When did you apply for your student visa?

if you end up not doing IGS, you can apply to extend your stay until graduation as a visitor...I don't think they'd extend your student visa out that far.  But IGS is definitely the way to go, IMO!

The plan as of now is definitely to apply for IGS because I want to use that time to meet the salary requirements for the HSMP, but I was just thinking ahead if my circumstances were to change but hopefully they won't. Thanks for the advice

I submitted the application online on 24 May but later realized that I should have waited until June since apparantly you can only apply 3 months prior to when you want to arrive. So I waited until June to actually mail off the application and supporting documents.

Chickinusa,

What website did you go to apply online?  What supporting documents did you need and send?
I just got my signatures from my Uni approving my loans and now I just have to wait for the processing.  With all my loans (plus loans included) I'm about 7,000 short of the expected total living cost.  I have waaaayyy more than that available on my credit cards (which are empty now) and my parents have agreed to assist with some living cost to set me up.
Will that be good for getting the visa or will I have to take out a private loan for the remaining 7,000?

I just got all my paperwork from my study abroad program to apply for my student visa. I'm still waiting on the final letter from my student loan, but hopefully that will be cleared up this week. I've just discovered that I have to apply through the LA British Consulate. A lot of people on UKY end up going through the NY Consulate, so I've seen lots of commentary on it but not on the LA one. Anything I should know ahead of time? Thanks!

I just got all my paperwork from my study abroad program to apply for my student visa. I'm still waiting on the final letter from my student loan, but hopefully that will be cleared up this week. I've just discovered that I have to apply through the LA British Consulate. A lot of people on UKY end up going through the NY Consulate, so I've seen lots of commentary on it but not on the LA one. Anything I should know ahead of time? Thanks!

I applied through the LA consulate for my student visa (and will be again for my IGS and spousal visas next year!)  It was a breeze.  The LA consulate does *not* send out email notices that your documents have been received if you apply by mail, so don't worry about that.  They do send approval notices through email- I got mine a week after I sent my docs in, and my passport/visa arrived the next day via FedEx overnight service.

According to the recent stats posted by garry the LA consulate has one of the lowest refusal rates in the world (2%), so the odds are on your side! I'm sure everything will be fine.

I applied through the LA consulate for my student visa (and will be again for my IGS and spousal visas next year!)  It was a breeze.  The LA consulate does *not* send out email notices that your documents have been received if you apply by mail, so don't worry about that.  They do send approval notices through email- I got mine a week after I sent my docs in, and my passport/visa arrived the next day via FedEx overnight service.

According to the recent stats posted by garry the LA consulate has one of the lowest refusal rates in the world (2%), so the odds are on your side! I'm sure everything will be fine.

Sweet! Thank you! That's really helpful as I probably would have panicked had I not gotten an email saying they had my documents. I wonder why they have different policies.

This is becoming more real everyday, and it's totally strange!

Chickinusa,

What website did you go to apply online?  What supporting documents did you need and send?
I just got my signatures from my Uni approving my loans and now I just have to wait for the processing.  With all my loans (plus loans included) I'm about 7,000 short of the expected total living cost.  I have waaaayyy more than that available on my credit cards (which are empty now) and my parents have agreed to assist with some living cost to set me up.
Will that be good for getting the visa or will I have to take out a private loan for the remaining 7,000?

I applied through the UKVisas website, http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk . For supporting documents I sent my passport, bank statements going back 3 months, my certificate of final acceptance for entry clearance (basically a letter from the uni addressed to the immigration officers to confirm that I've been accepted, paid a deposit, etc), my undergraduate transcripts, photo and printed online application. Payment was made online when I submitted the application so I didn't need to include that with my docs.

I don't have any experience with loans so I can't help with that unfortunately. Maybe a letter from your parents confirming how much financial assistance they could give you would help, or something showing how much you have available on your credit cards? I'm not sure, but hopefully someone will come along and offer some advice.

Can I chime in on this? Heh heh

We're still waiting for loan approval (fingers crossed ) but just in case...My boyfriend will also be short of his expected living costs, although his parents have agreed to help him out by sending regular money each month and they're willing to write a letter to confirm this.

But he's also planning to work whilst he's here, he's a high skilled IT ...um ... guy? And he hopes to earn a good wage despite only working part time (we've seen loads of jobs he could do on wiredsussex) Should he mention that he plans to work whilst here?
Also, what about including examples of jobs he could do? I worked part time at uni and made about £500 a month which would be £6K towards his costs.

He's planning on renting a flat with me when he arrives, should we mention that? I do okay, (make about £24K a year) and I'm willing to help him out as much as possible. Mainly by paying all of our joint bills aside from rent.
Should he mention that? Or will it look funny that  I'm willing to help someone financially I've only met 3 times, will they think he intends to come here to marry me or something? (he doesn't, being together is only part of the reason he wants to study in england)

Sorry for the thread hijack!

My boyfriend will also be short of his expected living costs, although his parents have agreed to help him out by sending regular money each month and they're willing to write a letter to confirm this.

But he's also planning to work whilst he's here, he's a high skilled IT ...um ... guy? And he hopes to earn a good wage despite only working part time (we've seen loads of jobs he could do on wiredsussex) Should he mention that he plans to work whilst here?
Also, what about including examples of jobs he could do? I worked part time at uni and made about £500 a month which would be £6K towards his costs.

He can't legally rely on his UK earnings to pay his living costs at all.  As the rules stand, and in the instructions issued to entry clearance officers, it's a key condition of getting permission to come to the UK as a student that you can pay your fees and living costs *without* needing to work, and that you continue to do so throughout your stay.  Somone with the immigration status of student can work part-time for extra money or even for non-financial reasons, but they cannot rely on those earnings for fees or basic living costs.  This is fairly standard immigration law in the UK, US and many other places.  People have their leave curtailed for breaching this condition. 

Your boyfriend will need to show upfront that he has funds available to him to meet his fees and living costs, so he may need to ask his parents to agree to provide more money than they intended to.

The only way he (and you) could rely on his earnings is if you were married, and he was your dependant rather than a student in his own right.

I have a quick question on that note. I will be continuing the same work I do now when I am overseas (no more than 20 hours a week though), and that money will be supplementing my stay in the UK. I did, however, request a much higher amount than needed for my alt loan on purpose to provide enough for the program fees AND cost of living estimates that were listed in my information packet for my program. I won't have that extra money in my accounts until just before school begins though, when the loan monies are distributed at the beginning of fall and then again at the beginning of spring.

So my question is, I don't really understand what this means. My bank account usually has between $1200 and $100 in it (as I usually transfer some to my savings account which will be up around $2000 when I leave, but is currently almost wiped out to pay for my plane fare and visa costs). Do I need anything else in addition to that? I'm starting to worry about if I'm supposed to have this huge bulk amount in my account or not.

If you just send the loan guarentee I think you'll be fine. I had very little extra money in my account when I applied (a couple hundred). I sent the loan guarentee and a copy of a credit card bill showing my credit limit.

So if the loan you'll recieve is enough to cover the tuition and living estimates on the list of information you recieved, you should be fine.

You don't need all the funds upfront in your account, you can show the loan guarantee.  Similarly, a sponsor doesn't need to show that they already have all the money they have agreed to send you.  A salary statement showing they can afford it is fine.

 

Phew! That is what I thought before but then I started to doubt myself. Thanks! That is great news. I was starting to have a minor panic attack!

I applied as soon as I got my funding - loans approved. I applied the week of July 4th, remember it so clearly b/c I got an email on that day for approval of my student visa! I asked to have it valid starting early august in my letter with my package. They started it August 5th even though my acceptance letter had me starting uni Sept 21st. So I think it's flexible. They just made the ending a bit shorter, mine expired Oct 31 the following year, as opposed to a friend that had hers valid until Jan 31 - a whole 3 months more! Not sure if it was b/c I would be living with DH (DB at the time)during my studies and he was a sponsor. Good luck!

You should have permission to stay in the UK for the length of your course + 4 months, this is a standard entitlement.  They cannot alter it just because you have an extra six weeks at the beginning.  So for example, undergrads who finish in June should have until 31 October, and postgrads who are on a September to September schedule should have until 31 January.

It is very common for Entry Clearance Officers to wrongly give postgrads the 31 October date, effectively giving them only 1 extra month.

If they seem to have given you the wrong date, you can either contact them now and ask for it to be corrected, or when you enrol on your course, ask the International Student Adviser at your university to apply to the Entry Clearance Correction Scheme on your behalf.  Both are free of charge. 

Of course, if you plan on returning home by the end of October anyway, you can just leave it.