Entry Clearance
Apply for a Student Visa before you leave home: Entry Clearance - your student visa
There have been major changes to UK immigration recently. You must ensure that you check the UK Border Agency webpages regularly in case of any further changes.
It is mandatory for all students coming to the UK for longer than six months to obtain Entry Clearance in their own country before travelling to the UK. For students coming to the UK for a course of less than six months there is now a Student Visitor category of visa which you must apply for as Entry Clearance if you are a visa national or on arrival to the UK if you are not a visa national. Please note this visa cannot be extended and will not allow you to work. Please see the chart on the UKVisas website for information.
IMPORTANT - if you intend to travel to the UK via Dublin you will not pass through any UK immigration point and will therefore not be able to obtain Leave to Enter as a Student Visitor on arrival. Therefore, you must apply for Entry Clearance before leaving your own country even if your course is for less than six months.
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. To find out if it is possible to apply online in your home country, please visit the UKBA website. To apply for a student visa you will now have to apply using the VAF 9 form and Appendix 8. You must complete both forms. You can see more information about this on the UKBA website. There is also a useful guide available on the UKCISA 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 your application can be accepted. You can find out if you need to be tested by looking at the 'tuberculosis testing' page of the UKBA website once you have entered your country into the 'country finder' page.
To make an application you will need to provide:
Your passport or travel document.
A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself.
This should be:
- taken against a light-coloured background
- clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
- printed on normal photographic paper, and
- full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).
The visa fee.
This cannot be refunded and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
Supporting documents relevant to your application including -
- the CAS which will come from the University
- financial documents to show evidence of how you will fund your studies
- an ATAS certificate (if applicable)
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) was introduced on 1 November 2007. If you are a non-EU/EEA national and you plan to undertake postgraduate study in the UK in certain science, technology or engineering subjects you may need to obtain an ATAS certificate before you apply for Entry Clearance to come to the UK. Also, if you are already in the UK and are studying one of the relevant subjects you must obtain an ATAS certificate before you can apply for an extension to your student visa in the UK.
You must apply for the ATAS certificate before making an application by completing the ATAS online application form at least eight weeks before you plan to make an application for Entry Clearance or an extension to your student visa. Only those studying the subjects on the ATAS list are required to provide this certificate. For a list of courses which require ATAS please see the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
Biometric Information
Most people obtaining a visa to travel to the UK will now need to provide biometric information including fingerprints and have a digital photograph taken. You will need to go to your nearest visa application centre in person to do this. Please refer to UKBA for full information.
When you get your visa please check it to ensure that your personal details are correct, the type of visa granted is correct and that it is valid for the date on which you want to travel.