Effective September 1, new student visa rules will be in effect in the UK. Under
the new rules, there are two categories of student visa, student visitor visa
and student visa. Although students can enter the UK prior to September 1 under
the old rules, if they leave and re-enter the UK after September 1, then the
new rules will apply. The Student Visitor Visa is for those that plan a stay
of less than 6 months. Under the Student Visitor Visa, a student cannot have
paid employment or an internship greater than 2 credit hours, and cannot extend
their stay once they have arrived. For everyone else -- if you plan to stay
more than 6 months, if you may extend beyond 6 months, or if you want to work
or have an internship greater than 2 credit hours -- then you need to apply
for a Student Visa/Prior Entry Clearance.
1. Students Visa - Guidance & Rules
How do I qualify to travel
to the UK as a student?
You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at
an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for children schools
and families Register of Education and Training Providers. Contact details are
under 'More advice and information' at the end of this guidance, or you can
search the register on the Department for children schools and families website
at:
www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister
You must be able to show that you are going to follow:
- a recognised full-time degree course, or
- a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime
study each week, or
- a full-time course at an independent fee-paying school
You must also:
- be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants,
and live in the UK without going into business or getting a job, or needing
any help from public funds
- be able and intend to follow your chosen course, and
- intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies, if your course of
study is below degree level.
If you graduated from a UK university or other educational institution in the
last 12 months with a bachelor's degree (second class honours or above), master,s
degree or PhD in certain subjects, you can apply to stay in the UK and get a
job for an extra year after your degree course finishes, without getting a work
permit. For more information, please see the section on Science and engineering
graduates in our
Permit
free employment (INF 14) guidance.
If you sucessfully complete a degree level course or above, awarded by a Scottish
institution, you may be able to apply to live and work in Scotland for up to
two years after achieving your qualification under the Fresh Talent:Working
in Scotland scheme.
For entry to the UK as a postgraduate doctor or dentist, you will need:
- a UK degree in medicine or dentistry
- to have spent at least two years in the UK studying for your medical or
dental degree, and
- a letter from the Postgraduate Dean responsible for your training to confirm
that you have been offered a full-time place on a Foundation Programme in
the UK.
You must also:
- intend to leave the UK after your Foundation Programme, if you have not
been given permission to stay on in another employment or self-employment
category, and
- be able to support yourself and any dependants, and live without needing
help from public funds.
If a government or international sponsorship agency sponsored your studies at
a medical or dental school, you need to have the sponsor's permission to study
a Foundation Programme in the UK.
If you are a fully qualified doctor or dentist and you want to get a job or
take higher specialist training, you will need a work permit. You can get more
information about work permits from our
Work
permits (INF 13) guidance.
If you intend to set up in general practice, you will need to meet the requirements
for entry to the UK as a self-employed person. For more information see the
Setting
up in business (INF 10) guidance.
A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by
an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you
permission to enter the UK.
If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK
unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did
not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.
When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so
take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.
Do I need a visa to study
in the UK?
You will need a visa if you:
- are a national of one of the countries listed on the
Visa and DATV nationals page on this website
- are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
- hold a non-national travel document, or
- hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK
If you are not an EEA national and you intend to stay in the UK for more than
six months, you will need to get an entry clearance before you travel. More
information is available on this website or from your nearest
British
mission overseas where there is a visa section.
If you do not need an entry clearance, you will have to satisfy the Immigration
Officer that you qualify for entry when you arrive in the UK. They will then
give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months. You will not be
allowed to extend your stay in the UK as a student unless you arrived with a
student visa or prospective student visa.
To extend your stay you will need to apply for a residence permit at the Border
and Immigration Agency. (Contact details are under 'More advice and information'
at the end of this guidance.) The Border and Immigration Agency will charge
a non-refundable fee for any application you make to extend your stay in the
UK.
If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply
for a visa before you travel to the UK.
You can apply in a number of ways, for example by post, by courier, in person
and online. The visa section will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.
Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if
you can apply for your visa online plesse visit
www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form
(VAF 1 - non-settlement). You can get a form from this website, or get one free
of charge from your nearest
British
mission overseas where there is a visa section.
You should apply for a student visa in the country of which you are a national
or where you legally live.
In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more
than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we
will accept your application. You can find out if you need to be tested by using
the
Do I need a UK visa? on this website, or by contacting your
nearest British mission overseas where there is a visa section.
You will need to make your application online or fill in the visa application
form:
Application
form VAF1 - Non-Settlement (PDF, 165K)
You will also need the following.
- Your passport or travel document.
- A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself.
This should be:
- taken against a light-coloured background
- clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
- printed on normal photographic paper, and
- full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless
you wear this for cultural or religious reasons
- The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and you must normally pay it in the
local currency of the country where you are applying.
- Supporting documents relevant to your application.
You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry
to the UK as a student. If you do not, we may refuse your application.
As a guide, you should include:
- any relevant diplomas or educational certificates that you have
- a letter from the university, college or school confirming that you have
been accepted on a course of study in the UK, and a statement of charges for
the course
- evidence of government sponsorship (if appropriate)
- bank statements, payslips or other evidence to show that you can pay for
your stay and your course of studies in the UK, and
- if you are being privately sponsored (for example, by a college in the
UK) a letter from your sponsor giving details of how they will support you
during your studies, and evidence that they can do so.
We will refuse your application if we find that any documents
are forged.The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application
form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible,
they will need to interview you.
Please check your visa when you get it. You should make sure that:
- your personal details are correct
- it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
- it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for
it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately.)
If you think there is anything wrong with your visa, contact the visa section
immediately.
Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK you must be able
to support yourself and live without claiming certain state benefits. Use this
link to see a list of them:
Public
funds
You can find more information about public funds in the Immigration Directorate
Instructions (IDIs) and Immigration Rules on the Border and Immigration Agency
website.
If you enter the UK with a student visa or prospective student visa, or if you
want to study on a course at degree level or higher, you can apply to the Border
and Immigration Agency. Their contact details are at end of this guidance. The
Border and Immigration Agency will charge you a non-refundable fee for any application
to extend your stay in the UK.
If you do not enter the UK with a student or prospective student visa, you will
not be allowed to extend your stay.
Can I work?
You can take part-time or holiday work, but you must not:
- work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless your placement
is part of your studies, has been agreed with your educational institution
and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised
examining body
- do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson
or entertainer, or
- work full-time in a permanent job.
If you are coming to the UK as a student for six months or less, you must ask
the Entry Clearance Officer (or the Immigration Officer if you do not need an
entry clearance) for permission to work.
You may be able to switch if:
- you have completed a recognised degree course at either a UK publicly-funded
institution of further or higher education or an approved private education
institution that has satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance
- you hold a valid work permit for employment
- you have been sponsored by a government or agency and you have their written
permission to remain in the UK in a different category, and
- you have not broken immigration law.
Your husband, wife or civil partner and any of your children under 18 can come
to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can support them without
needing any help from public funds.
Will my husband, wife or
civil partner be allowed to work?
Your husband, wife or civil partner will be allowed to work in the UK if we
give you permission to stay in the country for at least six months.
Can I go to the UK to arrange
my studies?
You can travel to the UK as a prospective student for up to six months to arrange
your studies. You will need to show that:
- you intend to enrol on a course of study within six months of arriving
in the UK
- you can pay for your course, support yourself and your dependants, and
live without working or needing any help from public funds, and
- you intend to leave the UK when you finish your studies or when your permission
to stay ends if you do not qualify to stay in the UK as a student.
Note: you should not buy a ticket, or pay all or part of the cost of a study course
if your visa application being delayed or refused would mean that you lost your
money.
You should apply in good time for your entry clearance so that you are not delayed
in getting into the UK. However, you cannot have your clearance post-dated by
more than three months. It can get very busy in visa sections, especially over
the summer when lots of students are applying.
More advice and information
Department for children schools and families
For more information about the Department for Children Schools and Families
and the register of approved education providers:
Caxton House
Tothill Street
London SW1H 9FN
Phone: (+44) (0) 870 000 2288
Email: info@dfes.gov.uk
Website: www.dfes.gov.uk
You can get more advice about studying in the UK from the
following organisations:
UKCOSA
The Council for International Education provides advice and information to
international students studying or planning to study in the UK, and to their
family, teachers and other advisors:
The Council for International Education
9-17 St Albans Place
London N1 0NX
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7107 9922 (1pm to 4pm, Monday to Friday)
Website: www.ukcosa.org.uk
British Council
The British Council provides information to help international students prepare
for study in the UK. Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB
Website: www.britishcouncil.org
UKvisas
London SW1A 2AH
General enquiries: (+44) (0)845 010 5555
Please note that this number may not work from overseas. If you are calling
from outside the UK, please contact your nearest British mission where there
is a visa section:
Application forms: (+44) (0)20 7008 8308
Textphone: +44 (0)20 7008 8457
Online enquiry: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/enquiries
Border and Immigration Agency
For more advice and information about extending your stay once you are in
the UK:
Croydon Public Caller Unit
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY
General enquiries: (+44) (0)870 606 7766
Application forms: (+44) (0)870 241 0645
Email: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk
Immigration Advisory Service (IAS)
The Immigration Advisory Service is the UK's largest charity providing advice
and representation in asylum, immigration and nationality law. It has offices
right across the UK and abroad and provides a free service to those who are
eligible. It may also be able to help those who are not eligible. The IAS
is a non-profit service.
3rd Floor, County House
190 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YB
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7967 1200
Duty Office (24 hrs): (+44) (0)20 8814 1559
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7403 5875
E-mail: advice@iasuk.org
Website: www.iasuk.org
Revenue and Customs
For advice on bringing personal belongings and goods into the UK:
Dorset House
Stamford Street
London SE1 9PY
Phone: (+44) (0)845 010 9000
Website: www.hmrc.gov.uk
Health insurance
If you come from a country with a health-care agreement with the UK, or if
you are enrolled on a course for more than six months, you may be able to
get medical treatment on the National Health Service (NHS). Short-term students
who are in the UK for six months or less are not entitled to free medical
treatment, and you will have to pay for any treatment you get. Please make
sure you have enough health insurance for the whole of your stay.
Drugs warning
Anyone found smuggling drugs into the UK will face serious penalties. Drug
traffickers may try to bribe travellers. If you are travelling to the UK,
avoid any involvement with drugs.
False documents
Travellers to the UK may commit an offence if they produce a false documents
or passports to the UK immigration authorities for themselves and their children.
People found guilty of this offence face up to two years in prison or a fine
(or both).
Alternative formats
We also have versions of our guidance notes in Braille, on audio tape and
in large print. If you would like any guidance notes in one of these formats,
please contact:
UKvisas
London SW1A 2AH
Phone: (+44) (0)20 7008 8308
Online enquiry: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/enquiries
2. Student Visiting Visa- Frequently Asked Questions
What are the changes to the
Immigration Rules for students and visitors?
With effect from 19 April 2007
- A new requirement has been introduced whereby external students who have
been accepted on a course of study at degree level or above at a private education
institution must also be registered with the UK degree awarding body.
- A limited form of mandatory reporting has been introduced. All institutions
are now required to maintain satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance
of their students and supply these to the Border and Immigration Agency when
requested to do so.
- A definition of a bona fide private education institution has been incorporated
into the Immigration Rules. Previously these were published as a set of criteria
in guidance notes.
With effect from 1 September 2007
- A new student visitor category will be introduced for short term students
who wish to study in the UK for six months or less but who do not wish to
take part-time employment or seek an extension to their student visitor leave.
Visitors will no longer be allowed to enter the UK to undertake a course of
study.
- A mandatory entry clearance requirement will be introduced for those coming
to the UK as a student or as a prospective student.
- As a consequence of the introduction of the mandatory entry clearance requirement,
the in-country switching provisions for students and prospective students
will be amended so that only those with a legitimate expectation to progress
into the student route will be allowed to do so. Overseas nationals with leave
as a work permit holder, as a sabbatical officer, as a Fresh Talent: Working
in Scotland scheme participant and those here with leave under the Science
and Engineering Graduate Scheme (or its successor the International Graduate
Scheme) will be allowed to switch into the student category provided they
are studying at degree level or above. Those here with entry clearance to
re-sit an examination will be allowed to switch to undertake study at any
level.
On 19 April 2007:
- The new restriction on external students affects those external students
who have been accepted to study externally on a UK degree course at a private
education institution.
- The limited mandatory reporting of enrolment and attendance by institutions
affects publicly funded and private education institutions and independent
fee paying schools. It will be a mandatory requirement for these institutions
to provide information on their students' enrolment and attendance when requested
to do so by the Border and Immigration Agency.
- The definition of a bona fide private education institution will affect
those private education institutions which are included on the DfES Register
of Education and Training of Providers (REP). This will make the criteria
more legally robust and will allow Compliance Officers from the Border and
Immigration Agency to put forward a much stronger case for private institutions
to be removed from the DfES Register.
On 1 September 2007:
- The new student visitor category will affect short term students who
have previously sought entry to the UK as visitors. Short term students
are those students who are studying on a course of study of six months
duration or less. Under the new category short term students who do not
wish to take part-time employment and have no intention of extending their
stay in the UK can benefit from these new provisions.
- The mandatory student entry clearance requirement will affect all overseas
nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of study for more
than 6 months or those who wish to study in the UK for six months or less
but would like to take part-time employment.
- The mandatory prospective student entry clearance requirement will
affect all overseas nationals who wish to come to the UK to finalise their
study arrangements before undertaking a course of study which meets the
requirements for an extension of stay as a student.
- As a consequence of the introduction of the mandatory entry clearance
requirement, the in-country switching provisions for students and prospective
students will be amended so that only those with a legitimate expectation
to progress into the student route will be allowed to do so. Overseas
nationals with leave as a work permit holder, as a sabbatical officer,
as a Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme participant and those here
with leave under the Science and Engineering Graduate Scheme (or its successor
the International Graduate Scheme) will be allowed to switch into the
student category provided they are studying at degree level or above.
Those here with entry clearance to re-sit an examination will be allowed
to switch to undertake study at any level.
- These changes focus on proactive controls over individuals and measures
that target facilitation through bogus colleges and external degree students.
They build on action taken to date by enhancing Border and Immigration Agency's
ability to detect and tackle abuse whilst, at the same time, assisting the
education sector, by making some incremental steps towards future PBS sponsorship
requirements.
- Since 2004 Border and Immigration Agency has introduced a number of changes
all of which contribute to reducing the potential for abuse of the student
route.
- This is consistent with our general aim of exporting our borders and increasing
the rigour of our decision-making. It will also help us to prepare for the
introduction of Tier 4 of the new Points Based System for overseas students
which is due to be brought in during 2009.
By introducing a mandatory entry clearance requirement this will ensure that
those wishing to study in the UK do so in the correct category.
It remains a concern that, despite restricting the ability of non-visa nationals
to switch in country to study at degree level or above, this has not removed
all the opportunities for abuse of the student route.
Students are granted a generous entitlement to work part-time in term time,
full-time in vacations and it is right that this entitlement is only granted
following a thorough assessment of a student's application by an Entry Clearance
Officer.
Similarly it is important to note that those who wish to take a short course
of study without any wish to take part-time employment may do so under the new
student visitor category without the need to obtain an entry clearance.
Will the new mandatory entry
clearance requirement deter potential students from choosing the UK as a study
destination and damage the Prime Ministers Initiative?
Genuine students have nothing to fear from these proposals as the majority of
students wishing to study in the UK for six months or more already seek entry
clearance.
There is no evidence to suggest that having a mandatory entry clearance requirement
in place has a significant effect on our ability to attract potential students
to the UK to study.
These changes focus on proactive controls over individuals and measures that
target facilitation through bogus colleges and external degree students. They
build on action taken to date by enhancing Border and Immigration Agency's ability
to detect and tackle abuse whilst, at the same time, assisting the education
sector, by making some incremental steps towards future points based system
sponsorship requirements.
Genuine students who have not yet finalised their study plans can seek entry
clearance as a prospective student, and can then switch into the student category,
provided they meet the requirements of the student rules.
The introduction of a mandatory entry clearance will clearly set out the requirements
for entry and stay as a student in the UK. It will also clarify the routes of
entry available to those considering the UK as a study destination.
Why have you decided to
introduce a new student visitor category when the Immigration Rules already
have a provision for those coming to the UK for the purpose of study?
The current student rules do not properly serve the needs of those students
who only want to come to the UK for a short period of study.
The new student visitor category is seen as offering the best balance of control
and flexibility for the short term student who wishes to study in the UK but
has no interest in working part-time or extending their stay.
Such students who are non-visa nationals will still be able to seek leave to
enter on arrival, so will not have to go through the process of obtaining an
entry clearance before arriving in the UK. They will simply have to prove they
have been accepted on a course of study at an institution on the DfES Register,
so that we can be assured that they are studying at a genuine institution and
meet the other requirements of the visitor route.
The new route also offers additional flexibility to the education sector allowing
short courses to be combined with sightseeing and other activity breaks in the
UK.
According to this, students
will be able to come here before they have secured their course. How will we
ensure the system isn't abused?
Currently visitors are permitted to take a short course of study. We have now
introduced the new student visitor route and included the need for the study
to be at an institution on the Register of Education Providers. This will ensure
that the potential for abuse is reduced and the student is taking a program
of study at a genuine institution.
The new student visitor category is seen as offering the best balance of control
and flexibility for the short term student who wishes to study in the UK but
has no interest in working part-time or extending their stay.
How will students who have
to prove they have registered with a degree awarding body do so? How will this
work in practice?
The student will be required to provide documentary evidence to show they have
completed the registration process. This could be a letter from the degree awarding
body that they have applied for and been accepted onto an external degree course.
It is likely that this evidence will have a dual signature, one from the degree
awarding body and one from the private institution.
Why will you require a student
visitor to study at an institution which is included on the REP?
This requirement helps us to establish that the institution at which the student
wishes to study is genuine.
In the future, following the introduction of the Points Based System, we may
require student visitors to study at institutions which have been properly accredited.
Can a short-term student
still be granted leave under the visitor provisions of the rules?
No, the new student visitor category will remove the need for short term students
to be admitted under the provisions of paragraph 41 of the visitor Rules.
Why have you brought in
a new requirement whereby an external student, who is studying externally for
a degree at a bona fide private education institution, must be registered with
the UK degree awarding body?
Border and Immigration Agency has encountered a number of applications where
it has been discovered that external students who have started degrees courses
at private education institutions have not been registered with the UK degree
awarding body.
In some cases, the external student has not had the requisite entry qualifications
to be accepted to sit their final exams.
The concern is that, in the absence of the external student being registered
with the UK degree awarding body, these degree courses are being used as a means
of remaining in the UK, rather than to study at degree level or above, for the
purposes of switching in-country into the student category.
This new requirement seeks to prevent the opportunities for the abuse of such
courses and strengthens the criteria for bona fide private education institutions
which have now been incorporated into the Immigration Rules (see above).
It also serves to protect genuine students against those less reputable institutions
who are more concerned about taking student fees than providing them with an
education.
Does this requirement apply
to any other type of institution which enrols external students on a degree
course?
No, this only applies to private education institutions who enrol external students
on UK degree courses. Students attending publicly funded institutions such as
universities and colleges of higher education are not affected by this new requirement.
Why is it necessary to
have a set of bona fide criteria to assess how private education institutions
should operate?
Unlike publicly funded institutions of further or higher education, which are
regularly inspected for the standard of education they provide, the Department
for Education and Skills does not exercise any statutory control over private
education institutions, although some institutions are accredited by such organisations
as, for example, the British Council, the British Accreditation Council and
the Association of British Language Schools.
There are a number of unaccredited private institutions on the current DfES
Register and these criteria will help our Compliance Officers take action against
those less reputable institutions who are more concerned about taking student
fees than providing them with an education.
The initial set of published criteria incorporates a list of best practice requirements
to which a number of additions and amendments have now been made in order to
make them more useful for our Compliance Officers when assessing a private education
institution.
Why are you incorporating
the bona fide criteria for private education institutions into the Immigration
Rules, and why hasn't this been done before?
By incorporating the criteria into the Immigration Rules our aim is to make
them more widely known to existing and potentially new private education institutions
in order to reduce the scope for abuse.
As the criteria now form part of the Immigration Rules this will make them more
legally robust and will help our Compliance Officers in their dealings with
private education institutions. In turn this will allow Compliance Officers
to put forward a much stronger case to remove private institutions from the
REP.
Why have you made amendments
to the current published Bona Fide criteria?
The current published criteria have now been in existence for many years and
it was therefore decided to undertake a review of them in the light of visits
by our Compliance Team to private education institutions following the introduction
of the REP on 1 January 2005.
Shortcomings have been identified in the current published criteria and we have
taken this opportunity to strengthen them thereby providing a more legally robust
set of criteria for Compliance Officers in their dealings with private education
institutions.
What are these amendments
and what are their purpose?
A new requirement has been introduced whereby, if a private education institution
is providing tuition support to an external degree level student, it must ensure
that such a student is registered with the UK degree awarding body. This ensures
that the responsibility for registration falls both on the student (see above)
and the private education institution, thereby reducing the opportunity for
these courses to be used as a mean of abusing the student route by extending
an applicant's stay in the UK rather than to study at degree level.
At present institutions are encouraged to notify the Border and Immigration
Agency on a voluntary basis when a student fails to enrol or discontinues their
studies. This will become a mandatory requirement for sponsors (institutions)
under the new Points Based System. Until the mechanisms are in place for such
mandatory reporting to take place we are introducing a limited form of mandatory
reporting whereby it will be compulsory for all private education institutions
to provide their records of enrolment and attendance to the Border and Immigration
Agency when requested to do so.
What would happen if an
educational institution didn't provide you with information on enrolment if
requested?
Institutions will be expected to provide the information within 28 days from
the date of request.
Where this deadline is not met this will trigger a number of responses by the
Border and Immigration Agency which will escalate in severity:
- a warning letter will be sent to the institution
- a visit may be undertaken by a Border and Immigration Agency compliance
officer
- ultimately, action may be taken to remove the institution from the DfES
Register and all student applications to that institution could be refused.
