UK - GENERAL VISA INFORMATION

Some students may need to apply for a visa (entry card) to study in the UK. To find out if you will need a visa and to see where your nearest British Embassy or Consulate is, you can visit this website: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/.

If you are applying for a course of more than 6 months please read information for the General Student Visa (Tier 4). If you are applying for a course of 6 months or less, please click here to see general information about the Student Visitor Visa.

1. General Student Visa – Tier 4 Points Based System 

If you are applying for a visa to come to the UK, there are several important points you will need to be aware of:

The General Student Visa has a full range of entitlements:

• to switch to another visa category (such as a Tier 1 highly-skilled migrant and work in the UK)
• to work part-time (maximum 10 hours a week during the course, and full-time in vacations)
• to extend your stay by applying while in the UK
• to bring in dependents (such as partner or children) for courses of 6 months or more. For courses of under 6 months dependents can only enter if they qualify in their own right.
• dependants of students undertaking a course may only work whilst in the UK if they qualify for a visa entitling them to work, in their own right.

Information about fees for the General Student Visa when applying from outside the UK can be found athttp://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/visafees/ 

To apply for General Student Visas, students must:

• be 16 or over
• be enrolled at an accredited institution which is on the Register of Sponsors (RoS) and have a Sponsor License Number (SLN), eg. Crest Schools of English, which has an ‘A’ rating.
• be enrolled on a course with a minimum of 15 hours a week of organised daytime study. You can study full time (15 hours per week), intensive (21 hours per week) or intensive plus (24+ hours per week). • and, if the course involves work placement, the study element of the course must be no less than 50% of the total and the course and work placement must both be at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 3 (A level equivalent) • and, if English language students, the course must be at Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) level B2 (students of lower levels must come through the Student Visitor route).
• have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from Crest Schools of English.

Those on a General Student Visa studying below degree level will be able to spend a maximum of 3 years following such courses.

To apply for a General Student visa, a student must be able to follow a course at CEFR level B2, ie already have studied English to the level of competence set out as B1 and be prepared to move on to B2. 

You must have reasonable evidence to suppose that this is the case before a CAS can be issued. 

Evidence could be any ONE of the following (original copies of certificates and exam results must be sent): 

• an internationally-recognised certificate in English, e.g. Cambridge English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL), Preliminary English Test (PET), IELTS, TOEIC, TOEFL
• completion of the in-house test from Jap Studies Schools Partnes

The proof of funds can be: 

• cash funds in the bank (including savings accounts and current accounts, even when notice must be given);
• a loan letter; or
• official financial or government sponsorship available to you.

Other accounts or financial instruments (such as shares, bonds, overdrafts, credit cards, and pension funds) are not acceptable regardless of the notice period. 

Please make sure you check with your local Embassy for how documents should be provided for visa application and for what documents need to be shown on entry to the U.K. 

The amount of funds required are:

• the course fees for the actual length or first year of the course, whichever is the shorter
• living costs for the length of the course or 9 months, whichever is the shorter.

Living costs are:

• £800 a month if the main study site is in inner London (boroughs of Camden, City, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Haringey, Islington, Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth, Lewisham, Newham, Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and Westminster)
• £600 a month everywhere else in the UK.

Students who leave the education institution to which their visa is tied without an agreed transfer will be held to have broken the terms and conditions of their visa and may be deported.  

Jap Studies will not be held responsible for changes introduced by the Home Office which might affect students’ status and will not be held liable for the above information. For more information, please visit UKBA website at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/adult-students/ or at http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/adult-students/applying/how-to-apply-for-a-student-visa/.

Please read the guidance carefully before filling out the forms. 

2. Student Visitor Visa 

If you are coming to the United Kingdom as a visitor to study you must:

• genuinely be seeking entry as a student visitor for the limited period you tell us you require that does not exceed six months;
• have been accepted on a course of study that will be provided by an organisation included on the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills' register of education and training providers;
• leave the United Kingdom at the end of the visit you told us about;
• support and pay for accommodation for yourself; or
• ensure that you will be supported and accommodated by relatives or friends and not take employment; and
• be able to meet the cost of the return or onward journey.  

Please see the information above for proof of funds, amount of funds, and living costs.

You must not:

• take employment in the United Kingdom;
• engage in business, produce goods or provide services within the United Kingdom, including selling goods or services direct to members of the public;
• study at a government-funded school;
• be a child under the age of 18;
• undertake part-time (up to 10 hours), or full-time vacation employment;
• undertake a work placement or internship (paid or unpaid) as part of your course of study; or
• extend your stay in the United Kingdom
• bring dependents with you. 

All applicants under the age of 18 should apply for a child visitor visa.

Jap Studies will not be held responsible for changes introduced by the Home Office which might affect students’ status and will not be held liable for the above information. For more information, please visit UKBA website athttp://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visitingtheuk/childvisitors/ or http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf2visitors#16052812

Please read the UKBA information carefully before applying for your visa http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply

Next Step 

Please complete an online application form. Jap Studies will then guide you through the visa application process.

Please note that all information on this page is for general guidance only. Please refer to your local Embassy or the government website for more detailed information about Visa applications for your own specific circumstances http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/