Documents required

Applying for a Tier 4 Student Visa from outside the UK

As part of your application, you must provide identity documents as well as evidence that you meet the requirements of the Tier 4 visa. You must prepare all the relevant documents before submitting your visa application. Please be aware that if any of the documents do not meet the UKBA requirements, your application is likely to be refused.

All documents must be original – photocopies are not accepted.

You will need to provide the following.

Photographs and passport

One recent passport-sized photograph of yourself- please see the UKBA photo guidance for more information about the requirements for the photographs.
Your current passport and any previous passports which you have used to travel to the UK.
A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), if you have one.

Evidence used to obtain your CAS

Qualification certificates / transcripts – you must provide original certificates for all of the documents listed under the Evidence used to obtain offer section of your CAS. This is likely to include your previous qualifications (e.g. IELTS, Bachelor's Degree).
An ATAS certificate , if required.

Evidence of your finances
You must provide evidence that you meet the financial requirement of the Tier 4 visa. The financial requirement is a combination of your outstanding tuition fees for the year plus a set requirement for living costs which varies according to your personal situation.

There are two levels for the living cost requirement – the higher maintenance level, and the lower maintenance level. Students who have never studied in the UK before will be subject to the higher maintenance level. For more information about the maintenance levels, and to check which one applies to you, please consult our guidance on understanding the maintenance requirement for Tier 4 visa applicants.

There are several different documents which can be used to show that you meet the financial requirement of the Tier 4 visa depending on whether your studies are self-financed, financed by your parents or if you have an official sponsor who is paying your fees and supporting your living costs. The requirements for these documents are very strict, so we recommend that you consult our guidance on financial evidence for Tier 4 visa applications carefully to check that your document is suitable.

Translations
Any documents which were not issued in English must be accompanied by a professional translation.

The UKBA requirements regarding translations are very strict. You are advised to read our guidance on translation requirements for visa applications made outside the UK to make sure that any translations you get meet the requirements.

Tuberculosis (TB) Clearance Certificate
Applicants from certain countries are required to obtain a certificate confirming that they are free from infectious TB before they apply for a visa. Please check the UKBA website for the full list of countries where this requirement applies.