Under the new Tier 4 regulations, the education provider must be registered and apply for a sponsor licence before they are able to accept international students and to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) in the UK.

The schools who recruit migrant students attempt to study, they need to be registered sponsor to issue CAS as a virtual document for them to apply Tier 4 visa. The UKVI implements more stringent rules in the Tier 4 Student category with an attempt to crack down on bogus colleges and fraudulent applications from foreign students. 

Institutions are obligated to register with the UKVI before they are recognized as a sponsor and are able to sponsor international students to come here under the student tier.

If you are studying with a Tier 4 sponsor that has a Highly Trusted Sponsor licence, you can obtain a CAS for a course that leads to an approved qualification for Home Office purposes and is: 

• Short period of course such as an English language course or a training course
• Your course must be full-time and at NQF/QCF Level 6 or above or
• Full-time and involving a minimum of 15 hours per week of organised daytime study and (except in the case of a short pre-sessional course) leading to a qualification below degree level

After you have been accepted on a course, your college or university will provide you with an unconditional offer, called Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS), to confirm your study. You will need this document in order to apply for your visa.

For both non-English and English courses you need to show that your English level is at least at CEFR level B1 e.g. equivalent to IELTS Band 3.5 - 4.5. Depending on your course, the training provider might request a higher level of English.

You must show that you have enough money to cover your monthly living costs whilst you are studying in the UK. The amount of money you have to show will depend on whether you already have an established presence studying in the UK.
  
If you do not have an established presence studying in the UK, you must show that you have money for your course fees plus:
 

• Inner London £1020 for living costs for each month of your course up, to a maximum of 9 months.
• Outer London or anywhere else in the UK £820 for living costs for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months.

 

If you have an established presence studying in the UK, you must show that you have money for your course fees plus:
 

• Inner London £1265 for living costs for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months.
• Outer London or anywhere else in the UK 1015 for living costs for each month of your course up to a maximum of 9 months.

You need to be offered the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your chosen school before you can apply for a visa. You can only apply for your visa three months before the start date of your course. This means, if your course starts at the end of September, you will receive your CAS around the end of June.

You can work for up to 20 hours a week during your studies and full-time during your holidays to help support your studies. This only applies if you are studying a degree level course at a UK higher education institution for longer than 6 months. The university or college must be listed on the Highly Trusted Sponsor (HTS) list and the list of recognised bodies.

You can bring your partner and children to the UK as your Tier 4 dependant if you are a government-sponsored student and your course is longer than six months or you are doing a postgraduate level course of 12 months or longer at a publicly-funded Higher Education Institution or a 'recognised body'.

You cannot bring your family to the UK as a Tier 4 dependant if you are studying an English language course, a course which is below degree level or an undergraduate course (except if you are a government-sponsored student).

There are several options for you to stay in the UK after your studies.

• Tier 2 (General) Visa: This visa is open to recent graduates with a Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD or PGCE from a recognised UK university. In order to apply, you need to be offered a skilled job from a registered employer. You also need to earn a salary of at least £20,400 per year.
• Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) Visa: This visa option is open to talented students who are developing a world-class business idea. You will need to be identified and sponsored by your university as having the potential to create your own business in the UK. This applies to all graduating students. The UK government has also established an additional route for MBA students specifically.
• Tier 4 (Student) Visa: If you are a student completing a PhD at a UK higher education institute you can apply to stay in the UK for a further 12 months after your course completion date. You will be sponsored by your university but you will have full unrestricted work rights, except for some limited professions such as doctors or dentists.
• Tier 5 Youth Mobility Scheme: Some nationalities are eligible to apply for a two-year work scheme permit. You can find details on the UK Home Office website.
• Tier 5 Temporary Worker: This visa allows you to work in the UK for up to 12 or 24 months (depending on the scheme you’re applying for). If you are offered a job in one of the following areas by a licensed sponsor, then you qualify for a Tier 5 Temporary worker visa: creative and sporting, charity workers (unpaid voluntary work), religious workers, government authorised exchange and international agreement. For the Tier 5 (Government Authorised Exchange) route, you can apply to switch from your Tier 4 visa to this visa from within the UK. For all other Tier 5 visa routes, you need to apply from outside the UK.