Tier 4 Visa & tourist visa?

[Engineer01]

Hi,

First, many thanks for reading this.

My girlfriend, a Chinese national, recently got a tier 4 visa to come and study in the UK full time for the next 3 years, starting on 15th September 2019.

However, she currently holds a tourist visa, and would like to visit the UK to see me, and also travel around the EU Schengen area in August.(she also has a Schengen visa).

She will: fly to the UK on August 18th, then fly to Amsterdam with me on September 5th, then back to the Uk again on September 10th with no return flights to China booked, technically she’s entering on a tourist visa still at this time since her t4 visa doesn’t start until the 15th of September....

My question is, will this be a problem?

Many thanks and kind regards all!


Many thanks

[helloworld4321]

Hello, I wanted to do the same and I emailed my university's (uni of manchester) immigration team about it and they have advised me against doing that. I think its something about that you've got to get that vignette stamped at border control but I can't say for sure if it will actually cause any trouble.

[helloworld4321]

Hello, I wanted to do the same and I emailed my university's (uni of manchester) immigration team about it and they have advised me against doing that. I think its something about that you've got to get that vignette stamped at border control but I can't say for sure if it will actually cause any trouble.

Managed to dig up that email:

Hi there, I'm set to start my MSc later in September. Can I know what is the earliest date I can arrive in the UK, or would I be able to arrive beforehand on a tourist visa and then continue to use my tier 4 visa later on?

And the response:

Thanks for your email. Once you have successfully applied for your Tier 4 visa you will receive a vignette sticker visa in your passport - this will be your entry visa. This is valid for 1 month and you can enter the UK during that period. The earliest that UKVI allow a student to travel is 1 month before the start date of your course as listed in your CAS document. You will need to specify this entry period when you make your application online. Once here you will receive your proper BRP card visa which will last for the duration of your course of study.

You will not be able to arrive on a tourist visa and switch to the Tier 4 visa within the UK. Once you have applied for your Tier 4 visa you should not apply for any other type of visa since you can only have 1 visa permission at a time and a new application would cancelled the Tier 4 visa that you had just received.

Let us know if you have any further questions abut any of this,

best wishes

xxxxxxx
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

[CR001]

Let us know if you have any further questions abut any of this,

best wishes

xxxxxxx
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

Please do NOT post the names, details and contact information any individuals on the forum. They have not given you permission to post their information on a public page.

[sah10406]

My girlfriend, a Chinese national, recently got a tier 4 visa to come and study in the UK full time for the next 3 years, starting on 15th September 2019.

However, she currently holds a tourist visa, and would like to visit the UK to see me, and also travel around the EU Schengen area in August.(she also has a Schengen visa).

It's not clear, but I am assuming she had the Standard Visitor visa first, and obtained the Tier 4 visa more recently.

If so, she needs to check the end date of the Standard Visitor visa. If it ends on or after the start date of the Tier 4 visa, it has been cancelled and superseded by the Tier 4 visa. The entry clearance officer should have marked the visa as cancelled.

However if it ends before the start date of the Tier 4 visa, it is still valid until its end date for entry to (and exit from) the UK as a genuine visitor.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22

[Engineer01]

My girlfriend, a Chinese national, recently got a tier 4 visa to come and study in the UK full time for the next 3 years, starting on 15th September 2019.

However, she currently holds a tourist visa, and would like to visit the UK to see me, and also travel around the EU Schengen area in August.(she also has a Schengen visa).

It's not clear, but I am assuming she had the Standard Visitor visa first, and obtained the Tier 4 visa more recently.

If so, she needs to check the end date of the Standard Visitor visa. If it ends on or after the start date of the Tier 4 visa, it has been cancelled and superseded by the Tier 4 visa. The entry clearance officer should have marked the visa as cancelled.

However if it ends before the start date of the Tier 4 visa, it is still valid until its end date for entry to (and exit from) the UK as a genuine visitor.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22

Yes, that’s correct, she had the Standard visitor visa before she got the T4 visa, and her Standard visitor visa didn’t end until 2021.

I guess she doesn’t realise that her Standard visitor visa is now cancelled!!!

I appreciate your prompt reply , and you too Helloworld!

Many thanks gentlemen!

Now off to deliver the bad news to my girlfriend who has just dropped £1000 on flights to arrive prior to her visa being valid !!!

[sah10406]

Now off to deliver the bad news to my girlfriend who has just dropped £1000 on flights to arrive prior to her visa being valid !!!

Hopefully she can just postpone her flight to 15 September.

On the plus side, she has plenty of time for travel during her 3 years in the UK.