UK Student Visa is required by citizens who do not belong to the European Union but plan to study in the UK. There are different types of UK student visas that depend on the applicant’s age, type of course selected for study, the duration of the course and the type of college or university selected for study. They are:
Read: What Is The UK’s New High Potential Individual Visa Or HPI Visa?
The Tier 4 (General) Student Visa follows a point based system. To apply for this kind of visa an applicant has to fill up VAF 9 form. This Tier 4 student visa is granted for a fixed duration or maximum time limit. The maximum time limit is 3 years for study courses that lead to a qualification below degree-level. The maximum time limit granted for a degree-level course is 5 years.
To be eligible for UK Student Visa you need to fulfil a few conditions and prove to the UK migration authorities a few things.
In order to be eligible for a UK student visa you may need to prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply. This can be done by passing an approved English Language Test. However, citizens of some countries do not need to prove their knowledge of English. These countries are:
Antigua and Barbuda | Australia | The Bahamas |
Barbados | Belize | Canada |
Dominica | Grenada | Guyana |
Jamaica | New Zealand | St Kitts and Nevis |
St Lucia | St Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago |
USA |
Once you are sure about your eligibility to apply for a UK Student Visa, you need to follow the procedure mentioned below to apply for the visa.
After a learning institution offers you a place on a course of study and you accept their offer, you will have to pay the required fees for the course of study. Once this is done, you will be provided with a reference number called the confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) by the institution. This number has to be entered on your visa application. Note that you must apply for your UK student visa no more than 6 months after you receive the CAS.
Complete the visa application form VAF 9 online. There are guidelines available to fill the application form. Read the guidelines carefully before you start filling in your details.
Make payment for the student visa application fee. You will be required to pay the visa fee online using Visa or MasterCard debit or credit cards or via e-wallet.
Submit your online student visa application form to get an option for an appointment date. Book an appointment.
Take a print out of the application form and complete it. Gather all the supporting documents needed along with the application form.
Submit your visa application form along with all supporting documents in person at the British Embassy/High Commission or your local visa application centre for UK. You will be required to have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre as part of your visa application procedure. This is to provide as biometric information about yourself.
Keep track of your visa application status online. Return to the visa application centre to collect your visa and passport when the online status shows that a decision has been reached for your visa application.
You may extend your visa by applying before the current visa expires. To do this you must meet the eligibility conditions of visa extension and you should be present in the UK.
Visa Fees for Tier 4 (General) Student Visa – GBP 310 (INR 30,879.05)
Extended Student visit visa (between 6 & 11 months) – GBP 150 (INR 14,941.48)
Note:
Citizens of some of the countries and territories of the world do not require a visa to enter the UK and study there for duration of up to 6 months if they fulfil a few conditions (in case of the citizens of the Republic of Ireland the visa exempt is for up to 3 months). The list of such countries and territories is provided below:
NAME OF THE COUNTRIES | ||
Andorra | Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina |
Australia | Bahamas | Barbados |
Belize | Botswana | Brazil |
Brunei | Canada | Chile |
Costa Rica | Dominica | El Salvador |
Grenada | Guatemala | Honduras |
Hong Kong | Israel | Japan |
Kiribati | Macau | Malaysia |
Maldives | Mauritius | Marshall Islands |
Mexico | Micronesia | Monaco |
Namibia | Nauru | Nicaragua |
New Zealand | Palau | Panama |
Papua New Guinea | Paraguay | Saint Kitts and Nevis |
Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Samoa |
San Marino | Seychelles | Singapore |
Solomon Islands | South Korea | Taiwan |
Timor-Leste | Tonga | Trinidad and Tobago |
Tuvalu | United States | Uruguay |
Vanuatu | Vatican City |
While applying for UK student visa you must be aware of the following dos and don’ts.
Dos
Don’ts
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