ISSO - STS EC form guide

Applying from Outside the UK (Entry Clearance)

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM GUIDE This guide provides step-by-step guidance for students aged 16 or over completing the Short-term study visa online application form.

Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2 Getting started .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4 1. Start: Register your email ........................................................................................................................................................... 6 2. Application ................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 Course details........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Accommodation ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Plans after your visa expires .................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) ................................................................................................................................................... 10 Previous study in the UK ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Your employment status........................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 Your income and savings ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 About the cost of your visit .................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 About your financial situation ............................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Paying for your visit ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Help towards the cost of your visit ........................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Your planned length of stay ................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Your visit to the UK ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 16 People financially dependent on you .................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Accommodation in the UK ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 UK Travel history .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 International travel history .................................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Problems with immigration to the UK ................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Problems with immigration to countries other than the UK ................................................................................................................................. 22

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Convictions, war crimes, terrorism and employment history ............................................................................................................................... 23 Additional information about your application ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

3. Documents .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 4. Declaration .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25 5. Pay .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 6. Download and print ................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Questions? .................................................................................................................................................................................. 27

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Getting started This form is for Short-term Study visa applications for courses or periods of study or research in the UK of less than 6 months duration (or 11 months for certain English language courses).

How long it takes you to complete the application will depend on your particular situation. You will be able to save your application and come back to it at another time if you need to (click ‘Return to this application later’).

If you are inactive for 25 minutes you will be automatically logged out.

Answer each question fully and truthfully. Failure to declare something on your form will be seen by UKVI as deception, and will result in this application (and possibly future applications) being refused. Providing the correct information will not automatically lead to a refusal.

Not every question is covered in this guide. If you can’t find an answer, contact us on sid@exeter.ac.uk

The online application form is accessed here: https://visas-immigration.service.gov.uk/apply-visa-type/tier4

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Confirm your visa type 

Choose your visa type:  Short-term student visa



Select your location by typing the country in the box. Select the correct country from the list and click ‘Next’.

Apply in your home country, where you are lawfully living (not short-term), or a country where you are a national.



Confirm you can attend an appointment at the visa application centres shown. You can select which one later.

If you cannot attend one of these locations, on the next screen you will see a list of alternative countries to select. You will need to provide evidence of your permission to be in that country.



Read the ‘Before you apply’ information and click ‘Apply now’ to begin the form.

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1. Start: Register your email  Enter a valid email address and create a secure but memorable password.  You will be emailed a link to log back into your account. Keep this email safe to avoid having to start your form all over again!

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2. Application

 Answer the questions about your names, exactly as they appear on your passport or travel document.  Answer the questions about your home address, contact details, gender, and nationality and so on in full.

You can add details for multiple nationalities and passports that you hold.

National ID card: Only enter details of your national identity card if you are able to present your card.

Otherwise, click ‘No’.  Answer ‘Yes’ that you are enrolled or accepted onto a UK course.

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Course details

 Institution name: University of Exeter  Course name: As appears on your offer or department letter  Qualification you will get: As appears on your offer or department letter  Start and end dates: As appears on your offer or department letter  Enter details of any further courses you plan to undertake during your stay in the UK. You may study one or more consecutive or concurrent courses to be completed within 6 months.

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Accommodation

 Answer ‘No’ to accommodation being included in the cost of your course.

 Use the free text box to answer what you plan to do after your course finishes and your visa expires.

Plans after your visa expires

For example, you could indicate that you have to return home to complete the rest of your studies, or that you will be travelling around Europe, before returning home.

Remember, you are able to remain in the UK for up to 30 days after the last day of your course, or until your 6 months period is finished, whichever is sooner.

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Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

 People who want to study at advanced levels within certain subject areas must obtain clearance certificates under the Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) before they make any immigration application to study, or extend their study period, in the UK. Further information about the scheme is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

ATAS is only required for certain subject areas, including Computer Science, Physics, Medicine, Biosciences and Engineering, but all Masters and PhD students should check whether or not the requirement applies to them. It will be stated on your offer letter.

Undergraduate inbound study abroad students studying for 6 months or less will NOT require an ATAS certificate.

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Previous study in the UK

 Answer the question about any previous study in the UK. If you indicate you have studied in the UK before, you will be asked to provide further information: o o o o

Institution name Course name Qualifications Course dates

You can add further course details if relevant.

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Your employment status



Enter your employment details. You should also select ‘Student’ if you are currently enrolled on a course elsewhere.

You can select multiple options.

If you indicate you are employed, you will be asked to provide further details including: o Employer’s name o Employer’s address o Employer’s telephone number o Date you started to work for this employer (month and year)

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Your income and savings



Answer the questions regarding any income or savings.

Choosing ‘Other regular income’ includes allowance or regular money from your family, pension, investments or any other form of income.

You will need to show the total amount of money you get in a year.

Choosing ‘Savings’ asks you to say how much money you have in savings. You should show proof of these savings if this is your only source of money (e.g. show a bank statement or bank letter).

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About the cost of your visit



Enter a figure here for how much you expect your trip to cost.

You probably will not know an exact figure, but that is ok. Estimate the rough costs of flights, accommodation and your everyday living expenses.

You might want to use the living expenses figure the UK government sets for Tier 4 students as a guide: £1,015 per month

About your financial situation

There is no right or wrong answer here, so choose a figure you think is reasonable.

You should also expect to show evidence of your access to these funds, for example bank statements.



Answer this question based on your current expenditure each month.

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Paying for your visit



Indicate if you will receive help towards your visit. This includes from family, friends, employers or any other company or organisation.

If you select ‘Yes’, you will need to answer further questions:

Help towards the cost of your visit

o Who is paying towards the cost of your visit? o Contact details for this individual or company. o How much money will they be paying? o Why are they helping you? (Free text box)

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Your planned length of stay



Choose your length of stay as up to 6 months. You can apply for an 11 month visa if you are completing certain English language courses.

If your course is longer than 6 months, you will need a CAS and should probably apply for a Tier 4 visa.

Your visit to the UK 

Enter the dates you will arrive and leave the UK. Your visa will not only be valid for these dates. Your visa will still be granted for a full 6 months from the date you travel to the UK.



Enter the language you wish to use to discuss your application if necessary.

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People financially dependent on you

 Answer the questions about those who rely on you financially for support. You should also include those who will not be travelling to the UK with you.

Answering ‘Yes’ will bring up further questions about them: o Name o Date of birth o Their address o If they will travel to the UK with you (if so, you should provide their nationality and passport number)

You cannot bring dependants with you to the UK on a Short Term Study visa.

You may need to consider a standard UK visitor’s visa for your dependant, or a Tier 4 visa and dependants visa if you qualify.

 Answer the following questions about: o your parents, o any family already in the UK o the name of the organized group or any people you will travel to the UK with

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Accommodation in the UK

Have you made arrangements for where you will stay in the UK? No It’s ok if you don’t know exactly where you will be staying, but you will still need to give an indication of where you plan to stay (e.g. university halls of residence, private accommodation etc).

Yes If you do know where you will be staying, answer the questions giving the address and dates you plan to stay there. You can add multiple places.

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UK Travel history



If you indicate you have been to the UK before, you will be asked further questions including: Purpose & duration of your visit - why you came, for how long and when (month and years).

Medical treatment in the UK – If you answer ‘Yes’ to receiving medical treatment, you will be asked to provide further details.

UK leave to remain - Answer the questions regarding any previous visa extension applications you have made, whether they were successful or not.

National Insurance number – If you worked in the UK previously, provide your National Insurance number, and the reason why you got this number.



If you answer no to travel to the UK, you will be asked if you have been issued a UK visa within the past 10 years.

Answer this as ‘yes’ even if you did not travel to the UK using that visa. You should then enter the date of visa issue.

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

International travel history

The Schengen area covers most of the EU. If you indicate you have been to the listed counties before, you will be asked further questions including: Which country visited – you can only select one country at a time. If you have visited multiple countries, select ‘2 to 5 times’ or ‘6 or more times’.

Purpose & duration of your visit - why you came, for how long and when (month and years).

There appears to be an error with the form here, as you can only list 2 countries you have visited. You can add further detail of other international travel in the ‘Additional information about your application’ section at the end of the form.



International travel (worldwide) - You will then be asked a further question about travel to other countries (worldwide) in the past 10 years.

Selecting ‘yes’ brings up further questions including:  Which country you visited  Reason for visit  Date of visit You can add multiple visits to this section.

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Problems with immigration to the UK

 Answer the questions in this section truthfully.

Selecting ‘Yes’ will allow you to explain more details of what happened, including a free-text box.

You can add multiple immigration problems.

Listing details of a refusal will not automatically mean your application is refused. However, failing to list a refusal will likely mean you are refused.

Be truthful.

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Problems with immigration to countries other than the UK

 Answer the questions in this section truthfully.

Selecting ‘Yes’ will allow you to explain more details of what happened, including a free-text box.

You can add multiple immigration problems.

Listing details of a refusal will not automatically mean your application is refused. However, failing to list a refusal will likely mean you are refused.

Be truthful.

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Convictions, war crimes, terrorism and employment history

 Answer the questions truthfully, including information for ANY country (not just those from within the UK).

Selecting an option from the list directs you to another page or free text box where you can add further details.

Again, always be truthful here and read the definitions and statements very carefully before you answer.

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Additional information about your application

 Use this free text box to add anything additional you would like to be considered as part of your application.

Click ‘Save and continue’ and review your answers.

Carefully check your answers provided.

You can go back and edit anything you need to at this stage.

It is important you provide a truthful and comprehensive application.

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3. Documents Gather your documents as listed. Tick each box to confirm you have this document.

Don’t forget that not every document you will need to present at your visa appointment is listed here. You should also expect to show your bank statements or letters.

See our checklist here to ensure you have everything.

4. Declaration Carefully read and confirm you accept the declaration.

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5. Pay

 Choose the service you wish to pay for, bearing in mind how close to your course start date you are and the quoted time to receive a decision.

 Choose the visa application centre where you can visit to apply for your visa.

 Choose a suitable appointment date and time.

STOP! Carefully check your answers provided before you pay for your application.

Once you reach the payment screen, your application cannot be amended.

 Pay for your application.

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6. Download and print Once you have paid, your application form is complete, and you will be returned to the ‘Download and print’ screen.

You should download and print the ‘Supporting Documents’ list and the application form to take with you to your appointment. We would also recommend that you save pdf copies for future reference as you not be able to access these at a later date.

Questions?

If after following the advice in this document you still have questions, first try our Short Term Study visa guide on our website.

If you still do not know the answer, please contact the International Student Support Office on sid@exeter.ac.uk, or for Cornwall students contact info.penryn@exeter.ac.uk.

Don’t forget to carefully prepare all your documents. The most common reason for a visa refusal is due to the finance evidence submitted.

Check our website carefully to ensure your documents meet ALL the requirements.

If in doubt, ask for help. Do NOT risk submitting an incorrect application.

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