Batching applications: User guide

Batching applications: User guide Contains NEW information on pages 2-4, 6, and 7. Introduction Note: In this document, we use the word adviser to refer to whoever in your institution processes the applications according to the guidance in this document. This process allows advisers from educational institutions that hold a Tier 4 Sponsor Licence (or their Students Unions) to forward online application summaries/documents (in batches of one to ten) to the Home Office for processing. Students remain responsible for completing their applications and gathering the supporting documents. The addresses given in this guidance are only for use by advisers, and are not to be given to applicants. Batched applications are processed by Tier 4 caseworkers at the Home Office in Sheffield. Adviser s wishing to use the process should read this document carefully as it explains how it operates. Who can use the process? Tier 4 sponsor licence holders Student Unions of the above Applications which can be sent in batches Only student-related applications can be sent in batches: applications under Tier 4(G) and Tier 4(C); Points Based System (PBS) dependant applications made by dependant spouses, civil partners, unmarried partners, same-sex partners, and children, of Tier 4 students. All other categories of applications cannot be processed in batches, including applications: from other family members; for leave to remain as a dependant of a student who is in the UK with immigration permission granted as a result of an application made before 31 March 2009 ( old style students); for leave to remain as an academic visitor. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 1

Procedure for you Ask the applicant whether they plan to travel outside the UK during the next three months. You need this information so that you can assess whether you should be advising them to make their application in person (at a Premium Service Centre) instead of via post. This will depend on the time of year, and when they hope to travel. See Service levels (below), for further information. Service levels The Home Office aims to complete and post all straightforward applications within eight weeks. Please note that in order to have the application considered speedily, a biometric appointment should be booked sooner rather than later. It may be advisable to book at an enrolment centre which is not necessarily the most local to the student. Completed applications will be returned by recorded delivery post to the adviser s address at the institution/students Union in question (not direct to individual applicants). The Biometrics Residence Permit (BRP) is sent for production, at the same time as the decision, to colleagues in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) who aim to issue the BRP via the Secure Mail Service (SMS) with 3-7 working days. If the caseworker decides that an application is not straightforward, it may be referred for further advice. Applicants should not book travel tickets until they receive their passport and BRP back from you. Warn them to be prepared to lose the cost of any non-refundable tickets, if they ignore your advice. Submitting an application By checking the application and supporting documents are complete you can minimise any delay or risk of the application being rejected or refused. The following sections provide details on completing the application form and omissions that could result in the application being deemed as invalid or refused. NEW: Registering for, and logging into, an online account The Home Office would like all Tier 4 applicants to enter their sponsor s licence number into the online system before proceeding with a new or existing application, and whether or not the applicant has already registered and created an online account. An applicant should always start the application process by visiting www.gov.uk/applytier-4-visa (not the form finder ) and following the options. We have provided screenshots ((1) (5), below) to demonstrate what applicants should see. Note: The examples given in the screenshots relate to a Tier 4 (General) student applicant/application but the process is the same for all Tier 4 applicants. Applicant not yet registered / created an account If applicants have not yet created a customer account, they need to register by going through the above gov.uk link. To ensure that the system works correctly, once an Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 2

applicant has registered they should log out and return to www.gov.uk/apply-tier-4-visa; they should not use the form finder to start the application. They will have to re-enter their sponsor license number and they will eventually be prompted, at the bottom of a subsequent screen, to log in to apply online (see (4) below). Applicant already registered / created an account Applicants who already have an account, should visit www.gov.uk/apply-tier-4-visa, and follow the process through from there; adding the sponsor licence number, and then logging in, when prompted. They should not use any existing applications in their account but use the one that they have been directed to via the log in to apply online option. The Home Office has stated that it understands that this stop/repeat process is not ideal for new or existing account holders but it is necessary to ensure the correct application is completed, and until it can amend its systems fully. (1) All students should firstly visit www.gov.uk/apply-tier-4-visa: (2) Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 3

(3) (4) (5) (6) Return to (1) after having registered (and then logged out) for the first time. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 4

Completing the application form online Personal details section You, as the student s adviser, are not considered to be their immigration representative. When the online Tier 4 application form asks Is a representative acting for you in relation to this application?*, the student should select no. Contact details section You may wish to add your, and your institution s, contact details as a correspondence address; this will ensure that all documents are returned to you and not to the student. When the form asks Is this also your correspondence address?*, the student should select no. When the form then asks What is your correspondence address?*, the student should input your details. The input boxes are limited in character numbers so, they/you will need to input brief details which will still successfully locate you at your institution. Ideally, include at least your name, position and department, as well as the institution name and address. Biometric appointment letters The biometric appointment letter (asking the applicant to telephone to make an appointment to have his/her fingerprints and photograph recorded) will automatically be sent to the correspondence address as provided in the application. Checking the applicant s card payment Students must pay online. Where assisting the student in making his/her application fee payment online, check all the card details have been properly completed. Advise the applicant to make sure they maintain sufficient funds in their account, or a sufficient credit limit on their card, until the payment has been taken. If more than one fee for the same amount is due, it may be unwise for the applicant to use the same card for both applications (banks sometimes automatically demand extra authority if a card is drawn on for the same amount more than once in quick succession, and the cardholder will not be present to give that authority). Preparing the Batch for posting Place the applicant s summary sheet in an individual envelope, together with: the related passport(s); passport photographs; and supporting documents. Write on the outside of the envelope: Tier 4 Student Team (Batch) the type of application (e.g. Tier 4(G) ) the applicant s name, date of birth and nationality the recorded/special delivery number of the batch if available, the applicant s Home Office reference number if they are hoping to travel outside the UK within the next 6 months, date of travel and the date that the applicant hopes to travel. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 5

Put all the individual envelopes into a larger envelope. You can submit anything from one to ten envelopes at the same time. In the bottom left-hand corner of the larger envelope, write in large capitals: Student Batch Scheme and, in brackets, the number of individual envelopes in the batch; and if the batch includes any applicants who hope to travel outside the UK within the next few months note the earliest date any of the applicants in the batch hopes to travel. NEW: Students at any given sponsor, having input the sponsor licence number at the start of the online application process, should all be instructed to send their documents to one of two possible addresses. Students at your institution should all, therefore, be instructed by the Home Office to use the same address. Depending on which address students at your institution are instructed about, use Special/Recorded delivery to post your larger envelope to either: Tier 4 Applications, PO Box 180, BOOTLE, L80 4WG; or AOL T4 Applications, TMWT, PO Box 3468, Sheffield, S3 8WA. Contacting the Tier 4 caseworkers dealing with the application PLEASE DO NOT distribute the following contact details to students; they are only for use by student advisers in universities, colleges and students unions. Please only contact if urgent and necessary. The telephone line will be operated by an experienced caseworker who will establish the nature of the call and advise you of the next steps to resolve your query or issue. If possible it will be dealt with on the call. However, if this is not feasible they will ensure that the query will be directed to the most appropriate person. Where it is deemed to be more complex, eg a question regarding a decision, then you will be advised to submit a fax or letter outlining the issue. You can contact the Tier 4 Customer Service Team: if you feel the Home Office has made an error in the consideration of your case, eg granted an incorrect period of leave in error - (see Additional Information section, below); to request a progress report on an application which is no longer within the Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA is eight weeks; if a biometric letter has not been received; in exceptional circumstances where a student needs to travel urgently, eg due to a family illness or bereavement, including where the student is awaiting the implementation of an appeal outcome. Urgent travel for holidays, or similar, will not normally be considered. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 6

Please do not contact the Tier 4 Customer Service Team: to request reconsideration of a decision other than in circumstances above where you feel the Home Office has made a clear error; with general questions regarding the immigration rules or Home Office procedures (instead, contact the UKCISA advice line, your Premium Account Manager, the Educator Helpdesk, the Sponsor and Employer Helpline [0300 123 4699] or the Immigration Enquiry Bureau [0870 606 7766]); about immigration applications which the Home Office would not be able to deal with, as per above in this guidance; about immigration applications which are not being, or which have not been, dealt with by the Home Office eg applications for Tier 4 immigration permission which have been submitted at a Public Enquiry Office; with a casework query that could be answered elsewhere (e.g. UKCISA advice); by email (unless you are responding to an email the Home Office have sent you). Contact routes By phone: Student Advisers Support Line on 0114 207 5994 (9.00am 4.00pm, Monday Friday) Please be ready to quote the: applicant s name, date of birth and nationality; date you sent the batch; special / recorded delivery number of the batch in which the application was included. By post: NEW: Use whichever postal address was used to submit the initial documents to. Either: Tier 4 Applications, PO Box 180, Bootle, L80 4WG; or AOL T4 Applications, TMWT, PO Box 3468, Sheffield, S3 8WA. The Home Office have confirmed that the above addresses: replace the former address [ Student Batch Scheme, Tier 4, Document Centre, PO Box 179, Bootle, L80 4WE ] which should no longer be used; and should always be used, regardless of any other address which may be provided (for follow-up contact) on the initial application cover sheet. If contacting the Home Office by post, you should include a covering letter giving the: applicant s name, date of birth and nationality; and Home Office reference number (if known) on the letter and the bottom left hand corner of the envelope; and date you sent the batch; and Special/Recorded delivery number of the batch in which the application was included. If you have been contacted by a Tier 4 caseworker then you should direct your correspondence to that team, eg Tier 4 Student Team 1. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 7

Additional information Sending documents after the application has been submitted Applications must always be submitted when fully complete with all supporting documentation. Sending additional documents to the Home Office, after submission of the application, is not advised. If there has been a delay in a student being issued with an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate then, following discussion with the Home Office, it is sometimes possible to submit this certificate after submission of the application. If you do need to send documents to be linked with an existing application, please send a copy of the biometric enrolment letter with the barcode and submit the document by special delivery using the appropriate address in Contact Routes section, above. If the Home Office has made a clear and indisputable error in the consideration of the case If you wish the Home Office to reconsider the student s case, where there has been a clear and indisputable error in the decision to refuse, please see the Reconsideration page on the UKCISA website. If a student wins an appeal against a refusal of leave to remain If a student has their application refused they may have, and choose to exercise, a right of appeal. If the student s appeal is successful and the Tribunal decide that the student should be granted leave under the immigration rules, then the student is lawfully permitted to remain in the United Kingdom pending the implementation of the Tribunal s decision. The Home Office will process any allowed appeals upon receiving the determination from the relevant Tribunal. The conditions that applied to the applicant at the time he/she submitted his/her application will continue to apply until the Home Office have implemented the Tribunal s decision and granted the further period of leave. Produced by UKCISA/UKVI 8