Tier 4 student Visa - how to prove finances?

Ksand covered everything! But I just wanted to add, with the 30 day vignette you can enter the UK to pick up your BRP and then return to the US to wrap things up. Many people have had to do this because 30 days notice is not a lot of time when you have a house, job, car etc to manage.

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If Jen moves back to the US after gaining ILR but not citizenship, if they wish to live in the U.K. again, they must return to live here within 2 years or the ILR will lapse.

If more than 2 years have passed or if Jen leaves before gaining ILR, if they wish to return to live in the UK they will have to start over with all the spousal and FLR(M) visas again.

Thanks for your comprehensive and quick response!! Just to clarify above - prior to gaining ILR can Jen leave the UK for holidays and to visit family in the states etc and then return to the UK without jeopardising the visa?

Ksand covered everything! But I just wanted to add, with the 30 day vignette you can enter the UK to pick up your BRP and then return to the US to wrap things up. Many people have had to do this because 30 days notice is not a lot of time when you have a house, job, car etc to manage.

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Ha - great to know...and another expense to add to the list 

Thanks for your comprehensive and quick response!! Just to clarify above - prior to gaining ILR can Jen leave the UK for holidays and to visit family in the states etc and then return to the UK without jeopardising the visa?

Of course . There are no restrictions on travel in and out of the U.K while on a spousal visa.

The important things are that:
- you are still in a subsisting relationship
- your primary home is in the U.K.
- you have lived together the entire length of the visas, whether that is in the U.K. or abroad (I.e. you could temporarily live in another country for a few months and that would be fine as long as the U.K. was still your main home and you were living together in that country... or if you did live apart you would need a good reason, such as military deployment or overseas travel or detachments for work)

However, if you make a permanent move to the US, and therefore abandon your residency in the UK, that’s when the spousal visa/FLR(M) becomes invalid... or in the case of holding  ILR, the 2-year period starts.


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Great! Thanks again! Back to more thinking and putting this plan into action 

For the five years of visas and citizenship, budget £10,000 to £12,000 for fees.  The extra 2k is for faster processing.  As once in country, some visas can take 6 months and Jen would be
Unable to travel while they are processing.

Alternatively, the visa for you to the USA will be a little more than $1000 for 10 years. 

Ha - great to know...and another expense to add to the list 

Sometimes it balances out with the increased income from returning for a bit. Depending on the industry, it could take a long time for your other half to find a job in the UK beyond basic retail/food service. Be prepared for it to cost a lot, and for her to potentially experience xenophobia in the hiring process. It isn't an easy move and the environment in the UK is not friendly towards foreigners right now, even the "right" kind (ie well educated and from English speaking countries). I feel like it's important not to glorify it, because it is not easy being an immigrant here and a lot of things that you don't even realise are "conveniences" in the US either don't exist here or are prohibitively expensive. Be pragmatic while making decisions on which one of you  moves.

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Be pragmatic while making decisions on which one of you  moves.

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Thanks for this. We are tied to Jen coming this way as I choose not to live abroad at present. My son is young and would not want to be away from his dad,and I do not want to be away from my son. Currently this plan makes the most sense with me moving to America when my son is older.

I am intrigued by the conveniences you mention. What have you found to be unavailable here?

Also, struggling to find this information online...

I understand there are no working restrictions on a marriage Visa (re hours,I know types of jobs may be tricky) but is there a study restriction?

Basically, can someone on a marriage Visa study either full or part time with no problems?

I know international fees still apply 

Also, struggling to find this information online...

I understand there are no working restrictions on a marriage Visa (re hours,I know types of jobs may be tricky) but is there a study restriction?

Basically, can someone on a marriage Visa study either full or part time with no problems?

I know international fees still apply 

Just to note that a Marriage visa and a Spousal visa are two different things.

Marriage visa = 6-month fiancé visa to marry in the UK. No work and no study allowed. No free NHS usage so health insurance is required.

Spousal visa = 33-month visa for people who are already married to a UK citizen. No restrictions on work or study. Can use the NHS for ‘free’ same as a UK citizen.

So, assuming you mean a spousal visa, there are no restrictions on studying, other than paying the international fees and not qualifying for UK student loans/financial aid.

So, assuming you mean a spousal visa, there are no restrictions on studying, other than paying the international fees and not qualifying for UK student loans/financial aid.

Sorry,yes...spousal Visa!! Thanks for the info 

Sorry,yes...spousal Visa!! Thanks for the info 

No problem - just wanted to clarify that, because you don’t want to get the wrong advice based on someone thinking you mean fiancé visa and not spousal visa (there’s actually no such thing as a fiancé visa - that’s what we call it, but the official name is ‘Marriage visa’).


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Thanks for this. We are tied to Jen coming this way as I choose not to live abroad at present. My son is young and would not want to be away from his dad,and I do not want to be away from my son. Currently this plan makes the most sense with me moving to America when my son is older.

I am intrigued by the conveniences you mention. What have you found to be unavailable here?

The differences will likely vary depending on where you live in the UK vs the US, and your personal expectations. Culture shock will happen, and affects everyone differently. And I'm disabled while still trying to remain in the workforce so I do have unique challenges that everyone won't face. I miss a lot and its taken me years to kinda reach a baseline where I've found subs for most things I relied on in the US, but the difference in cost of real estate so much smaller houses is the biggest issue for me.

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