UK visa information

Child student You can apply for a Child Student visa as long as you are under 18 on the date of application. This is the route we recommend for all those who are eligible. Find out more on the UKBA Child Student information pages or, if you will be applying for a visa in your home country (which we recommend in most cases), check the pages for those applying from outside the UK.

General student If you are over 18 on the date of application, you have to apply as a General Student. Find our more on the UKBA General Student information pages or, if you will be applying for a visa in your home country (which we recommend in most cases), check the pages for those applying from outside the UK. (If you are 16 or 17 you are able to apply as either a Child or General Student, but we advise you to apply for a Child Student visa.)

Child visitor If you are under 18 and coming on the Summer Course only, you can apply for a Child Visitor visa as your course will last less than 6 months. Child students do NOT need a CAS to apply for a visa. Find out more on the UKBA Child Visitor information pages.

The CAS is a unique reference number that you will need when you make your visa application. It confirms that you have an unconditional offer of a place on a course at d'Overbroeck's College, and that d'Overbroeck's will be your Tier 4 sponsor.

We will send you an email with a CAS statement attached. The CAS statement contains your CAS number and confirms all the personal and course information that we sent to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to generate your CAS. The CAS statement does not need to be an original document.

There is a charge of £10 per CAS which will be added to your account.

To receive a CAS you will need to have accepted an offer of place to study at d'Overbroeck's College.

The CAS will be issued from five months before the course start date. Each CAS is only valid for six months, and when it is created it is given an expiry date. You will not be able to use the CAS after the expiry date. You can apply for a visa any time from 3 months before the start of the course (so after 6 June for courses starting 6 September 2010) and we advise you to apply in good time.

Deposits and fees

Before we issue a CAS, we must have received:

• For the one year GCSE Course: the non-refundable Enrolment Fee and the deposit
• For the Sixth Form A level course: the non-refundable Enrolment Fee and the deposit
• If you have enrolled on the Summer Course as a preparatory (or pre-sessional) course, in addition to the above: the Summer Course deposit of 25% of the course fees

Advance payment of fees

Payment of the school fees for one term or, better still, the first year in advance can sometimes greatly support and simplify a student's visa application. If you would like to pay fees in advance before proceeding with your visa application, please contact us directly.

Once you have been made and accepted an offer you will be asked to provide d'Overbroeck's with the following information so we can generate your CAS:

• a copy of the photo page in your current passport
• a copy of your current visa (if you are already studying in the UK). This may be in your passport or on a UK identity card

Please note that it will not be possible to generate a CAS until we have received this information.

We strongly advise you to apply for your visa when you are at home during the summer holidays. For further information, see list of visa application offices overseas.

When you apply for your visa you will need to enter the CAS number on your application form, and submit any documents, such as academic certificates or IELTS results, that are listed in the CAS statement. Where you have been assessed by other means (such as interview, d'Overbroeck's own tests, references or a portfolio of artwork), you do not need to include these documents with your application as we will have included details of how we assessed you on the CAS.

You will also need other documents depending on your circumstances including evidence of your relationship with your parent or guardian and proof of their willingness and ability to be able to offer you financial support throughout the proposed period of study in the UK. Financial documents must be dated no more than one month before you apply.

Students under 18 on the date of application must also submit a parental consent letter confirming their agreement to the application and to the living and travel arrangements in the UK.

Find out more:

• UKBA evidence – General Student
• UKBA evidence – Child Student

• Photograph – Take care to follow the precise UKBA guidelines.
• Visa application fee:
  • £357 if you are applying by post in the UK
  • £628 if you are applying in person inside the UK
  • £199 if you are applying outside the UK (recommended)

Your permission to stay in the UK is 'tied' to the education provider whose CAS you use to apply for your visa. Once you have been given leave, you will find the d'Overbroeck's reference number on the vignette in your passport or on your UK identity card for foreign nationals.

If you have a CAS issued by another school or college it will be automatically marked as obsolete by the UKBA as soon as you activate your CAS by applying for a visa to study at d'Overbroeck's. You will not be permitted to start your course until you have a valid visa to study at d'Overbroeck's College.

Find out more

Information about changing education providers from the UK Border Agency

• Use the right application form!
  • General Student applying outside the UK
  • Child Student applying outside the UK
• Your passport or travel document;
• The fee as published on the visa fees page on this website. This cannot be refunded and you must pay in local currency;
• Your biometric details (scans of your fingers);
• A recent passport sized photograph
• All documents as specified in the Tier 4 Guidance as stated in the Immigration Rules:
  • General Students see paragraphs 245ZT-245ZY
  • Child Students see paragraphs 245ZZ-245ZZD
• If you do not submit relevant documents, your application is likely to be refused.

• UK Border Agency (UKBA)
• UK Visa Service
• UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)