Short-term Study Visa
Short-term Study Visa
Before applying for a Short-term Study application check whether you need one. If the answer is yes – prepare the evidence you might need, apply, and visit your visa application center for an appointment.
A reason to apply for a Short-term Study Visa is a short course of study in the UK for people outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland, who meet other Short-term Study Visa eligibility requirements. Academic visitors need a Standard Visitor visa.
This type of Visa allows you to experience a short-term study in the UK, for example, an English language course or any other short-term training course; also, those who study abroad can do short-term research in the UK as a part of their degree course.
A Short Study Visa does not allow you to study at the state-funded school in the UK; work or carry out business, that includes work experience and work placements (unless your placement is an eligible medical, dentistry or veterinary elective); take your family members, including dependents, with you – though they can apply separately; receive public funds.
The duration of your Short-term Study Visa depends on the length of your course or research. Sometimes, you can be allowed to stay 30 days longer if your visit to the UK does not last more than six months (or even eleven months if you meet two conditions: you are 16 or over and you study an English language course). The information on how long you are allowed to stay in the UK will be mentioned in your visa.
People who do not need a visa to travel to the UK can study for up to six months without applying in advance. But when they arrive in the UK, instead of using ePassport gates, they must meet a border officer. If they plan to study longer, than six months – a Short-term Study visa is obligatory and they must apply for it in advance.
A six-months Short-term Study visa costs £97 and an eleven-months one is £186. The application period starts three months before the date of your travel to the UK. If you apply from outside the UK, you are guaranteed to get a visa decision within three weeks (15 working days) after the application.
To get a Short-term Study visa you must provide the evidence that you have been offered a place on a course in the UK at an accepted place of study and have enough money to support yourself during the stay or your relatives and friends can do that. Remember, you will not be permitted to work or get help from public funds. It is also important to prove that you can pay for your return or onward journey. People who are under 18 must also demonstrate the arrangements for their travel and stay in the UK and have permission from their parents or guardians to study in the UK.If you apply for a Short-term Study visa you must be accepted on a course with an acceptable education provider – the one that holds a Tier 4 sponsor license. Other options among the UK educational institutions include the following: Office for Students, Accreditation Service for International Colleges, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Accreditation Body for Langauge Services, Estyn (Wales), Accreditation UK, Office for Standards in Education, British Accreditation Council, Education Scotland, Education and Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland), Independent Schools Inspectorate.
Those who plan to learn English as a foreign language in the UK can apply for an eleven-months Short-term Study visa if they are at least 16 years old and have been accepted to an English as a foreign language course. It is worth mentioning, that if only a part of the course is dedicated to English and the rest of the course deals with other study areas, they can only apply for a six-months Short-term Study visa.
Those who visit the UK as part of their overseas course can apply for a Short-term Study visa if they are at least 16 years old and study at a foreign higher education institution and only the part of their course is in the UK. The student`s education institution must hold its own national accreditation, offer only a part of its educational program in the UK, and offer programs that are equivalent to the UK degrees.
A Short-term Study application also allows research in the UK for a short period of time. To be eligible for this visa you must be at least 16 years old; your course must be equivalent to the UK degree and you must carry out your research at a UK higher education provider. People can apply for a Short-term Study visa if they plan to do an elective in the UK. This option is available only for those whose main course of study is medicine, veterinary medicine, and science, or dentistry. To get the visa, their overseas course of study must be at least equivalent to a UK degree; the elective must be relevant to their main course of study and they must have been accepted onto an elective by a UK higher education provider. It is worth mentioning, that this elective must be unpaid, and must not involve treating patients.
To apply for a Short-term Study visa you must provide the following documents: a valid passport or other relevant travel identification, evidence that you can support yourself during your stay, details of your planned accommodation (you do not need to pay for it until you get the visa), tuberculosis test results (if you are coming from a country where you have to take the test and you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months), contact details of your parents or guardians (if you are under 18 years old). A certified translation of any documents that are not in English or Welsh is also needed.
You must also provide proof of the course you plan to study (a letter of acceptance from the educational institution – on official headed paper, stating the course’s name, duration, and cost (including accommodation). Sometimes additional documents are needed, for example, previous academic certificates, English language qualifications, accommodation, and travel plans, savings, and funds that will support your studies.
People who are under 18 can travel to the UK without an adult if their parents or guardians provide written consent for them to travel to the UK and give their full contact details. They also need to provide proof of suitable accommodation for a student-applicant in the UK. A letter from the school confirming it has notified the local authority of a student`s visit is also needed.
People who are under 18 can also travel with an adult. Up to 2 adults can be identified in a Short-term Study visa application. The visa will only be valid if a young person travels with at least one of the abovementioned adults, but each must complete separate applications.
A Short-term Study visa application process starts online, but you will need to visit your visa application center for an appointment.
Regards,
SmartImmigrant
