Student Visitor Visa

Page Contents

• What can you do on the Student Visitor Visa?
• Who can apply for this visa?
• What are the course requirements?
• How to apply
• What documents do you need?
• Why was my visa refused?
• Can you extend the visa?
• How much does the visa cost?
• Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for this visa?

To apply for this short-term student visa, you must meet the following requirements:

• You are aged over 16 years old
• You have been accepted on an eligible English language course
• The course is solely an English language course
• The institute or course provider is accredited and registered
• You have sufficient funds to support yourself without working
• You can pay for your journey home

As well as this, if you are aged under 18 years old, you must ensure that:

• Proof that you have organised a place to stay and made travel arrangements
• Confirmation that your parents’ or guardians’ consent to your studying in the UK

To be granted this visa, you must show that you intend to study solely on the course you were granted permission for.

As well as this, you must leave the UK within 30 days after the end of your course. If you fail to do so, you could be at risk of breaching immigration rules which may jeopardise future applications.

You are not permitted to work, undertake a work placement or any form of work experience.

Similarly, you are prohibited from taking on any business or professional activities for the duration of your visa.

What are the course requirements?

To study in the UK on this visa, your course provider must be either an accredited UK institution, or an eligible overseas course provider (if studying in the UK as part of an international course).

It is your responsibility to ensure that your course provider is an eligible accredited institution.

Your accredited institution must hold a valid student sponsor licence or accreditation and be listed by one of the following bodies:

• Accreditation Service for International Colleges
• Accreditation UK
• British Accreditation Council
• Education and Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland)
• Estyn (Wales)
• Education Scotland (Scotland)
• Independent Schools Inspectorate
• Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
• Office for Students
• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

If your course is with an overseas institution, it must meet the following points:

• The course has national accreditation
• Less than half of its programmes are based in the UK
• It offers programmes equivalent to UK degrees

To fulfil the criteria of the Home Office, if you apply for a this visa, your chosen course must meet the following points:

• The course does not result in a qualification
• It is not essential for applicants to have academic qualifications
• There is no required level of English language skills
• There is no minimum number of hours of study for your course

Please note that alongside the Home Office rules, your course provider may require that you meet certain criteria before being accepted on a course.

How to apply

To apply for this visa, you must apply outside the UK (you cannot switch to this visa) and receive a positive decision before travelling to the UK.

Follow these steps to apply for your visa:

1. Apply to an eligible course and receive an offer inviting you to study
2. Complete the online application form
3. Pay the application fee
4. Submit your supporting documents
5. Provide your biometric information (fingerprints and photograph)
6. Submit your application
7. Wait for a decision to be issued

What documents do you need?

As with all visa applications, you will be required to submit supporting documents with your application to provide proof of your eligibility.

Student Visitor Visa checklist

• Fully completed online application form for a short-term student
• Receipt confirming payment of fees and healthcare surcharge
• Valid passport or travel document
• Letter confirming your acceptance to an accredited organisation, stating your details and the length and nature of the course
• Proof of sufficient funds to maintain yourself in the UK without recourse to public funds and without working
  • (e.g., bank statements, proof of financial sponsorship, etc.)
• Proof of payment of your course fees
• Your proposed itinerary and where you intend to stay
• Medical certificates (e.g., proof of COVID vaccination status, clean TB certificate, etc.)
• Certified translations of any document not in English or Welsh
• Biometrics (facial photograph and fingerprints)

If you are aged under 18 years, you must submit evidence of travel, reception, and care arrangements when you enter the UK.

It may be recommended to take out private medical insurance if you have specialist medical needs.

You must also submit legal written confirmation from both parents or guardians (as well as their contact details) confirming their consent to allow you to come study in the UK.

Why was my Student Visitor Visa refused?

Some of the most common reasons for a Student Visitor Visa refusal include:

• The course is not on the approved list of providers
• The course lasts for longer than eleven months
• The course leads to a recognised qualification
• Failure to pay the healthcare surcharge for the National Health Service (NHS)
• The applicant does not have sufficient maintenance funds
• The applicant intends to work in the UK
• The applicant does not have the funds to pay for their return trip
• The applicant intends to take up a course other than the one they are applying for
• The applicant will require public funds to support themselves
• The application form was incomplete or contained errors
• The applicant intended to spend extended period of time in the UK
• The applicant intended to have frequent or successive visits to the UK
• The applicant is otherwise ineligible for a visa based on grounds for refusal to the UK

Since the 6 October 2021, it has become possible to apply for an administrative review if your Student Visitor Visa application was refused.

If you wish to apply for an administrative review, you must do so within 28 days of the date of receiving your refusal letter.

If you subsequently receive a positive decision on this, you will not have a refusal recorded on your immigration record, but you are required to declare it on any future applications.

Alternatively, you can re-submit your application, but this means there will be an unchallenged refusal on your application that you are required to declare.

Can you extend the visa?

It is not permitted to switch to another immigration category if you are granted a Student Visitor Visa.

Similarly, it is not possible to switch into this category if you are in the UK on another visa.

Another requirement of the Student Visitor Visa is that the UK is not your primary home.

You may be able to return to your home country and apply for a Student Visa is you wish to continue studying in the UK.

How much does the Student Visitor Visa UK cost?

The Student Visitor Visa application costs are outlined in the table below:

Depending on where your course is, or the type of course, your exact costs may be higher.

The application fee is more expensive than a Standard Visitor Visa lasting six months (which costs £95).