SPONSORED STUDENTS STEP BY STEP WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT Your Offer Your letter is an Offer Letter for a place to study at Teesside University. Read this carefully as it shows the conditions you need to meet. If any of your details are incorrect such as the spelling of your name please email us immediately so that we can update this. Satisfying the Conditions of your Offer When you meet the conditions you must send us evidence of this, for example a scanned copy of a degree certificate. We will then update your records to confirm this. Evidence of your Sponsorship You must send us your original sponsor letter as evidence of your sponsorship. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) cannot be issued until we have received this. Please read the Notes for Payment document for further information. If your sponsor is not already approved by Teesside University they will need to undergo an approval process. This may delay your application process. Unconditional Offer When you have met all conditions, both academic and sponsor requirements, your offer will be changed to Unconditional. Your Unconditional Offer Letter will be sent to you by email. You should check all of your details are correct as this information will be included on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) When you have checked that all your details are correct on your Unconditional Offer Letter, please reply to international.admissions@tees.ac.uk to confirm this. We will then issue your CAS number which will be sent to you by email. Applying for your Visa You now have everything you need to apply for your visa your Unconditional Offer Letter containing all necessary information and your CAS number which has been emailed to you. Please visit the UKVI Website for guidance on how to apply. Arrival and Enrolment Information Further information about your arrival and enrolment will be sent to you by email before your start date so you must let us know if any of your details change, for example your contact address, email or passport number. Already in the UK?
If you are already in the UK, you must change your visa to Teesside University using the CAS number we have issued to you before you can enrol as a student at Teesside. Please visit the UKVI Website for guidance on how to apply. ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION Students who are sponsored The International Scholarship is only awarded to students who are self-funded. If you are being sponsored by a company or government body then the full tuition fee will apply. If your fees are being paid by your Government or employer please send us original documentary evidence to this effect. We reserve the right to consult with your Government or employer to confirm the conditions under which they will pay your fees. If you originally declare that you are self-funded but later inform us that you are being sponsored, the full tuition fee will apply. Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) If your Offer Letter indicated that your course requires an ATAS certificate, you will need to obtain this before you can apply for your visa. You must apply online through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office There is no cost for the ATAS application. To find the JACS code which is applicable to your course please refer to your Offer Letter. Please send Teesside University your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive this. Credibility Interviews In some cases you may be requested to complete an online survey. This has been introduced for students where it has been identified that they come from a country deemed to be at risk of a visa being refused. This is to help you think about the questions you may be asked during your Credibility Interview and prepare some answers. You will be sent a link to complete the survey which is via SurveyMonkey (an online survey tool). We use the answers that you give here to inform the decision on issuing a CAS. NHS Healthcare Surcharge Also called an immigration health surcharge or IHS. If you receive a visa that is for longer than six months you may need to pay the healthcare surcharge. This is paid as part of your visa application. Please check if you are liable for the charge by checking UKVI NHS Charge If you are applying online or through the premium service centre, the surcharge will be paid as part of the application or when you book an appointment. If you are applying by post you must pay the surcharge online before you send your application as the IHS reference number is needed for the application form. In order to make sure that you pay the correct surcharge please use the online checker to work out how much you should pay. UKVI NHS Calculator The surcharge amount will depend on how many years you will be studying. There is one surcharge per person so if you are bringing dependents there will be a separate charge for each dependent. The healthcare surcharge will entitle you to access the NHS services although there may still be some addition charges for certain types of services such as prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests. Your visa or immigration application won t be granted if you don t o Pay the healthcare surcharge Or it will be delayed o If you do not pay the right amount
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Confirming Your Details Once you have satisfied all conditions you will be sent an Unconditional Offer Letter. You are then required by the UKVI to have a CAS number in order to apply for your TIER 4 Student Visa. The University will request the CAS number on your behalf which will then be sent to you by email. In order to obtain the CAS number you must confirm to the University that the details in your Offer Letter are correct. We require that you check all of the detail in your offer letter prior to requesting your CAS, including: Your name spelt as it appears on your passport Your date of birth Passport number Title of course Year of Entry The qualifications your offer has been based on Any anomalies on your offer letter and CAS will result in your visa application being refused. To confirm that your details are correct or to inform of any amendments, please email international.admissions@tees.ac.uk and include your applicant number. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Teesside University cooperates fully with UKVI over the issue of student visas. We will therefore report any students who fail to attend the University after issue of a firm final offer and any student who withdraws from their course. If a CAS number is issued to you and you are unable to enrol (for example, if your visa is refused) please inform us as soon as possible as to why you are unable to attend. Applying for Your Visa The CAS number is sent to you via email and is an electronic document. You do not need any original documentation showing the CAS number. You must only request your CAS number when you are ready to submit your visa application and have met all other requirements such as holding the required maintenance funds in your bank account for 28 days (please visit the UKVI Website for further information). Your CAS number is only valid for 6 months after the date it is issued. If you apply for your visa after the CAS has expired, the visa will be refused. In addition, you can only apply for your visa up to 3 months before the course start date. Please be aware that Teesside University impose a restriction of a maximum of two CAS numbers per student. If, for any reason, you fail to enrol after two CAS numbers have been issued to you (e.g. visa refusal) then no further deferrals to the next intake will be permitted. Orientation and Arrival Teesside University will stop issuing CAS numbers approximately 1 month prior to the course start date to allow sufficient time for the processing of visa applications and for you to make travel arrangements. Teesside University reserves the right to stop issuing CAS numbers where it is unlikely that you will have sufficient time to obtain your visa and arrive before the latest enrolment date.
If your visa is issued after the latest date to enrol, do not travel to the UK. You will not be permitted to enrol on the course and the UKVI will be notified and your visa revoked. You will need to defer your place to the next available intake or make a new application (as applicable), request a new CAS number and apply for a new visa. BRP Card You will be given a 30 day visa that allows you entry into the UK and enable you to enrol on your course. You will need to pick up your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card from the local post office within 10 days of arriving at the University. This is your visa for the length of your course. The nearest Post Office is situated on the lower floor of W H Smith the address of which is Cleveland Centre, 17 19 Centre Mall, Middlesbrough, TS1 2NR. To collect your BRP you must have your passport or travel document which contains your 30 day visa with you, you must also have your decision letter with you which will help the Post Office staff locate your BRP quickly. If you do not collect your BRP within 10 days of arrival in the UK you may be subject to a financial penalty or cancellation of your leave.
VISA AND IMMIGRATION RESPONSIBILITIES Teesside University is required by the Home Office to comply with certain responsibilities and duties as your Tier 4 Sponsor, and as an international student you are required to comply with the Home Office immigration rules and the terms of your visa whilst you are studying at Teesside University. University Our responsibilities are to: keep copies of your current passport and evidence of entry clearance, visa, UK Biometric Residence Permit and qualifications. keep a record of your up-to-date UK contact details notify the Home Office of any changes in your circumstances on any of the following, if you: fail to register or enrol do not attend all sessions as per your course requirements transfer, withdraw or complete your course early take an unauthorised leave of absence present fraudulent or expired documentation Individual Your responsibilities are to: ensure that you have valid leave to study in the UK produce your passport and evidence of entry clearance, visa, UK Biometric Residence Permit, and qualifications provide your UK contact details, and notify the University of any changes register and enrol on time for each year of study attend all sessions as per your course requirements return home to your country if you withdraw or complete your course early obtain authorisation for any leave of absence ensure that you do not breach the terms of your student visa pay your fees in full WORKING DURING YOUR STUDIES Many International Students are allowed to do some work whilst they study in the UK. Normally you are allowed to work with some restrictions. However, some students are prohibited from working. Students Prohibited from Working Student Visa In some cases students are prohibited from working. To see if this is the case for you check your visa. Normally there are two types of stamps in your visa which prohibits any work. These may be: No work or engaging in business OR No work or recourse to public funds Short Term Study Visa If you receive have a Short Term study Visa, you are prohibited from working.
Students Allowed to Work with Restrictions In most cases students who will be in the UK on a Tier4 / student visa can expect to receive a stamp on their visa which allows work with restrictions, rather than a prohibition on work. There are a few types of stamp allowing work but with restrictions on a student visa. Able to work as authorised by The Secretary of State No recourse to public funds. Work (and any other changes) must be authorised No recourse to public funds. Work limited to max 20 hrs per week during term time No recourse to public fund. Work / Business as in Tier 4 rules Work 20 hrs max in term-time Work 10 hrs max in term time Students with these stamps on their visas are automatically authorised to work in two different areas with the following two conditions: Students must not engage in business, be self-employed or work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer Students must not pursue a career by filling a permanent full time vacancy The two types of work which International Students are allowed to do are: Part time and vacation employment up to 20 hours a week in term-time (for Tier 4 visas issued to study at degree level or above), and full time during vacations (for a course below Bachelors degree level, you will only be able to work up to 10 hours per week in term time) Work placements which are part of a sandwich course Sandwich courses which include the work placement as an integral part of the course in which the work placement is clearly defined and approved by the University, and the work placement must not extend beyond the end of the course. Term Dates You are only able to work up to 20 hours a week (or 10 hours in some cases) during official term time. Official term dates and vacation periods can be obtained from your Academic school. Breaches of prohibition / restriction illegal working WARNING: it is important these prohibitions and or restrictions are not breached. The Home Office are becoming stricter in the application of the regulations. It is classified as a criminal offence to breach these regulations which can lead to a fine of 10,000 and/ or up to 6 months in prison and the possibility of removal from the UK. We look forward to welcoming you to Teesside University International Admissions International.admissions@tees.ac.uk +44 (0) 1642 384244