{"id":4664,"date":"2021-07-06T09:55:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T04:25:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/?p=4664"},"modified":"2025-01-29T19:20:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T13:50:45","slug":"uk-student-visa-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/immigration\/uk-student-visa-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Student Visa Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to study in the UK, but facing difficulties with the visa process? Don\u2019t worry we are there to help you out.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In this blog, we will talk about the types of student visas offered by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/country\/united-kingdom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>UK<\/strong><\/a>, what are the requirements for getting a visa, how long you can stay, when can you arrive, and what are the costs involved. These topics have some very important and new information so do read till the end.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get started.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Types of Study Visa<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Student visa (previously known as Tier 4 visa)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are 16 or over and want to study in the UK, you\u2019ll need to apply for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/immigration\/things-to-know-before-going-for-uk-student-visa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>student visa<\/strong><\/a> through the Student Route. This Student Route falls under the UK&#8217;s new points-based immigration system and from 5 October 2020, it has replaced the Tier 4 Route.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Short-term student route (previously short-term study visas)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These visas are available to students who want to join courses that are up to six months long or English language courses up to 11 months long.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What are the documents required?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UK student visas are awarded on a points-based system now. So, in order to meet all the <strong>UK student visa<\/strong> requirements, you\u2019ll need to provide:&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A current passport or other valid travel documentation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent photographs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number and documents used to obtain CAS&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Proof of adequate English language skills if you\u2019re not from an English-speaking country<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evidence of funds to provide your living expenses for the duration of your course<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate (if required)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How long can you stay?&nbsp;<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This depends on the length of your course and what study you\u2019ve already completed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If it\u2019s below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are going for a short-term course then you can stay in the UK for the length of your course plus an extra 30 days as long as your stay is no longer than 11 months.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Cost of Visas<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The current fee for the Tier 4 (General) student visa is \u00a3348, with an additional \u00a3348 fee per person for any dependents. You\u2019ll also need to pay a healthcare surcharge of \u00a3470 per year in order to access the National Health Service (NHS) during your stay.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Short-Term Study Visa costs \u00a397 for a 6-month visa and \u00a3186 for an 11-month visa. You\u2019ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your online application.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>When can you arrive in the UK?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can arrive in the UK before your course starts. This can be either:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up to 1 week before, if your course lasts 6 months or less<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up to 1 month before, if your course lasts more than 6 months<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What you can and cannot do under these visas?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is an important point because being in a foreign country we are mostly unaware of their rules and regulations. So to avoid breaking any of them and landing in a problem, it is good to be aware of them beforehand.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/immigration\/latest-updates-information-on-tier4-student-visa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Tier 4 student visa<\/strong><\/a>, you can <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study and work as a student union sabbatical officer. How much you can work depends on what you\u2019re studying and whether you\u2019re working in or out of term time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But there are certain things you cannot do under this visa, like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You cannot claim public funds (benefits) and pensions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cannot work in certain jobs, for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You cannot be self-employed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You cannot study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under a Short-term study visa, you can only study the course you have chosen and cannot&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study on any other course or change your course while in the UK<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study at a state-funded school<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">work or carry out any business (this includes paid or unpaid work, work experience or work placements)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">extend this visa<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">bring family members (\u2018dependants\u2019) with you on this visa<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, these are some important things about the UK study visa.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to study in the UK, but facing difficulties with the visa process? Don\u2019t worry we are there to help you out.&nbsp; In this blog, we will talk about the types of student visas offered by the UK, what are the requirements for getting a visa, how long you can stay, when can you arrive, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[977],"tags":[229],"class_list":["post-4664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-immigration","tag-united-kingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.universityliving.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}