Education Visa

Student visas or Education visa, as the name suggests, are visas issued to applicants whose primary purpose of visit to the country is the pursuit of education.

You can apply for a Student visa to study if you’re 16 or over, and you:

• Have been offered a place on a course by a licensed student sponsor
• Have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course – the amount will vary depending on your circumstances
• Can speak, read, write and understand English
• Have consent from your parents if you’re 16 or 17 – you’ll need evidence of this when you apply

When to apply

When you can apply depends on whether you’re applying from inside or outside the country.

Applying from outside the UK

The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course.

You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

Applying from inside the UK

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts.

You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.

You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

What you can and cannot do

You can:

• study
• work as a student union sabbatical officer

You may be able to work – how much depends on what you’re studying and whether you’re working in or out of term-time.

You cannot:

• claim public funds (benefits) and pensions
• work in certain jobs, for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach
• be self-employed
• study at an academy or a local authority-funded school (also known as a maintained school)

If your application is successful, you’ll be told what you can and cannot do on a Student visa.