Students who live outside the EU and who intend to come to the UK to study either for a short course or full time will require the appropriate visa.
Students who apply for a full time place at a UK institution will require a Tier 4 visa. The institution that has accepted a student for a full time course of study will issue a CAS statement (Confirmation of Acceptance of Study) which is done online and the student will receive notification of the CAS details. As of March 2020 the cost of Tier 4 visa is £348 (plus any charges that a visa support specialist may charge for helping you with an application).
Tier 4 students will also have to pay the Immigration Health Charge which as of March 2020 is £300 per year. Payment of the surcharge is obligatory and will be paid as part of the immigration application process. Students must pay the surcharge BEFORE they submit their visa application or the application will be refused automatically. The surcharge will be refunded if the student’s visa is refused.
The student will be given an IHS reference number, this must be written on the front cover of the visa application.
For more information please go to: https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application/overview
To register for the IHS please go to: https://www.immigration-health-surcharge.service.gov.uk/payment/start
Students gaining a Tier 4 visa will also receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP). This is a form of ID which must be carried on leaving and entry to the UK. It is normal practice for schools to arrange to collect the card once a student arrives in the UK and keep it safe for International students until it is required.
Students who are under the age of 18 and coming to the UK for a course of student for less then 6 months will require a Short-Term Student (child) visa. The school or language centre that has accepted a student on a course will issue a visa support letter.
Students over the age of 18 will require a Short-Term Student visa and will require a visa support letter from the course for which they have been accepted. As of March 2020 a short term study visa is £97 plus any costs that may be incurred to translate or scan documents.
All students of whatever age are advised to ensure they read the advice on the UKBA website and make their visa application in good time. It is the responsibility of the student (or parents in the case of students under the age of 18) to make the application and ensure the correct documentation is complete and accurate.
Details of which visa is required and how to apply are clearly detailed on the UKBA web site www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/visas-immigration/