and dentists

For workers from the European Economic Area and Switzerland

Most European nationals are free to enter and work in the United Kingdom - but if you are a national of a country that has recently joined the European Union, you may have to register with us or apply for our permission before you begin work. European Economic Area and Swiss nationals

This section contains information for nationals of countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland who want to work in the UK.

• If you are a national of a country that joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, you may need to register with us when you start work - see below

• Bulgarian and Romanian nationals

If you are a Bulgarian or Romanian national, you may need our permission before you can work in the United Kingdom. This section explains who needs to apply for permission, and how to apply.

• Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

This section describes the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme, which allows Bulgarian or Romanian nationals to undertake short-term agricultural work in the United Kingdom.

• Sectors Based Scheme

This section describes the Sectors Based Scheme, which allows Bulgarian or Romanian nationals to undertake low-skilled work within the food manufacturing sector. • Worker Registration Scheme

This section explains the registration process for citizens of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia who want to work for United Kingdom employers for more than one month. These citizens cannot normally work here for more than one month unless they have registered.

For workers and businesspersons from Turkey

Turkish citizens can benefit from a European agreement with Turkey if they want to establish themselves in business in the UK, or if they are already working here legally.

Turkish citizens

This section explains how Turkish citizens can apply to enter or stay in the United Kingdom if they want to establish themselves in business, and the residency rights of Turkish workers who are already here. New visa route for Turkish businesspersons

The UK Border Agency has introduced a visa route for Turkish nationals applying to establish in business under the European Community Association Agreement.

If you want to establish yourself in business here

Under the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) with Turkey, you have certain rights if: • you are a Turkish citizen; and
• you want to apply to establish yourself in business in the United Kingdom.
If you meet these requirements, you can apply to enter the United Kingdom in the Turkish ECAA business category, or to switch into this category if you are already here legally in a different category. We will consider your application under the business provisions that were in place in 1973.
To find out how you can apply to become a Turkish ECAA businessperson, and how to extend your stay or settle in the United Kingdom in this category, see the Establishing yourself in business section.

If you are already working here legally

A decision by the Association Council of the ECAA gives certain rights to Turkish citizens who are already working legally in the United Kingdom. For more information, see the Turkish citizens with permission to work in the United Kingdom section.

For Commonwealth citizens with UK ancestry

If you are a Commonwealth citizen and at least one of your grandparents was born in the UK, you can apply to come here to work.

Transitional arrangements for earned citizenship

The UK Border Agency has announced transitional arrangements for migrants who will be on the journey to British citizenship when earned citizenship is introduced. The Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act received Royal Assent on 21 July 2009. Sections 39-41 and 47-49 of Part 2 of the Act give effect to earned citizenship, which we plan to introduce in July 2011. We will announce the specific date of introduction closer to the time.

As the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill progressed through Parliament, the government listened to the views of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The government subsequently agreed the following transitional arrangements:

• If a migrant has already been given indefinite leave to remain (also known as settlement) on the date when earned citizenship is introduced, they will automatically be considered to be a 'permanent resident'. They will not need to pay or apply for this to occur. They will be eligible to apply for British citizenship under the current rules during the first two years after earned citizenship is introduced.

• If a migrant has applied for indefinite leave to remain before the date when earned citizenship is introduced, and is subsequently granted indefinite leave to remain, they will be eligible to apply for British citizenship under the current rules during the first two years after earned citizenship is introduced.

• The government will continue to meet its obligations to migrants who entered the United Kingdom on the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme (HSMP) and had a legitimate expectation that they would be able to apply for and be granted indefinite leave to remain, in accordance with the Immigration Rules that were in place when they applied to the HSMP.

• The introduction of earned citizenship has been postponed by six months, to give people time to adjust to the new system and to allow more applicants who are already in the United Kingdom to apply under the current rules. Earned citizenship will now be introduced in July 2011.

All applications for indefinite leave to remain and British citizenship received before earned citizenship is introduced will be dealt with under the current system.

During your studies

If you have student immigration permission which you applied for on or after 31 March 2009, under Tier 4 of the Points Based System of immigration, it will allow you to take employment. You can work up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during your holidays. You can work full-time on a work placement but only if your course meets certain requirements.

If you have student immigration permission that was granted before 31 March 2009 (or which you applied for before 31 March 2009 and which was granted on or after that date) that allows you to take employment, you can work up to 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during your holidays, a work placement which is part of a sandwich course, or an internship.

You can do most kinds of work, but you must not engage in business, be self-employed, provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or pursue a career by filling a permanent full-time vacancy. This applies whether your immigration permission is granted before or on or after 31 March 2009.

If your immigration permission does not allow you to work, this means that you must not undertake paid or unpaid employment, including work placements which are part of your course.

If you have immigration permission, whenever it was granted, that extends for up to four months beyond the end of your studies, you can work full-time for that extra period once you have completed all your studies. If you have immigration permission that is more than four months longer than your course, you should make a new immigration application, stop working or leave the UK when you reach the four-month point.

If at the end of your course you apply to stay in the UK as a Tier 1 (Post Study Work) migrant, you can work full-time until your Tier 1 (Post Study Work) application is decided.

What is term-time?

Term-time means any period when you are supposed to be doing academic work, such as attending classes and lectures, preparing for exams, doing coursework, writing essays, a dissertation or thesis. Your holidays, when you can work full-time, are the period when you do not have to be doing academic work. This will be different depending on the type of course you are doing. For example, if you are supposed to research and write a dissertation or thesis while other students are on holiday, this is term-time for you and you should restrict your work to 20 hours a week. However, if your tutor or supervisor agrees that you can take a break for some of that period and is happy to confirm in writing that this time is a holiday for you, you can work full-time for the duration of that agreed break.

Work placements if your immigration permission is granted under Tier 4

This information applies to you if you applied for and were granted student immigration permission on or after 31 March 2009.
You can work full-time on a work placement if:
• you are doing a UK course; or
• you are a studying a degree course in another country and, as part of that degree course, you are spending some time at a college or university in the UK.
In most cases, you must not spend more than 50% of the time on your course doing a work placement, or work placements. However, there is an exception if the law says that you must spend more than half of your course doing work placements. This applies to Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) or, in Scotland, PGDE courses.
Your work placement must be an assessed part of your course, and it can take place at any point in your studies.

Sandwich courses and work placements if your immigration permission was granted before Tier 4

This information applies to you if you were granted student immigration permission before 31 March 2009, or if you applied for student immigration permission before 31 March 2009, and you were granted it on or after this date.
You can work full-time, even in term-time, if you are doing a work placement which is part of a sandwich course. The course itself must lead to a degree or another qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body. The level of your current course is irrelevant.
The work placement part of the course must meet all the following requirements:
• it must be clearly defined
• it must be approved by the university or college providing your course
• it must not extend beyond the end of your course, which means that you must be undertaking more study, for example, attending lectures or writing up a dissertation, after you finish your work placement.

If your work placement meets all of these requirements, you can work full-time without the need for you or your employer to obtain further permission from the UK Border Agency. You can decide to do a work placement after your course has started. In this case, you will probably need to apply for extra immigration permission. Talk to the international student adviser at your college or university about whether you should apply for more time in the UK before or after you do your work placement.

Internships if your immigration permission was granted before Tier 4

This information applies to you if you were granted student immigration permission before 31 March 2009, or if you applied for student immigration permission before 31 March 2009, and you were granted it on or after this date. (There is no provision in the Immigration Rules for Tier 4 students to undertake an internship.)

If you are on a degree course, you can work full-time, even in term-time, if you are doing an internship. Neither you nor your employer needs to obtain further permission from the UK Border Agency if the internship meets all the following requirements:

• you must be studying on a first (undergraduate) or higher (postgraduate) degree course in the UK
• your employer must regard you as a potential employee, whether your future employment would be in or outside the UK
• internships must be an established part of your employer's recruitment procedure
• you must not have previously undertaken an internship with the same employer
• the internship will last three months at most
• you must be paid for doing the internship, and the pay and conditions must be comparable to those for a resident worker doing the same kind of work
• you must complete the internship within the period of your current student immigration permission.

Your family’s immigration

Note: If you are a European Economic Area (EEA) or Swiss national, or if you are in the UK as the family member of such a person, this Information Sheet does not apply to you. Please see instead EEA and Swiss Students. The information in this Information Sheet is based on the “Points Based System – Dependants Policy Guidance” as at 30th October 2009 (on the website of the UK Border Agency). However, please ensure that you are referring to the latest version of the “Points Based System – Dependants Policy Guidance”.

Making a student immigration application in your home country

Warning: The UK Border Agency makes regular changes to the guidance it issues on student applications. Before you make your application, check the UKCISA information sheets [www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/information_sheets.php] to make sure you have the most up-to-date version of this information sheet.

Introduction

If you want to come to the UK to study, you will have to make an immigration application to the UK immigration authorities in your home country for permission to come to the UK as a ‘student’. Permission to come to the UK is called ‘entry clearance’. You should wait until you have obtained entry clearance before you book any non-refundable travel tickets.

Note: If you are coming to study for a maximum of six months, you may have an alternative, which is to come as a ‘student visitor’ or a ‘child visitor’. Student visitors and child visitors are allowed to study part-time, but have to leave the UK at the end of six months, and are not allowed to do any kind of work or work placement (even if it is part of a course, or is unpaid). They are not allowed to apply for more time in the UK if their studies are extended. If you want to find out about coming to the UK as a student visitor or as a child visitor, see the UK Border Agency leaflet Guidance – Visitors (INF2). The rest of this information sheet is all about coming to the UK as a student (not as a student visitor or child visitor).

You will not be granted immigration permission as a student unless:

1. The college or university that you want to go to has a ‘Tier 4 sponsor license’. This is a license from the UK immigration authorities to teach people who come to the UK to study. You can check who has a sponsor license by looking at the list at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation. AND

2. If you are 18 years old or more, the course you want to do is at a high enough level. This means it must fit one of the following descriptions:

o It is approved at level 3 or above on the National Qualifications Framework (or at the same level or above on the equivalent frameworks that apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). An example of a course that is at level 3 is an ‘A’ level course. o It is an English language course, at a minimum of level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. You can check with the college or university whether the course you are interested in is at least at this level.

o If you are studying for a qualification at a higher education institution abroad and are coming to the UK on a study abroad programme as part of it, the qualification you are studying for abroad must be at the same level as a UK degree. AND

3. You satisfy strict financial requirements. Immigration permission is given to students either as ‘Tier 4 (General) Students’ or ‘Tier 4 (Child) Students’.

16 or 17 years old when you make your immigration application

Ask your college or university if they have a ‘Tier 4 (Child) Student license’ as well as a ‘Tier 4 (General) Student license’. If they have both types of license, and if your course is at a high enough level, you will be able to choose whether to apply as a ‘Tier 4 (Child) Student’ or as a ‘Tier 4 (General) Student’. (As long as you are under 18 when you make your immigration application, it does not matter if you will become 18 during your course - you can still apply as a Tier 4 (Child) Student.)

Your course is at a high enough level to give you this choice if it matches one of the levels described in the list at point 2, above. If your course is below these levels, you do not have a choice, and must apply as a ‘Tier 4 (Child) Student’ (but first check that your college or university has a Tier 4 (Child) Student License; and note that the course they are offering you must be taught in accordance with the National Curriculum or the National Qualifications Framework, or be of an equivalent academic status).

If you want to study an English language course you must apply as a Tier 4 (General) Student, as stated in paragraph 52 of the Policy Guidance. This means that you must be studying an English language course which is level A2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, or above. If you want to study an English language course which is below this required level, you must enter as a Student Visitor which enables you to study for a maximum of 6 months, after which time you will need to leave the UK.

If your course is a degree course, you will be better off applying as a Tier 4 (General) Student, because you will be given immigration permission for the full length of the course plus four months after the end of your course. If instead you apply as a Tier 4 (Child) Student for a degree course, you will only be given immigration permission for a maximum of two years and five months to start with, and will have to pay for an extension later, to finish the course. [The 'two years and five months' is made up from: one month before your course starts, plus two years for your course, plus four months after the end of your course.]

You cannot apply as a Tier 4 (Child) Student if you have your own children who you are financially responsible for, or who live with you.

You will have to provide a letter from your parents

If you are under 18 years old when you make your immigration application, you need to show that your application is supported by your parent or parents or legal guardian. This is the case, whether you apply as a Child Student or as a General Student, and for any level of course. This means that you must provide a letter from your parent, if one parent has sole legal responsibility for you, or from both parents or your legal guardian, confirming a number of matters, including:

• their relationship to you
• their consent to your application
• their agreement to your living arrangements in the UK
• their consent to your living independently, if you are 16 or 17 years old.

If one person has sole legal responsibility for you, this must also be confirmed. See the Home Office policy guidance (paragraphs 218-220) for full details of what is required.
The above requirement applies to you because you are 16 or 17 years old. There are precise instructions about the format the letter must take in paragraphs 218-220 of the Policy Guidance. Make sure the letter complies with every one of those instructions.

Postgraduate doctor or dentist and want to do a Foundation Programme

There are special requirements you have to meet: • you must have already successfully completed a recognized UK degree in medicine or dentistry from a UK publicly funded institution of further or higher education, or a UK bona fide private education institution which maintains satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance, or an institution that has a ‘Tier 4 (General) Student License’; and

• you must have had immigration permission as a Student or Tier 4 (General) Student for the final academic year of those studies, and also for at least one other academic year of those studies; and
• if you have previously been granted immigration permission as either a postgraduate doctor or dentist, or as a Tier 4 (General) Student undertaking a course as a postgraduate doctor or dentist, then you must not be asking for immigration permission which would allow you to be in the UK more than three years after that immigration permission first started.

The financial requirements

If you have financial sponsorship from an official financial sponsor (as defined in the Home Office Policy Guidance, see Note below):
A letter from them confirming that they will cover ALL your fees and living costs is all that you need, to meet the financial requirements. There are precise instructions in the Policy Guidance regarding the format the letter must take, paragraphs 129-131 for Tier 4 (General) and paragraphs 212-214 for Tier 4 (Child) students. Make sure the letter complies with every one of those instructions. If it does not, it will be ignored and you will not meet the financial requirements.

Note: Official financial sponsors are defined in the Home Office policy guidance as: • the UK Government
• your home government
• the British Council
• any international organization
• any international company (note that the Home Office has not defined "international company" in its policy guidance)
• a UK independent school
• any university.

If your official financial sponsor is not covering ALL of your course fees and living costs, you must show that you have the rest of the money required. Please read the information for people who do not have financial sponsorship from an official financial sponsor (immediately below) for details of the additional evidence that you must provide.

If you do NOT have financial sponsorship from an official financial sponsor: You must have a minimum amount of cash in a bank or building society account (or an account with an officially regulated financial institution). The account can be in your name, or in your parents' or legal guardian's name. It can be a joint account with someone else, but only if your name is on the account too.

If you apply using a bank account in your parents' or guardian's bank name or names, you must also provide one of the following documents to prove that your parent or guardian is in fact your parent or guardian:

• your original birth certificate, or a notarized copy, showing the name of your parent or parents whose bank account you are using for this immigration application
• if you are adopted, the original certificate of adoption, or a notarized copy, showing your name and the name of your parent whose bank account you are using
• if you have a legal guardian, an original court document, or notarized copy, which shows the name of your guardian whose bank account you are using.
If you have a definite offer of a loan from an officially regulated financial institution (for example, a bank):

If you do not have financial sponsorship from an official financial sponsor, or if you do not have the right amount of cash yet, you may still be able to demonstrate your financial eligibility if you have a definite offer of a loan from an officially regulated financial institution (for example, a bank). You will be able to demonstrate this if you can provide a letter from the financial institution confirming that the money will be loaned to you.

There are precise instructions in the Policy Guidance about the format the letter must take, paragraph 135 for Tier 4 (General) and paragraph 217 for Tier 4 (Child) students.. Make sure the letter complies with every one of those instructions. If it does not, it will be ignored and you will not meet the financial requirements.
If the loan is for less than the amount described under ‘How much money do I need?’ (below), then the letter about the loan will not be enough on its own (you can still use the letter, but will have to use one or more of the other methods to show that you have the rest of the money – for example, you can hold the rest of the money as cash in a bank or building society account, provided you comply with all the requirements described in this information sheet for people who hold their money in that way).

Money needed

This depends on:

*Part months should be ‘rounded up’ to the next month (for example, if your course lasts six months and 5 days, you need to have money for seven months).

Reduced amount of money if studying recently in the UK

In certain circumstances. The Policy Guidance explains that students who have an established presence in the UK can benefit by having to show less money for living costs. The criteria that must be met for a student to have an established presence in the UK are outlined in paragraphs 108-112 for Tier 4 (General) and paragraphs 191-194 for Tier 4 (Child) students. These paragraphs explain that if you have completed a course of study in the UK within the last four months before you apply for immigration permission, or are currently studying and need more time to finish your course, and the course was six months or more in length, and you wish to apply for a further period of immigration permission as an adult or child student, you can show a reduced amount of money:

*Part months should be ‘rounded up’ to the next month (for example, if your course lasts six months and 5 days, you need to have money for seven months).

It does not matter whether your immigration application is to enable you to finish a course you have already started, or to start a new course. The provision covers you in both circumstances. The UK Border Agency have told UKCISA that you cannot benefit from this provision unless your most recent immigration permission was given to you as a student, or as a Tier 4 (General) Student or Tier 4 (Child) Student. The policy guidance makes clear that this provision to show a reduced amount of money does not apply “if you: finished your course more than four months ago; or the course you finished was less than six months”.

Limit on studying courses below degree level if you are over 18

This limit applies to entry clearance applications outside the UK, as well as extension applications within the UK. It means that you will not be given immigration permission as a Tier 4 (General) Student to do a course below degree level if, when you add the length of that course to all the courses below degree level that you have studied in the UK with Tier 4 permission since the age of 18, it adds up to a total of more than three years.

Unspent conviction

If you have been convicted of a criminal offence you must declare your unspent convictions but do not need to declare ones that are spent. A conviction becomes spent after a certain period of time has passed (we call this the rehabilitation period). The length of time it takes for a conviction to become spent will depend on your sentence. It starts from the date on which you are convicted. The period may be shorter if you were aged under 18 at the time of your conviction.

If you have been sentenced to more than 30 months in prison for a single offence, this can never become spent. Your application for citizenship is therefore unlikely to be successful.

If you have been convicted of a criminal offence but the rehabilitation period has passed by the time you make your application you do not need to provide details of the conviction on your application form. If you were convicted of a further offence during the rehabilitation period of your original conviction, the rehabilitation period for your original conviction may be extended.

If you have been convicted of a criminal offence and the spent period has not passed you must include details of the conviction on your application form. If the conviction is unspent at the time of your application, it is unlikely that your application will be successful.

For further guidance on the rehabilitation period, please see Guide AN. Information on how a conviction becomes spent, and a chart providing examples of rehabilitation periods for various sentences, can be found in the Good Character section of this guide.

Offences for which you may go to court or are awaiting a hearing in court You must provide details of any offence for which you may go to court for or are awaiting a hearing in court. This includes any offences for which you have been arrested and are waiting to hear if you will be formally charged.

If you are living in Scotland you must provide details of any recent civil penalties. If are arrested or charged with an offence after you have made your application y

Other things we will consider

You must tell us if you have ever had any involvement in terrorism. If you do not regard something as an act of terrorism but others do or might, you must mention it when making your application. You must also tell us if you have been involved in any crimes in the course of armed conflict including crimes against humanity, war crimes or genocide.

Registration with the police

Your entry clearance, or the stamp that the immigration officer gives you when you arrive in the UK, will state whether or not you have to register with the police. EEA and Swiss nationals and Commonwealth citizens do not have to register. Your entry clearance or stamp will probably tell you to register with the police if:

1. you are aged 16 or over and are either from one of the countries listed below, or are a stateless person, or are traveling on a non-national travel document (rather than a passport): Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen and

2. you intend to stay in the UK for more than six months as a student. If your entry clearance or stamp tells you to register, your spouse, civil partner or child is likely to be given an entry clearance or stamp that tells them to register too. If you do need to register (check the stamp in your passport), you must do so within seven days of your arrival in the UK.
Go to your local police station and take your passport, two passport-sized photographs of yourself (unless you are registering in London) and the registration fee (currently ?34). If you are studying in London, go to the Overseas Visitors Records Office instead of the police station: Overseas Visitors Records Office, 180 Borough High Street, Borough, London SE1 1LH (open 9.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., Monday to Friday, although the doors can shut as early as 2.30 p.m. during the busy autumn period), telephone: +44 (0)20 7230 1208 (recorded information).you must renew your police registration. There is no charge for renewal unless you have lost your original registration document.

Welfare benefits

To enter the UK as a student from outside the EEA, you must be able to support yourself and any dependants without claiming the following welfare benefits (which are called ‘public funds’):

• Attendance Allowance
• Career’s Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Council housing (but if you live in ‘hard to let’ council housing through arrangements made between your college or university and the local authority, this does not count as public funds)
• Council Tax Benefit
• Disability Living Allowance
• Housing as a homeless person
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• State Pension Credit
• Working Families Tax Credit
• Social Fund payment.

If you apply for any of these funds, you are likely to endanger your future immigration status in the UK, so talk to the student adviser or welfare officer at your college or university before making any enquiries. If you are a national of an EEA country or Switzerland, you are allowed to claim public funds, although you may have to meet certain residence and other conditions to qualify for some of the benefits.

Welfare benefits

To enter the UK as a student from outside the EEA, you must be able to support yourself and any dependants without claiming the following welfare benefits (which are called ‘public funds’):

• Attendance Allowance
• Career’s Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Child Tax Credit
• Council housing (but if you live in ‘hard to let’ council housing through arrangements made between your college or university and the local authority, this does not count as public funds)
• Council Tax Benefit
• Disability Living Allowance
• Housing as a homeless person
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• State Pension Credit
• Working Families Tax Credit
• Social Fund payment.

If you apply for any of these funds, you are likely to endanger your future immigration status in the UK, so talk to the student adviser or welfare officer at your college or university before making any enquiries. If you are a national of an EEA country or Switzerland, you are allowed to claim public funds, although you may have to meet certain residence and other conditions to qualify for some of the benefits.

Extending your leave to remain in the UK

(If you’re a national of an EEA country or Switzerland, this section does not apply to you.) Take note of the date that your entry clearance is valid until, or the date that your ‘leave to enter’ or ‘leave to remain’ in the UK will run out. This is the date when your current permission to be in the UK will expire. By this date you should either leave the UK or apply to extend your permission to be here. Not everyone is allowed to extend their permission to be here (see the paragraph on page 27 headed ‘Changing status’ to make sure it is open to you).

As a part of the Prime Minister’s Initiative to attract more international students to the UK, many international students are now given permission to be in the UK for the full period of study. Students on courses of 12 months or more that end during the summer will usually be given permission to be in the UK until 31 October. Students on courses that do not follow the usual autumn to summer pattern will usually be given a period that includes two months at the end of the course, for packing up and making arrangements to leave. However, some students are not given permission to be here for the whole of their course at the very beginning. If this has happened to you, you will have to apply for an extension of your permission to be here. Start preparing for the application at least two months before your permission runs out.

How to apply

To apply to stay longer in the UK, you must pay a fee of ?295 or ?500 (see below) and take or send certain documents to the Home Office. They must be the originals and not photocopies.

Which documents: • your completed application form FLR(S) – see below
• your unexpired passport or travel document and corresponding documents for each dependant, if they are applying to extend their stay in the UK with you (and your old passport as well, if you showed that when you entered the UK)

• if your passport shows that you are required to register with the police, your Police Registration Certificate and Certificates for each dependant, if they are applying to extend their stay in the UK with you
• a letter from your college or university stating that you are still enrolled on a fulltime course of study, or that you will be beginning another one (with details of the course, what qualification it leads to, and its start and end dates)
• if your last period of permission was as a student, documentary proof that you have attended and made good progress in your studies (e.g. exam results or qualification certificates showing your enrolment and attendance during your course, or a letter from your college or university)
• bank statements covering the past three months, or other evidence that you have enough money to continue to pay your fees and maintain yourself and any dependants
• if you expect to earn some of the money from a job at your college or university, or from a sandwich-course placement, a letter from your college or university confirming the details of the arrangement
• if a relative or friend is sponsoring you, a letter from that person confirming the agreement, plus formal documents showing that the person has enough money to support you (e.g. bank statements for the past three months)
• if you are being sponsored by a government, an international scholarship agency or your college or university, a letter from them confirming that they are continuing to sponsor you, indicating how much funding they will be providing, or confirming that they agree to you continuing to study (the original letter, not a photocopy)
• two recent passport-sized photographs of yourself and similar photos of your dependants aged 16 or over, if they are applying to extend their stay in the UK with you (write the name of the person shown on the back of each photograph). Make sure you give the Home Office the original documents, not photocopies. FLR(S) stands for Further Leave to Remain (Student). To get this form, you can:

• download it from the Home Office website at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk
• ask at your college or university
• contact the Application Forms Unit on 0870 241 0645 at the Home Office
• Border and Immigration Agency (BIA).

Contact one of the Home Office’s regional Public Enquiry Offices (PEOs), When you are preparing to fill out the form, it is a good idea to read UKCOSA’s Guidance Note, I want more time in the UK, as a student. What do I do about immigration. You could also ask a student adviser or welfare officer at your institution for help.

Where and how to make your application:

• If you are sending your application by post, send your documents to the address given on the front of the form (as at April 2007, this was: Leave to Remain – FLR(S), Border and Immigration Agency, PO Box 495, Durham DH99 1WR). Telephone for general enquiries 0870 606 7766, for Application Forms Unit 0870 241 0645.
If you send your documents by post, send them by special or recorded delivery and keep the receipt, as well as a photocopy of everything you send. The Border and Immigration Agency aims to deal with most postal applications within 20 working days and at most within 70 working days.
The fee for making a postal application is ?295. You must pay by cheque (personal or business), postal order, debit card or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Delta, Solo, Electron, Switch, or Maestro card only; note that Maestro cards are not acceptable unless they were issued in the UK).

• If you are making your application in person, you can go to a Public Enquiry Office in Croydon, Birmingham, Glasgow or Liverpool. It is compulsory to book an appointment in advance for all offices apart from Croydon (where an appointment is optional).
They may be able to deal with your application on the day if you have all the right documents and it is straightforward. If you are not sure whether a Public Enquiry Office will be able to deal with your application on the day, call the appropriate office with details of your nationality, type and level of course and any other matters which you think might affect your application.
The fee for making an application in person is ?500. You must pay by cheque (with cheque guarantee card), banker’s draft, postal order, debit card or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Delta, Solo, Electron, Switch or Maestro card only; note that Maestro cards are not acceptable unless they were issued in the UK). If you are using someone else’s card to pay for the application, the card holder must come with you to sign for the payment.

Application deadline:

Even if you do not have all these documents available, you must still make sure that you apply before your current permission to be in the UK expires. Enclose as many of the documents as you have and include a letter explaining what is missing, why it is missing and when you will be able to send it to the Home Office. You will then have made your application in time.
If you send documents at a later date, you should send them to: Initial Consideration Unit – FLR(S), Border and Immigration Agency, Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road, Croydon CR9 2BY. You must provide the following details in your covering letter: your full name; date of birth; nationality; the recorded or special delivery number if you used such postage; the date on which you made your application (by post or in person); your Home Office reference if you have one.

If your permission to be in the UK has already expired, contact one of the following for help with your application:

• a student adviser or welfare officer at your college or university
• your university or college students’ union
• the Immigration Advisory Service (see below)
• UKCOSA: The Council for International Education (see below).

Refusals and appeals

Entry clearance

1.If you apply as a Tier 4 (General) Student, your entry clearance will end:
• Four months after the end of the course, if your course lasts 12 months or more.
• Two months after the end of the course, if your course lasts six months or more, but less than 12 months.
• One month after the end of your course, if your course is a pre-sessional course of less than six months.
• Seven days after the end of your course, if your course is less than six months long, and is not a pre-sessional course.
• One month after the end of your course, if you apply to be a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a Foundation Programme.

If you apply as a Tier 4 (Child) Student, your entry clearance will end on whichever of the following three dates is the earliest:

• Four months after the end of the study programme; OR
• Four months after the end of the period you request; OR
• Four months after the end of two years.

Two years and four months is therefore the absolute maximum you can be given, if you apply as a Tier 4 (Child) Student.
If you have financial sponsorship from a government, the British Council, an international organization, a company or a university which wholly covers your fees and living costs, and your financial sponsor limits the time you can study in the UK, you will be given permission to remain for that period plus the usual post-course period allowed as stated in paragraph 72 of the Policy Guidance.
If your course is a pre-sessional course which will prepare you for a main course at the same college or university (or its partner college or university), your college or university might give you one Visa Letter which includes both courses.
If they do this, your entry clearance will end after the main course, rather than after the pre-sessional course. This will save you the money and inconvenience involved in having to apply for an extension in the UK. They will only do this if your admission to the main course is already guaranteed (and is not conditional, for example, on you attending or passing the pre-sessional course, or another exam).

Translations

Paragraphs 11-12 of the Policy Guidance states that if any of the documents you provide with your application is not in English (or Welsh), you must provide a professional translation. Please see the guidance for specific details regarding translations. If you do not follow these guidelines exactly, your translated documents will not be accepted.

How to apply

1. If your course leads to a Master’s or doctorate, or a postgraduate qualification abroad, ask the university whether you need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate for the course. This is a certificate issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which gives you security clearance to study certain subject areas, where the knowledge gained may have application in the development of weapons of mass destruction (for example, certain subjects in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, technology or medicine). You can check the list of subject areas that require an ATAS clearance certificate at

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/ (you will have to ask your university for the ‘JACS code’ for your course in order to check the list). If your course requires an ATAS clearance certificate, you will have to apply for, and be issued with, an ATAS clearance certificate before you make your immigration application. It will take weeks to obtain an ATAS clearance certificate, so start the process early (the process is explained on the FCO website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/services-we-deliver/atas/ You can apply for an ATAS clearance certificate as soon as you have a conditional offer of a place on a course. If you have more than one offer, you can make separate applications for ATAS clearance certificates relating to each offer, at the same time. You apply for ATAS clearance certificates online. There is no fee to pay. The ATAS clearance certificate applies only to the institution and course of study you put on the application form.

If you are studying for a postgraduate qualification at a higher education institution abroad, you will not need to apply for an ATAS clearance certificate if your study or research in the UK will last six months or less. If you are studying for a postgraduate qualification at a higher education institution abroad and your study or research in the UK will last more than six months, then when looking at the subject areas on the website, look at the list headed ‘Visiting research student’

You do not need to apply for an ATAS clearance certificate if your course is an enhanced MEng undergraduate degree and you will be starting it as an undergraduate student in the UK.

2. Download the UK Border Agency leaflet INF29 for students. It contains links to a number of documents that you also need to print off:

o Tier 4 guidance (Tier 4 is the part of the immigration system that deals with students). This is referred to in the rest of this information sheet as ‘the Policy Guidance’.
o Application form VAF9 – PBS Migrant.
o PBS Migrant guidance notes.
o EITHER:
? PBS Appendix 8 (General) Student, if you are applying as a Tier 4 (General) Student; OR
? PBS Appendix 9 (Child) Student, if you are applying as a Tier 4 (Child) Student.
If you do not have access to the internet, ask the British Embassy or High Commission in your country for printed copies of the documents.

3. Find your country on the list atwww.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/wheretoapply . It tells you how to start the process of applying in your country – for example, whether you need to make an appointment or complete an online form, or have a tuberculosis test first (tuberculosis tests are only required in a few countries). If you cannot see any information about how long it takes applications in your country to be processed, use the contact details that they give to contact them and ask. Read through the INF29 leaflet, for other instructions about the application process.

4. Take time to read through the whole of the Policy Guidance, and all the other documents you have printed off, very carefully. They contain a lot of very detailed instructions about the documents you must provide (such as the Visa Letter from your college or university, evidence of why they offered you a place, and your financial evidence). There is no flexibility about the documents – if your documents do not exactly match the requirements set out in the Policy Guidance, your application will be refused and you will have wasted your application fee and a lot of time. You will not be warned if you have forgotten to include documents, or your documents are inadequate. Your Visa Letter must not be more than six months old.

5. Complete application form VAF9 and either:
o application form PBS Appendix 8 (if you are applying as a Tier 4 (General) Student); or
o application form PBS Appendix 9 (if you are applying as a Tier 4 (Child) Student).
The forms ask how many ‘points’ you are claiming. You need to claim:
o 30 points for ‘attributes’ and 30 points for ‘possession of a Visa Letter’ (these are the same thing, but are described in these two different ways on the two different forms); and
o 10 points for ‘maintenance’; and
o zero points for ‘English’.

Use the process described for your country to submit your two application forms, and the supporting documents. Make sure you enclose all the documents listed in the forms and guidance as well as the ones mentioned in this information sheet. The INF29 leaflet tells you to submit a photocopy of each document in addition to the original document itself. You will have to pay a fee for the application (the equivalent of £145, in your local currency).

Warning: Do not allow an agent to send off your application unless you have checked through the completed forms and all the documents that are enclosed with it. Errors made by an agent (or attempts to deceive) can result in you being barred from entering the UK for 10 years. Keep photocopies of the completed forms and all the supporting documents. At some point, you will be asked to attend an office to give your fingerprints and have your photograph taken.

Good character requirement

This page provides details about the good character requirement that must be met by anyone applying for British nationality unless:
• they are under 10 years old when making the application; or
• are stateless and are applying on application form S1, S2 or S3; or
• they are a British overseas citizen, a British subject or a British protected person and are applying on application form B(OS).

We consider you to be of good character if you show respect for the rights and freedom of the United Kingdom, have observed its laws and fulfilled your duties and obligations as a resident. We will check with the police and may contact other government departments as part of our character check. By signing the application form you are giving your consent for us to contact these organizations to obtain information about you.