Frequently Asked Questions (DES) 1) Am I eligible to receive a CAS under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES)? To be eligible to receive a CAS under the Doctorate Extension Scheme, you must: be studying for a PhD qualification, or for one of the qualifications listed in Annex 6 of the Tier 4 Policy Guidance as acceptable postgraduate research qualifications under the scheme; AND be in the UK (applications from overseas are not permitted!); AND have current (unexpired) Tier 4 or pre-tier 4 student leave (holders of Student Visitor visas are not eligible!); AND have completed your viva but not yet had your award confirmed; AND be within 60 days of your expected end date ; AND be able to satisfy the university that you intend to use additional time granted under the scheme to gain further experience in your field of expertise, seek skilled work, or develop plans to set up as an entrepreneur; AND be able to demonstrate that the supporting documents you propose to submit with your visa application meet all relevant UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) criteria, as outlined in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance) 2) How do I apply for a CAS under the Doctorate Extension Scheme? You need to submit a formal request on the Application Form for Doctorate Extension Scheme. 3) Is the university entitled to refuse my request for a CAS under the Doctorate Extension Scheme? Yes. The university reserves the absolute right to refuse your request for a CAS under the Docotorate Extension Scheme if it is not satisfied that all the eligibility criteria listed in question (1) have been met. 4) How does the university assess whether I intend to use additional time granted under the scheme to gain further experience in my field of expertise, to seek skilled work, or to develop plans to set up as an entrepreneur? On the CAS Request form, you are asked to provide a Personal Statement. This is used by the university as the basis of assessing whether or not, on the balance of probabilities, you genuinely intend to use your time on the
scheme to gain further experience in your field of expertise, to seek skilled work, or to develop plans to set up as an entrepreneur. It is important, therefore, that you take time to complete this section of the CAS Request form as carefully, and as comprehensively, as you possibly can. 5) Can the university help me with my Personal Statement? All students are encouraged to seek advice and guidance from the university's Careers Centre prior to submitting their CAS Request. Contact the Careers Centre on +44(0)1242 714786. 6) What is my expected end date? Your expected end date is the date the university estimates your award will be confirmed. This estimate can only be made once your viva outcome has been made available. 7) What if my visa expires before my expected end date? If your current visa expires before your expected end date, you should contact the Visa Advice Service as a matter of urgency. It may be possible to submit a Tier 4 application based on further study before applying under the Doctorate Extension Scheme. 8) What if my actual completion date turns out to be later than the expected end date? If, after your application has been submitted, you find out that your award is likely to be confirmed after the expected end date estimated by the university, you can still proceed with your application although you will not be able to work without restriction until your award has been confirmed. As your Tier 4 sponsor, the university is required to report your actual completion date to UKVI, so it is important you only work part-time up until your award is confirmed. Since further extensions are not permitted under the Doctorate Extension Scheme, please note that a delay in your award being confirmed will result in you not being able to spend the full 12-month period working without restriction. 9) What if I apply under this scheme but the doctorate ends up not being awarded? The university is required by law to notify UKVI when your award has been confirmed. It is also obliged to notify UKVI if your award is no longer scheduled to be confirmed or if you are to be awarded a qualification lower than a doctorate. In such situations, pending visa applications will be refused, while students whose applications have already been processed will have their leave curtailed. 10) When does the 12 months begin? If your application is successful, you will be granted Tier 4 immigration permission for a period of 12 months from the expected end date stated on your CAS. 11) What type of work can I do and when can I start? When you are granted Tier 4 leave under this scheme and your award has been confirmed (this can be before or after your expected end date ), you
can work almost without restriction. The only restrictions are that you cannot work as a doctor or dentist in training, or as a professional sportsperson or sports coach. You are not required to take employment at any particular level. However, if you wish to stay longer in the UK for work, you need to apply to switch into a different category (under Tier 1 or 2). The Immigration Rules provide that if you applied for your Tier 4 student leave on or after 6 April 2013, and you have now applied under the Doctorate Extension Scheme, you can start working without restriction as soon as your award is confirmed, i.e. while your application is still pending. 12) Will I be monitored while on the scheme, and if so, how will I be monitored? Yes. Under UKVI regulations, the university is obliged to monitor all students it sponsors under the Doctorate Extension Scheme. The university will meet this obligation by formally contacting you, by email, on three occasions during the 12 month period. Failure to respond to an email within 10 working days will result in termination of your Tier 4 sponsorship and reporting to UKVI. It is therefore imperative that you check your email account regularly while on the scheme. 13) What happens when the 12 months finish? You can apply only once under the Doctorate Extension Scheme. If you want to stay in the UK for longer than this, you need to apply under a different immigration category. Please note: time spent in the UK under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (Tier 4) does not count towards settlement. 14) How do I submit my DES visa application? All applications for DES must be submitted through the university's Visa Advice Centre. Please see here for further details. 15) When should my DES visa application be submitted? Your visa application must be submitted to UKVI within 60 days of your expected end date and before your current Tier 4 visa expires. We therefore recommend that you submit your CAS Request around the time you submit your thesis. This should allow sufficient time to prepare all the required supporting documents. 16) I am unable to supply a financial document that meets UKVI criteria - can I submit an application anyway, at my own risk? No. The university will not issue a CAS unless it is satisfied that the financial document you propose to submit with your visa application meets UKVI criteria. 17) Can I submit a DES visa application as an overstayer? No. The university has a policy of not issuing CAS for use in a visa
application if you are an overstayer. 18) What supporting documents do I need to submit with my DES visa application? The precise documents required will vary according to the circumstances of the student, but you are likely to have to submit the following: Current passport, plus any previous expired passports you have used to travel to the UK Biometric Residence Permit (if applicable) 2 x recent passport-sized photographs (see the government's photo guidance for further info) Evidence you have enough money, in the form of either cash in a bank (held for a consecutive 28 day period), a loan in your name or official sponsorship Police certificate with up-to-date address, passport and visa details (if applicable) 19) How much will my visa application cost and how long will it take to be processed by UKVI? As of 08/11/2013, a standard application costs 406 and generally takes 2-3 months to be processed, while a premium application costs 781 and generally takes 2-3 weeks to be processed. Please note, however, that these are guidelines only the university has no control over UKVI processing! 20) How much money do I need to show for the visa application? You need to show that you have held a minimum of 1600 for a consecutive 28 day period ending no more than 31 days before the date of your visa application. [Please note: this assumes you are the sole applicant, i.e. not submitting any dependant applications. For further information about money required in respect of dependant applications, please see question 26.] 21) What documents should I submit with my visa application as evidence I have enough money? Detailed guidance regards what documents you are required to submit can be found in the Tier 4 policy guidance (paragraphs 188 205). We recommend, however, that students supply evidence in the form of either following formats: cash funds in a bank, a loan in your name, or official financial sponsorship. Evidence of cash funds in a bank Money must be held as cash, which includes savings and current accounts. Shares, bonds, overdrafts, credit cards, pension funds and similar savings accounts will not be accepted, regardless of notice periods. You will need to provide either an official statement or official letter showing cash funds have been held for a consecutive 28 day period ending no more than 31 days before the date of your visa application. The
statement or letter must show: your name or your parent(s) / legal guardian(s) name(s); and the account number; and the date of the statement; and the bank s name and logo; and the amount of money available (note: the balance must not have dropped below required amount at any time during the 28 day period!) It is best to submit an official statement that the bank has sent to your home address, though an ad hoc statement, printed in the branch on letterheaded paper, is usually acceptable. You can, if you wish, submit an internet statement from an on-line account, though please note that it must contain all of the details listed above, and that every page needs to bear the official stamp of the bank in question. Due to the time it takes to receive an official statement, you may prefer to submit an official letter written by your bank, confirming you have held the required funds for the required period of time. Unfortunately, not all banks are willing to write this sort of letter, but some are please check with your local branch to confirm. Some suggested phraseology for an official bank letter is as follows: To whom it may concern This is to confirm that account number, sort-code, in the name of, has held funds in excess of for a consecutive 28 day period ending today. Yours faithfully, Please note: if you use a statement or letter in a parent or legal guardian s name, you are required to submit two additional documents: - A legal document confirming your relationship to your parent this would be your birth certificate, certificate of adoption, or court document confirming naming the legal guardian; and - A letter written by your parent or legal guardian confirming their relationship with you and giving their consent to you using the money in their account to fund your living expenses while on the Doctorate Extension Scheme If you are using overseas currency, UKVI will expect you to write on the document the closing balance in GBP. They use the official exchange rate on the OANDA website. A loan in your name If you are relying on a loan to fund your living expenses while on the Doctorate Extension Scheme, you must provide a letter from a financial institution (regulated by your country s home regulator) confirming the loan.
The letter must be dated no more than 6 months before the date of your visa application and must show: your name; and the date of the letter; and the financial institution s name and logo; and the money available as a loan; and that the loan is provided by your national government, their state or regional government, a government sponsored student loan company, or is part of an academic or educational loans scheme. Please note: loans held in a parent or legal guardian s name are not acceptable. The loan must be in your name! Official financial sponsorship UKVI defines official financial sponsorship as money given to a student to cover some or all of their course fees and/or living costs, by one of the following organisations: the UK government; the student s country s government; the British Council; any international organisation, international company or University. If you are in receipt of sponsorship from one of these organisations, you need to provide a letter from your sponsor in support of your visa application. The letter must be on official letter-headed paper and must have the official stamp of the sponsoring organisation on it. The letter must show: your name; and the name and contact details of the official financial sponsor; and the date of the letter; and the length of the sponsorship (including start and end date); and the amount of money the sponsor will be giving you or a statement that they will be covering all of your living costs. Please note that: - if your sponsor letter only confirms that some of your living costs are covered, you will need to provide additional evidence to confirm you hold the rest of the money required e.g. personal bank statements - if your sponsorship covers all your living costs, and your sponsor limits the time that you may be in the UK, UKVI will take the date on the sponsorship letter as the course end-date for visa purposes, irrespective of the actual course end-date stated on your CAS. 22) Do my supporting documents have to be in English? Yes. Where an original document (e.g. bank statement) is not in English, it must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. This translation must include details of the translator/translation company s credentials, confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document, and the translator/translation company s contact details. It must also be dated and include the original
signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company. 23) Can my dependants submit visa applications at the same time as me? Yes, provided they have Dependant leave to remain. Alternatively, if your dependants are overseas, they are permitted to submit applications to join you in the UK. For further information about submitting dependant applications overseas, please see here. 24) What documents do my dependants need to submit? Each dependant needs to submit the following documents: Current passport, plus any previous expired passports the dependant has used to travel to the UK Biometric Residence Permit (if applicable) 2 x recent passport-sized photographs (see photo guidance for further info) Evidence the dependant has enough money, in the form of either cash in a bank (held for a consecutive 28 day period) or official sponsorship. Please note: this money can be held in either the dependant s name or the Tier 4 student s name! Police certificate with up-to-date address, passport and visa details (if applicable) If born inside the UK: a full UK birth certificate If aged 16 or 17: NHS registration document and a letter from school/college/university confirming dependant s address (the letter must be on the relevant organisation s official headed paper and must bear the organisation s official stamp) 25) How much will my dependants applications cost? Please see here for the latest dependant application fees. 26) How much maintenance do my dependants have to show? Each dependant needs to show that they have held a minimum of 900 for a consecutive 28 day period ending no more than 31 days before the date of your visa application. In the case of dependant children, this money can be shown in either of the parents' names. In the case of a dependant spouse, this money can be shown either in the spouse's name or the Main Applicant's name. Example: Student is applying with three dependants (a husband and two children). Total maintenance required = 4300 (i.e. 1600 + 900 + 900 + 900) 27) Where can I find further information about applying for a Tier 4 visa under the Doctorate Extension Scheme?
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has detailed guidance on making a Tier 4 (General) visa application under the Doctorate Extension Scheme, available here.