Under the Points Based System the University will be obliged to tell the UK Visas & Immigration department of the Home Office about any new students who:

• Fail to arrive and enrol at the agreed time for the start of their course;
• Defer their studies;
• Take temporary withdrawal/suspend their studies;
• Withdraw from their studies;
• Fail to attend their course for significant periods of time;
• Make significant changes to their studies (e.g. location or length of course)

You will also have responsibilities under this system. You will be expected to:

• Provide the University with a copy of your immigration documents when you enrol and each time you extend your visa;
• Keep your address and contact details in Northern Ireland up to date using your Queen's Online account;
• Tell us if you are not able to arrive at the University at the agreed time;
• Tell us if you want to defer your studies before you come to the UK;
• Tell us if you are thinking about withdrawing or suspending your studies;
• Attend all of your classes. If you cannot attend for any reason you must inform your School;
• Tell us if you make any formal changes to your studies;
• Register with the Police (if applicable);
• Ensure that you do not breach the conditions of your student visa (such as working more time than is permitted or making use of public funds)

You will need to have 40 points before you can apply for a Tier 4 entry clearance (a student visa). 30 points will be awarded for the 'Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies' (CAS) number issued to you by Queen's University, i.e. confirmation that you have been offered a place. 10 points will be awarded for meeting the maintenance requirement set out by UK Visas & Immigration.

This will be proof that you have enough money to pay for fees for your first academic year to Queen's and £1,015 for each month of your course up to a maximum of nine months; £9,135 in total.

If you are bringing dependants, you must show £680 for each dependant for each month of your course up to a maximum of nine months. See the table below for examples of living expenses required for a single student to come to the UK.

You will provide evidence of this which can include an official letter confirming sponsorship and/or stipends you may be receiving or by providing evidence from your own or your parents' personal bank accounts. You can also use up to £1,000 paid to the University for accommodation which can be offset against the money you need to show for maintenance.

For example, if you are coming to do a course that is 9 months long, you will need to show £9,135 for living expenses in your bank account. You can use £1,265 of your accommodation payment to offset this requirement, so you would need to show £7,870 in your bank account.

Full details of acceptable financial evidence can be found in the Tier 4 Policy Guidelines. This document also clarifies the conditions these funds must meet as well as the date of application so please read it carefully.

If you have any questions or queries about PBS, please email us at immigration@qub.ac.uk.