Credibility Interviews

Advice and preparation

Coventry University International
Student Support Team

What is a credibility interview?

A series of questions from the Home Office to
confirm to them that you are a genuine
student
Will be carried out at a Visa Application Centre
Since April 2014 any student applying for a
Tier 4 visa may be called to interview
All interview will be carried out in English

What topics will be covered?

Choosing to study in the UK and at Coventry
University
Course content and assessment
Financial Circumstances
Previous immigration history
Future Plans
English Language ability

Why you decided to study at Coventry

University
Typical subjects for questions might include:
Why do you want to study in the UK?
You should be able to explain the advantages over studying in your home
country or another country overseas popular with international students

Why Coventry University?

You should be able to describe the in- depth research you carried out before
applying, which other universities in the UK you considered and why Coventry
University is the best choice for you. You may find the information here, here
and here useful

What do you know about the city of Coventry?

You should be able to describe the physical location of Coventry in the UK,
how you plan to travel here, what transport links there are, and where you
plan to live. You might find the information here:
www.visitcoventryandwarwickshire.co.uk useful

Follow us on social media so that you get all the latest news about Coventry
University here: Facebook, Twitter and Weibo

What do you know about the course

content and assessment
What will you study on the course you have chosen?
It is very important that you are able to name and explain the
modules you will study on your course, you can find details
here: How will you be tested (assessed)?
Is your course assessed by exam, coursework, a group project,
etc? Look on the course page on our website for more
information

What facilities are available at the University?

Each faculty has state of the art facilities. Details of which
faculty your course is part of, and the facilities available can be
found here
How long is your course and does it include a placement option?
Look at your CAS for details of the course length and the course
pages above for information about work placements

Financial Circumstances
As well as providing bank statements to show that you have the appropriate amount
of money available to you as part of your visa application, it is important that you are
able to answer questions on the following
Who is financing your studies and how?
You should be able to explain how you will be able to pay for your studies and support
yourself. If your parents are contributing to the cost of your studies, what is their job, what is
their salary, where has any additional funds come from that you will rely on?
If you are sponsored for your studies by a business or a government, are there any conditions
attached to this?

How much will your living expenses be?

You should know how much you expect to spend to support yourself during your studies, the
Home Office expect you to have specific amount in your bank account when applying for a
visa but you should also be able to explain how you expect this cost to be broken down, you
can find a guide to these costs here

How much are your tuition fees? How much have you already paid?
Make sure your have checked you CAS carefully and that it is up to date with accurate
information.

Immigration history

Have you ever been refused visa?

If so, you should be able to explain why and when this happened

Have you studied in the UK previously?

Where, when, what level did you study at? Did you complete the course? If you didnt, you
should be able to explain why this was the case and why you believe you will be successful on
your new course of study

Has there been a gap in your studies or a change of subject?

If so, why is this? What have you been doing in that time and what has changed to make you
return to study now? How will studying now advance your career? Are you significantly
changing your area of interest or study? If so, why?

Do you have dependants (close family members such as children or a husband/

wife)?
If so, will they be joining you in the UK? How will they support themselves? Have you arranged
care for young children? Will they be going to school in the UK?

Have you ever been granted visas for any other countries?
If so, when was this and how did this travel fit into your study and/ or career plan?

What level is your course at?

Check your CAS, academic courses in England are ranked by NQF (National Qualifications
Framework) level. NQF level 6 is undergraduate degree level, NQF 7 is Masters or MBA level
and NQF 8 in PhD level. It is important you know the level of the course you have been offered
and how this fits into your previous studies. More information here

English Language ability

Your ability to carry out the interview in English will be
assessed. This will not be the same as a full English
Language test but it is important that you:
Are calm, clear and accurate in your communication
Tell the interviewer if you cannot hear them clearly
because of a technical issue or because of a strong
accent
Are honest and tell the truth
We have already assessed your English Language ability
and are confident you are a genuine student, so do not
worry, show the interview what you are capable of!

Future Plans
How will the course help your career?
How will it benefit you financially and what research have you done
about the demand for employees in your home country in the area
you are studying?
What job do you plan to go into when you have finishes studying?

Is your course well recognised in your home country?

How can you prove this? You might want to think about the
qualifications employers expect in your country and how studying
overseas will make you more employable

Will you work in a family business when you have finished

studying?
If so, why will the course you are studying help you? What skills will
you learn that you could not get anywhere else? Does the family
business have a skills shortage in a particular area?

Top Tips
Stay calm!
Give detailed answers explain the situation as
fully as you are able to
Request a transcript of your interview when you
have attended. You have a right to this and you
should ask for it even if you thought it went
well
Tell the truth
Do your preparation carefully!

Further help
Look at the information published by Coventry University here:
http://www.coventry.ac.uk/international-students-hub/newstudents/coming-to-the-uk/your-visa/credibility-interviews/
UKCISA publish further independent information here:
http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/International-Students/Preparing-planning/Visas-and-immigration/Applying-for-a-Tier-4-Generalvisa/Where-when-and-how-to-apply/#Do-I-have-to-go-for-aninterview-as-part-of-my-application?
You can find a video of the visa application process here:
http://www.weareinternational.org.uk/category/campaigns/
Contact us if you have any questions or would like to talk about the
interview: visahelp.io@coventry.ac.uk