Important Tier 4 Update for Visa Students

In order to keep our agents and students updated with all the latest visa regulations/changes, please read all the information below.

We will update you further as we receive more news.

Certificate of Acceptance for Studies

Please note that as of 22nd January 2010 Shane Global UK schools will only issue visa students with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies(CAS), NOT a visa letter

Some consulates - partcularly in Japan and Turkey - have misinformed agents, saying that before 22nd February they cannot accept CAS letters, only original Visa Letters. This is incorrect information! CAS letters have been accepted since October 2009. The only difference was that schools could chooseto issue either CAS or VISA LETTER.

• Until 22nd February, both CAS and visa letters are acceptable.

• After 22nd February only CAS will be accepted.

 A charge of £10 will be made for each Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. It is the UK Border Agency, not the school, that charges for the CAS.

The CAS will show the student's confirmation of acceptance number. The CAS format will be a basic acceptance letter with the student's name and course dates. No more information will be required as the UKBA will be able to access the student's full course information on inputting this number into the Tier 4 visa database in order to approve the application.

With the new CAS system there will be no need to send original school documents and no need for urgent bookings to use courier services. All documents can be scanned and sent to the agent to give to the student. These emailed documents will be accepted with the visa application. Please note, students will still need originals of all other documents required (bank statements etc)

The Shane Global application process for the new CAS is as follows:

1. Student sends application form including passport number and home address , copy of passport, copy of English certificate and completed Shane Global level test to the school (The agent is responsible for collecting deposit/cancellation fee of £110 (Registration fee £50, Accommodation Placement Fee £50, CAS fee £10)

2. The school sends unheaded enrolment documents to the agent/student by email to double check all details are correct

3. The school puts all enrolment information on the CAS system once the agent/student has confirmed that all details are OK

4. The school emails scanned enrolment documents to the agent/student (originals are no longer necessary)

5. Student applies for visa

6. Student confirms receipt of visa and pays remaining balance to agent/school.

Please note: due to the duplication and checking required for this new process it will take a minimum of 3 working days to process and email CAS documents to you.

Cancellation Fees

Tier 4 students who cancel a course for any reason will have to pay the following cancellation fee:

Registration Fee £50

Accommodation Placement Fee £50 (if accommodation booked)

CAS fee £10

Agents are responsible for collecting this money as a deposit when a student enrols on the course. In case of cancellation, we will not charge any further money, we will simply keep this deposit as cancellation fee. Direct students must pay the deposit to Shane Global before we release enrolment documents.

Changing a Visa Letter to a CAS

If we have already sent a student a Visa Letter and they have not started their visa application, they will need to re-apply for their course and be issued a CAS letter.

There will be a charge of £50 administration fee + £10 CAS fee for this service.

Students will not need to re-send documentation, but may need to change their course dates. As for all CAS enrolments, the process will take a minimum of 3 working days.

Right to Work

For visa applications made after 3rd March, students' right to work will be reduced from 20 hours per week to 10 hours per week.

As current visas simply state "Work Business as per Tier 4 rules" we do not know how the government will distinguish between old students entitled to work for 20 hours and new visa students entitled to work only 10 hours.

We will update you as we hear more.

Entry Level for Tier 4 Students

Under the new rules coming into effect on 3rd March, Tier 4 students will need to be level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in order to qualify for a student visa.

Level B1 is equivalent to an IELTS score of 3.5 - 4.5, which means intermediate level. Students must be applying for a course at B2 level (Upper Intermediate)or for a course preparing them for B2 level (Intermediate).

To help agents/students recognise the CEFR levels, one of the clearest guides/descriptors of CEFR levels is:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_European_Framework_of_Reference_for_Languages

Student's Home Address

Please note that Tier 4 visa students MUST provide us with their full HOME ADDRESS. Please make sure that the application form/application email clearly states the student's address.

Proof Of English Level

We are concerned at the number of students sending "suspicious" school certificates which states that their level is very different to the level they achieve in the SGLC level test we ask agents to complete.

If students/agents present separate documents stating very different levels of English, it is very likely that the student's visa will be denied. As a result, the only certificates we will now accept at Shane Global are internationally recognised test scores such as IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, Cambridge, Michigan or bona fide university certificates from universities that Shane Global staff know to be real institutions. We can also accept school certificates from internationally recognised language schools such as Inlingua, International House, Wall Street etc.

• If you are an agent, please make sure the students take the level test in your office, do not receive any help, and do the test with a pen, clearly marking their name on the front, and completing the written section on page 3.We ask all agents to sign and stamp the completed SGLC test before returning to us as confirmation that the student has taken the test under these conditions.It is not in the student's interest to cheat, or to fake documents as it will only cause them problems with the Home Office.

• If you are a direct student, we will have to take it on trust that you will not cheat. At visa interview the UKBA may check your level and if they do not feel you are of a high enough level they will refuse your visa. If you arrive at school and are not of the required minimum level, we will have to inform the Home Office.

We know that these new rules will affect our visa students and we appreciate your patience during the initial few weeks when there may be some problems as happened when schools started to issue the Tier 4 Visa Letter.

Many thanks.

Kind regards,

Marketing Team

Shane Global Language Centres

Phased CAS Implementation 1

Phased CAS Implementation 2

Phased CAS Implementation 3