I want to study in the UK-Part 1

1: How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
2: What is a visa?
3: Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
4: How do I apply for a visa?
5: What are visa application centres?
 
 
1: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 or for a period of research 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 period of study and/or research in excess of 6 months where this forms part of an overseas 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 within the last 12 months with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, postgraduate certificate or diploma, or PhD, you may be able to apply to stay in the UK and get a job for an extra year after your degree course finishes, without getting a work permit.

If you successfully 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.

Postgraduate doctors and dentists
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.

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2:What is a visa?
 
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, they 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.
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3:Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
 
You will need a visa if you:

  • are not an EEA national
  • 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 do not intend to work or stay in the UK for more than six months, you might wish to consider entering as a student visitor.

You do not need an entry clearance as a student visitor if you are a non-visa national but, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry to study when you arrive in the UK. You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the Register of Education and Training Providers. They will then give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months.

If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply for a visa before you travel to the UK.
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4:How do I apply for a visa?
 
You can apply in a number of ways, for example, by post, by courier, in person and online. Staff at the visa application centres 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 please visit the visa4UK website.

If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF 3 - Student). You can get a form free of charge from your nearest visa application centre or from the visa application forms page on this website.

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 they will accept your application.
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5:What are visa application centres?
 
In some countries, they are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres (VACs). The VACs are in largely populated areas, making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deal with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information (see the relevant section of this leaflet) along with the relevant fees, and provide unbiased, face-to-face advice on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether to issue or refuse your visa. VAC staff have no say in this decision.
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