Tier 4 (General)

Tier 4 (General) Student Visas are available for non-EEA nationals wishing to study in the UK, for post-16 education. If you are aged 16 or 17 years of age, you can agree with your school, college or university to apply as a Tier 4 (General) or Tier 4 (Child) student.

You will require 40 points to be able to qualify under the Tier 4 (General) category. You must have 30 points for being accepted onto a course with an approved education provider. The remaining 10 points are for maintenance and you must be able to demonstrate that you have enough funding to cover the cost of studies and living expenses. The amount of funding required will depend on the location of your education provider and the length of your course.

The UK Government has made recent changes to the Tier 4 category, which affect students’ eligibility to work in the UK and the course of studies they are able to undertake. Furthermore, these changes impose certain English language requirements for students to be able to undertake a course and affects their rights relating to Tier 4 (General) students’ dependants. Further changes are expected to be made in April 2012.