Student Visas

Tier 4

If you want to study in the UK as a foreigner, you must apply for a Tier 4 visa. Depending on your age, you must apply either for a child student visa, or a general student visa.

Conditions

For a child student visa, you must:

• Be aged between 4 and 17 years old;
• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course by a qualified education provider;
• Have consent of your parents or guardian;
• Have enough money to provide for yourself and pay for your course;
• Be from a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland;
• Provide:
  • Current passport or other travel documentation;
  • 2 passport-sized photographs with your name written on the back;
  • Tuberculosis test results for some countries.

For a general student visa, you must:

• Be 16 years old or over;
• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course by a qualified education provider;
• Speak, read, write and understand English;
• Have enough money to provide for yourself and pay for your course;
• Be from a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland;7
• Provide:
  • Current passport or other travel documentation;
  • 2 passport-sized photographs with your name written on the back;
  • Tuberculosis test results for some countries.

General student applicants may have to provide proof of knowledge of the English language.

How to apply?

The education institution that accepts you will send a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), which will contain a reference number that you need in order to file the application. You must apply for the visa within 6 months after you have received your CAS.

The application must be done online, unless if you are a national of Cuba or North Korea. Extending or switching to this visa must happen from within the UK.

You will need to get your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre.

Your application must be received three months before you leave for the UK. The decision should be made within 3 weeks. The visa will cost you £310 pounds. If you want to extend or switch to this visa, other fees are applicable.

You can arrive in the UK 1 week before your course starts, if the course lasts 6 months or less, or 1 month in advance, in case the course lasts more than 6 months.

Extending or switching to student visa

An application for either must be done in the last 3 months of your current visa and will cost you £422. The decision may take up to 8 weeks, unless you use the Premium Service, in which case the decision is made on the same day. This will cost you £822.

Bringing in dependants

Students with a general student visa may be able to bring dependants in the UK if they are from outside the EEA or Switzerland. This dependant would either be a spouse, an unmarried partner or a child under 18 years old. They can only apply with you under specific circumstances, and you must be able to provide proof that you and your dependant(s) will be able to support yourself.