Make it easier and more accessible for international students to apply for UK bank accounts
Parth Pandya submitted on
Tuesday 8th October 2019
Complete
As Faculty Officer, I had a concern from international students about the accessiblity and awareness they had regarding bank accounts. There was an issue raised about providing proof e.g. proof of address etc. and that couldn't be done online. Also, there is a long waiting period for applications (apparently around 5 days) and its important that SUSU can help with this early otherwise fixable problems can delay the obtainment of a UK bank account. I want to improve this by getting SUSU on board with helping international students in providing advice and guidance for applying for bank accounts. Perhaps even before they come to university in the form of an e-mail so they know what to expect and what to have in terms of ID etc. The process to apply for bank accounts is different in every country with strict rules and regulations so making it clear for students where also English is a second language is really important. I've discussed this with VP Welfare and Community and hopefully this can be taken further.
Responses
Here, you can view the complete set of official responses from the sabbatical officers regarding this submission.
Students' Union replied on
Monday 26th Oct 2020 2:50pm
Hi there,
Thanks for this query. While Laura originally addressed this, the situation with Covid-19 may have made it difficult to prioritize. The Advice Centre is able to provide support for International students around bank accounts.
I reached out to the Advice Centre to address this You Make Change. In essence, the Advice Centre is able to offer advice upon request from students on opening a bank account. The student will typically be sent a link from UKCISA with instructions on what to do. The Advice Centre also advises students on how to access a letter proving their studentship for bank account issues. All this advice will only be offered once the student contacts the Advice Centre. So if you do have any queries around accessing a bank account, please reach out to the Advice Centre as soon as possible.
I hope this helps to address some of your queries,
Nicole.
Students' Union replied on
Friday 29th Nov 2019 9:10am
Hello!
Thank you for submitting this.
I am currently working on contacting banks and geting a fuller understanding of what the barriers are. I am hoping to be able to help out during Semester 2!
Thanks,
Laura
29/11/2019
Actions
Forwarded to Vice President Welfare and Community
Thursday 10th Oct 2019 9:53am
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