If you wish to come to the UK to study and are from a visa national country, you will need to apply for a student visa in your home country. Please contact the British Embassy or Consulate in your country for detailed information. The visa application and approval process can take some time so it is best to apply for a student visa well in advance. More detailed information can be found on the Border and Immigration Agency website.
Visas
If you are planning on coming to the UK on a student visa there are various requirements you must meet. As a UK education provider we are obliged to ensure we are only recruiting students who are genuinley interested in studying at our school and are not likely to abuse the immigration system. In order for us to issue you with a confirmation of acceptance of studies ( CAS number ) we must be certain that you comply with the guidelines set out by UKBA relating to Tier 4 of the points based system. Students will be expected to show evidence of studying English before coming to the UK. We will only accept students at CEFR level B1 ( Intermediate ) and above for a full Tier 4 student visa. Students under this level will be able to apply under the Student Visitor Visa category. You will be expected to show evidence of your previous English studies when you apply for your visa. You will also need to show that you can support yourself financially during your studies. For students on courses of less than 12 months you will need to be able to cover the full cost of your course plus £600 per month for each month of your course. You will be expected to show evidence of this at the time of applying for your visa. Europa School of English will not offer you a CAS number unless we are sure that you can meet both of the criteria above
Extending a student visa in the UK
Please note Europa School of English cannot help or give any advice to students regarding their visa applications. If you would like some help and advice please go to your nearest OISC Registered Adviser From March 2010 there will be some major changes in the UK immigration system and this will affect students coming to the UK on a student visa and also those extending their visas in the UK. To find out more information about the changes click here.
If you wish to extend your student visa and are already in the UK you must complete the FLRS application form and with it submit the following:
- 2 x passport photos with your name on the back of each
- Current school confirmation letter
- Past school confirmation letters, certificates for every school you studied at in the UK
- 3 months bank statements
- Sponsorship letter from your parents/relatives/friend
- Police registration certificate if you had to register with the police on arrival
- Passport
The fee for a visa extension application is £357 by post and £565 if you go in person. You can download the most recent FLR(S) application form here.
and the guidance notes here.
If posting, you must send the form and supporting documents a maximum of 8 weeks and minimum of 4 weeks before your visa expires. Do not send cash if posting.
The application process can take some time if sending documents by post. It can take anything from 4 weeks to 6 months to have your passport returned to you so take this into account before posting. Always post by special delivery. If you apply in person, you can obtain a visa on the same day if the visa officer is happy with your application.
If your extension application is successful you will be sent a letter inviting you to attend one of the seven immigration centres in the UK to have your photograph taken and fingerprnts scanned. You will then be issued with a biometric identity card. You can find more information on this subject here.
For more detailed information regarding visa applications, immigration issues and other international student advice please visit the UKCISA website.