Visa refusals

Visa refusals can be very stressful. Your visa application fee will not be refunded in case of a visa refusal and/or you may not have time to make another visa application to join the same session.

It is therefore very important that you obtain the necessary information whilst preparing your visa documentation to ensure that your visa is application is successful the first time. 

Reasons for visa refusal

There are a number of reasons why a Student visa application may be refused. Some examples are:

• Submitting copies/photocopies or printouts instead of original documents
• Missing documents
• Unsuccessful credibility interview
• Failure to meet the strict Student visa rules, such as not maintaining the required funds in your account for 28 consecutive days
• Not attaching an ATAS clearance certificate (if your course is subject to ATAS)
• Not responding to email or telephone queries from the Home Office.

The most common reason for a student visa application being refused is due to insufficient funds or incorrect financial evidence.

Some examples are: 

• Not showing the required money for 28 continuous days and/or
• Submitting financial documents that are more than 31 days old and/or
• Not showing enough money and/or
• Finances or financial documentation presented in the incorrect format
• Submitting financial documentation of a relative (i.e. not a parental statement)

 Top tips for making a successful visa application

• Make sure that you know how much money you need to show for your visa application.
  Ensure that the required amount has been saved in your (or your parents’) bank account for at least 28 continuous days before you submit your visa application.
• Make sure that the money in the account has not dipped below the required level, even for one day during the last 28 days.
• Make sure that your financial evidence is recent, the statement or bank letter is issued within 31 days ago, at the time you apply for your visa.

Please refer to the Applying for a Student visa (outside the UK) webpage for information on making a successful Student visa application.

 

Visa refusals - Next steps

Emailing your refusal notice

If your Tier 4 visa application is refused, you should contact the International Office immediately with the following information:

• Your name and student number
• A scan of your refusal notice (all pages)

 

Emailing your credibility interview transcript

If your visa was refused on credibility grounds, we will also require a copy of the interview transcript which you can obtain through your visa issuing office. Alternatively, download, complete and email us this Consent form so we can request the Home Office for the transcript.

 

Applying for a second CAS

A CAS cannot be used twice and if you decide to submit a fresh Tier 4 (General) student visa application, you must request the University for a new CAS. 

The Immigration & Compliance team will assess your eligibility for a new CAS, after you have emailed your refusal notice scan. During the assessment process you may be advised to send further evidence i.e. scans of fresh bank statements or related documentation. This is to ensure that your second visa application will be successful. We will also consider whether you will have enough time to apply for a new visa and join the same session/intake. 

 

Submitting and administrative review

Sometimes, we will recommend that you submit an Administrative Review when we feel that the Home Office has made an incorrect decision.

It is unlikely that we will issue a new CAS if we believe a further application will also be refused.

 

If your visa has been refused because of credibility, we usually recommend that you submit an administrative review to get the decision overturned rather than issuing you with a new CAS to make a fresh application.

It is important that you keep in touch with the International Office if your visa is refused, so we can help you as much as we can.