Foreign Students Opening Bank Accounts

[DTCwordfan]

My daughter has a friend who has come over from the States to study at Uni with her - and is sharing her house.

Problem number 1 has arrived. They went to open a bank account for her yesterday so she can receive funds etc from home and were told that they need a BCA letter from the University as to her accreditation for immigration. However, the Uni is still closed and won't open until the 20th of September.....

The question therefore is a simple one for anybody who has experienced this before or who has worked or works in banking. How do they get around this?

[TonyV]

Have you tried a credit union, they are a bit more flexible.

[DTCwordfan]

Good idea.

[DTCwordfan]

thanks.....

[Toorak]

The university might be physically closed but services will still be operating remotely - she should try contacting by e-mail

[TonyV]

That's OK DTC when I opened mine, all I needed was proof of ID passport or driving licence and birth certificate.

[DTCwordfan]

Spoke to a specialist at Lloyds and her suggestion is to open a full account and then they'll adjust it to a student account when the letter comes through - my daughter's friend will have her passport, the letter of acceptance from Leeds and I would think her name is on the tenancy agreement for the house as they've been paying rent for a couple of months now - via my daughter. Thanks all

[CheekyChops]

Universities are not closed, we are not currently on campus but everyone is working hard from home! Has she tried emailing them?

[Buenchico]

As has been indicated by others, universities never close. They might not have students on site but there will be administrative staff carrying out their functions throughout the year, even during the current circumstances. (My lad and his wife both work at the University of Sheffield; they're back at work now, even though the students aren't). There must be someone there in an admin role who can come up with the relevant documentation.

[TonyV]

That's a result then DTC

[KARL]

Sadly, the UK is rather disorganised and your daughter's friend will have to go through a separate verification process at practically every point of contact in the UK, some of which will not be able to cope at all and likely send her in circles. This stems from there being no central record which any/all individuals can place themselves on which then is taken seriously by all authorities/institutions/entities in the country (as is the case elsewhere). As a result everyone your daughter's friend approaches will dream up their own criteria and approach all contact with the main thought of covering their own behind. A few years ago my son arrived in Denmark and in the space of just over an hour (including waiting time) was registered for everything, had a GP and a bank account - I mean everything, down to an ID card on the way which was everything including a metro/bus discount card.