Canayork - Study in UK

Study in UK - Visa Requirements

Short-term study visa

Overview

You can apply for a Short-term study visa if:

You are doing a short course of study in the UK
You are from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland
You meet the other eligibility requirements

What you can and cannot do

You can:

Do a short course of study in the UK, for example an English language course or a training course
Do a short period of research as part of a degree course if you are studying abroad

You cannot:

Study at a state-funded school
Work or do any business (this includes work experience or work placements
Bring family members (dependents) with you - they need to apply separately
Get public funds

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK up to the length of your course or research. You can be permitted to stay an extra 30 days if your total stay in the UK would be no more than 6 months, or no more than 11 months if you’re both:

16 or over
Studying an English language course

You can check your visa, how long you are allowed to stay in the UK. If you do not usually need a visa to visit the UK, you may study for up to 6 months without applying beforehand. You need to see a border officer when you arrive in the UK.
If you would like to study for longer than 6 months, you will have to apply for a Short-term study visa beforehand.

Fees

£97 for a 6 month visa
£186 for an 11 month visa

How long it takes

You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel. You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks when you apply from outside the UK

Eligibility

You must prove that you:

Have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accepted place of study
Have sufficient Funds to support yourself without working or help from public funds, or that relatives and friends can support and house you
Can pay for your return or onward journey
Have made arrangements for your travel and stay in the UK
Have authorization from your parent or guardian to study in the UK

Where you can study

You have to be accepted on a course with an education provider that holds a Tier 4 sponsor licence.
Otherwise your course will need to be held at an educational institution listed by one of the following:

Learning English as a foreign language

You can apply for 11-month Short-term study visa to learn English as a foreign language if you:

Are at least 16 years old
Have been accepted onto a course that teaches it

If only part of the course focuses on teaching English as a foreign language, and the rest of the course teaches something else, you can only apply for a 6-month Short-term study visa.

Visiting the UK as part of an overseas course

You can apply for a Short-term study visa if you are not less than 16 years old and studying at an overseas higher education institution and part of your course is in the UK.
Your institution must:

Hold its own national accreditation
Offer only part of its educational program in the UK
Offer programs that are equivalent to a UK degree

Researching in the UK for a short time

You can come to the UK for a short time of research if already enrolled on an overseas degree course.
Eligibility:

Your course must be equivalent to a UK degree
You must be carrying out the research at a UK higher education provider
You must be at least 16 years old

Medical, veterinary or dentistry electives

You can apply for a Short-term study visa to do an ‘elective’ - an optional additional placement for certain courses. You can only do this if your main course of study is medicine, veterinary medicine and science, or dentistry.
To be eligible:

Your overseas course of study must be at least equivalent to a UK degree
The elective must be unpaid, and must not involve treating patients
You must have been accepted onto an elective by a higher education provider
The elective must be relevant to your main course of study

Documents you must provide

When you apply you need to provide?

• A current passport or any other valid travel identification document
• Contact details for a minimum of one parent or guardian in your home country (if you are under 18 years old)
• Details of where you are planning to stay and your travel plans, you should not have to pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
• Proof that you can support on your own during your trip, for instance bank statements or pay slips for the last 6 months
• Your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test and you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months

Documents about your course

You have to provide evidence of the course you’re studying, for instance a letter of acceptance from the educational institution on official letter head stating the course’s name, duration and cost including accommodation. You might need to furnish additional documents depending on your situation, such as evidence of your:

Accommodation and travel plans
Financial sponsor’s profession, income, savings, or funds which will support your studies
English language requirements, for instance certificates or awards
Earlier study, for example academic certificates, references, or transcripts
Authorization to be in the country you are applying from (if you are not a national)

To study or research specified subjects, you will also need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. You have to apply for this before you apply for your Short-term Study visa. Find out if you need an ATAS certificate.