Following a meeting with the UK Embassy staff responsible for processing student visas to study in the UK to discuss the visa requirement changes introduced on 21 April 2011, we feel it is important to update you on the following points:

– To obtain a visa for a pre-sessional course, a minimum English level of CEFR level B1 is required (equivalent to IELTS 4.0 in all bands) while for direct entry without pre-sessional to a Bachelor, Masters or PhD course, a minimum of CEFR level B2 is required (equivalent to IELTS 5.5 in all bands).  Most universities will have higher entry requirements than these requirements for visas, so we do not feel that many Thai students will be affected by this new requirement.

– From 2 May, all visa applications submitted to the UK Visa Application Centre operated by VFS will need to be completed online and an appointment will need to be made via the same online application system.  This has been done to improve the efficiency of the visa application process.  Visa appointments can be made online 24 hours a day at the following link.  We recommend that all Hands On students visit our office to complete the online application process.

– A new Appendix 8 form is now available for students applying with a CAS issued by their university on 21 April or after.  Students applying for visas with CAS numbers issued prior to 21 April should continue to use the old form.  Both forms are available on the UKBA website. 

– These are just a few clarifications for questions we have been hearing from students but there have been a number of changes to UK Visas and there is a summary of these changes available for you to read since ultimately students are responsible for their visa applications.

We are happy to help students prepare and review visa applications and share our experience with the visa process but please note that we are not trained immigration experts and ultimately responsibility for visa applications lies with the applicant.