Short-term Study Visa
Short-term Study Visas are intended for individuals who want to study English in the UK for a period of between 6 months and 11 months.
Individuals wishing to study English in the UK for less than 6 months may instead be able to do so as a ‘Standard Visitor’. While some people are able to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor without a visa, others may need to apply for and be granted a Standard Visitor Visa before travelling to the UK. Whether you require a visa or not for short visits to the UK will depend on your nationality and other personal circumstances.
Those wishing to study or attend a course for a subject other than the English language for longer than 6 months should instead consider whether they need instead to apply for a Student Visa.
When applying for a Short-term Study Visa, the Home Office must be supplied with:
- a valid passport or other travel document
- evidence of being able to financially support oneself for the duration of the trip
- details of travel and accommodation plans
- NB: evidence of your intentions is usually sufficient; you do not need to provide proof that flights or accommodation have been booked and paid for before you apply
- proof that you have paid any course fees, or have enough money to do so
If applicable, you may also need to submit the following:
- tuberculosis test results, if you are from a country where the UK requires this
- if you are under 18:
- contact details for a parent or guardian in your home country
- written consent from your parent/s or guardian if you are travelling to the UK alone or with a third party
An application for a Short-term Study Visa must be made from outside the UK, and no more than three months before your intended date of travel to the UK.
Applicants will have to visit a visa application centre in order to have their photographs and fingerprints taken. Once the application and all supporting information (including photograph and fingerprints) have been submitted to the Home Office, decisions are usually made and communicated within three weeks. Depending on which visa application centre you use, it may be possible to pay an additional fee for a premium or super premium service in order to get a decision within a matter of days rather than weeks.
The standard Home Office fee for a Short-term Study Visa is £200. Applicants will also have to pay a healthcare surcharge in advance of receiving their visa.
A Short-term Study Visa does not permit holders to change course once they arrive in the UK, study at a publicly-funded school or do any paid or unpaid work while in the UK. Holders are not permitted to bring members of their family with them to the UK as dependents on this visa.
This visa is not eligible to be extended. If holders wish to stay in the UK after their Short-term Study Visa expires they should consider applying to switch to another visa well in advance of the expiry date.