Visa Information

When an overseas applicant wishes to move to the UK to board at Brookes, they should determine what kind of entry visa, if any, is required by UKVI (United Kingdom Visas and Immigration). Normally the type of visa is classified as Tier 4 and this is available to students aged from 4 to 17 years of age. Brookes is a Tier 4 Licence holder, approved by UKVI and is able to support student entry through the issue of a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance for Study). An electronic copy of the CAS should be submitted by the student when applying for a Tier 4 visa at the British Embassy in their home country.

To issue a CAS the school requires certain information in advance:

• Copy of passport page with date and country of birth 
• School reports and transcripts
• Evidence of payments made for tuition and boarding for at least one term and preferably for the full school year. This satisfies the UKVI that sufficient funds are available to support continuous study.

There is a cost charged to the school for issuance of the CAS and this is covered by the school registration/application fee. The CAS has a fixed time period to be used to support a visa application and it is not transferable. In some cases the UKVI will determine that a student may be issued with a Biometric Residence Permit and that is normally collected from a designated Post Office in the UK after entry.

For further information go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration

Guardians

A guardian is a responsible adult, appointed by the parents of a child, who will take on the responsibilities of the parents when they themselves are unavailable to do so. The guardian’s responsibilities can include issuing written consent for school trips, authorising payment for additional expenses, attending parents evenings, liaising regarding the boarder’s behaviour and academic progress, and accommodating the boarder when they are not staying in the boarding house (such as weekends, school breaks or if they are unwell). All full boarders must have designated parents or a guardian to whom they go home to when they are not boarding. 

It is most important that your nominated guardian understands fully the responsibilities that they are expected to undertake. The school will liaise with the guardian in all matters concerning the student. With the written agreement of parents, copies of school reports can be sent directly to the guardian. If a parent wishes the school to contact the guardian only in the case of an inability to contact them directly, that should be specified in advance to the Houseparents.

Please speak to our Head of Boarding if you would like some recommended Guardian Companies.

Hosting and Homestay

A boarder may stay with a host family at any point. The boarder’s parents and the host family would usually organise all necessary arrangements and then make the duty house staff aware. In the absence of the child’s parents, boarding staff are able to check the host family’s home and will liaise with the hosting family on behalf of the boarder’s parents in their absence. This includes a DBS check for all adults supervising the boarder and a home visit prior to the proposed homestay is advised. Transport, food and all care arrangements are the responsibility of the hosting family, however the duty boarding staff remain available and contactable by mobile phone for the duration of the homestay.