The course of study must not exceed six months in total. You cannot use the visitor route for shorter stays as part of a course which has a total length of more than six months (except for distance learning courses – see section below). For example, it is not possible to use the visitor route to study the first term of a one-year course in the UK even though that initial stay will be for less than six months. It is the total length of the UK course which is relevant.

If the study you are going to undertake does not exceed six months, you have the choice of coming to the UK as either a Standard Visitor or as a Student. Requirements for a Student visa. You should note that it is not possible to extend a visitor visa or switch from the visitor route into a different immigration category from within the UK.

When coming to the UK as a visitor or when applying for a visit visa you must provide a letter from the University setting out the type of study involved during the visit, the dates, and any associated fees. The Admissions Team will provide you with your letter, except in the case of Study Abroad students whose letters will be issued by the Erasmus & Study Abroad Office.

You may on occasion come to the UK for short periods as a visitor if you are studying a course by distance learning (this includes part-time modular/flexible programmes), but you must:

• be studying for the majority of your time outside the UK for a University of Reading qualification; and
• be undertaking study related activities, such as induction weeks, intensive face to face learning, and exams or assessments.

You may need to enter multiple times over the duration of your studies, but you must not use the route for frequent or successive trips to pursue a longer course. 

When coming to the UK as a visitor or when applying for a visit visa you must provide a letter from the University setting out the type of study involved during the visit, the dates, and any associated fees. The Admissions Team may provide you with your first letter and any subsequent letters will be provided by your school/International Student Advisory Team or by the Doctoral Research Office if you are a PhD student.

You have the choice of coming to the UK to undertake your resits examinations either as a Standard Visitor or as a Student. Requirements for a Student visa can be found via our pages 'Apply for a visa outside of the UK'. You should note that it is not possible to extend a visitor visa or switch from the visitor route into a different immigration category from within the UK. 

If you choose to undertake resit examinations as a visitor you should contact the International Student Advisory Team to request a visitor invitation letter. The letter will confirm that you are expected to undertake resits and the dates. 

If you are undertaking final year resits and you intend to apply for the Graduate route if you successfully pass, you will need to apply for a Student visa to be eligible.

Students can come to the University to undertake research or be taught about research (research tuition) under the visitor route, for up to six months, but you must:

1. be aged 16 or over; and
2. be enrolled on a course of study abroad equivalent to at least degree level study in the UK; and
3. have confirmation (in the form of a letter) from your home institution that the research or research tuition in the UK is part of or relevant to the course of study (which is at least equivalent to UK degree level study) you are enrolled on overseas; and
4. have confirmation (in the form of a letter) from the University of Reading of your research/research tuition visit, the dates of the visit, and that you will not be employed at the UK institution.
   
   

The letter should also include details of any associated fees and needs to be produced by the school/Admissions.

If you need to return to the UK under the visitor route to undertake your viva, you will need to contact the Doctoral Research Office to request a visitor visa invitation letter for the purpose of undertaking a viva as part of your PhD qualification at the University of Reading. 

If you intend to apply for the Graduate route after being awarded your PhD, you will need to apply for a Student visa to undertake your viva and 3 months of corrections to be eligible.

If your Student/Tier 4 visa will expire before your graduation ceremony takes place and you will not extend or switch your immigration permission, you can come to the UK as a Standard visitor to attend graduation (providing you meet the requirements). Please note that the University cannot provide Student visa sponsorship for the purpose of enabling you to attend a graduation ceremony as this is not permitted under the Immigration Rules. 

You should contact the Graduation Team to request a letter confirming you have been invited to a graduation ceremony.

The International Student Advisory Team does not advise on the Academic Visitor route. The extra requirements and provisions to come to the UK as an academic visitor can be found on the Gov.uk website.

Please note that all those planning to come for an academic visit for over six months are required to have a visa before travelling even if they are a non-visa national.

If you are a visa national, you will need to apply for and obtain a visitor visa before travelling to the UK. See the section ‘how to apply’ below. 
 
EU/EEA nationals and other non-visa nationals* can choose between applying for Standard Visitor entry clearance (a visa) before travelling to the UK or applying at the port of entry at the UK border. The latter option is free (if you do not need to obtain an ETA – see below) and does not involve having to complete an online visa application form. The choice is entirely yours, but the last option is the one most often used by our EU/EEA or other non-visa national students coming for studies of six months or less. 
*Nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in advance of travel, if they do not want to apply for entry clearance. An ETA only provides an individual with permission to travel to the UK and does not guarantee entry. You can check if you need a visa before you apply. 

eGates: If you are one of the nationalities that can use the eGate and you have a passport containing a biometric chip, you can enter as a visitor for up to 6 months via the eGate without having to see a Border Force Officer. 

If you enter via the eGate as a visitor or did not receive a passport stamp from a Border Force Officer, you will not get any physical evidence to show that you are in the UK as a visitor for a maximum of 6 months and will need to show your flight ticket as proof of when you entered.
 
Requirements/documents: If you obtain an ETA, decide to apply at the port of entry/use an eGate, you should carry the relevant supporting documents with you to demonstrate you meet the Visitor requirements in the event you need to enter the UK via a Border Force Officer. Those who are not one of the nationalities who can use the eGate must always see a Border Force Officer. 
 
For the avoidance of doubt, just because you do not need to apply for and obtain a visitor visa before travelling to the UK it does not mean you are exempt from the visitor requirements. You will be considered to be a Standard Visitor whilst in the UK and you must comply with all the visitor Immigration Rules. 

UK Visas and Immigration have created a guide on supporting documents that you can view online. All visitors will be expected to have the following:

• A valid passport;
• The letter from the University confirming the details of your visit and that you are attending an accredited institution; 
• If you are submitting a Visitor visa application from a country where you are not a national, you should submit evidence of your legal residence to be in that country. 
• Intention to leave the UK after your visit, for example, evidence of being enrolled as a student outside of the UK, overseas property ownership documents, and a letter from your employer confirming the job, salary, how long you have worked for the employer and that the employer has authorised leave to make the trip.
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate, if you are applying for postgraduate study or research in one of the subjects listed in Immigration Rules Appendix ATAS and you are not one of the nationals who are exempt from the ATAS requirement. ATAS applications take at least 20 working days to be processed and between April and September the processing times increase to 30 or more working days. An ATAS certificate is valid for 6 months from the date it is issued.
• Evidence that you can maintain and accommodate yourself during your stay. Any funds you wish to rely upon must be held in a financial institution permitted under FIN 2.1 in Appendix Finance. For example, the financial evidence can be recent bank statements from personal bank account(s) that contains the account holder name(s), the account number, and the amount of funds available. 

There are no specific requirements which state the amount of money you must show when you apply for a visitor visa. Using the Student maintenance figures as a guide only, it would be reasonable to show that you have the equivalent of £1,023 per month for the duration of your stay. You will also need to demonstrate the funds for a return or onwards journey. 

If you submit a bank statement that has a recent deposit which is not normally commensurate with the account, it is advised to provide evidence and/or an explanation as to where this recent/large deposit has come from. This would be to demonstrate that this money is genuinely available to you to use for your intended visit.

If you will be staying with friends or family while in the UK, which will decrease your living costs, you can include evidence of this.

You can rely on another person to help you demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to cover your travel, maintenance, and accommodation whilst in the UK. You must have a genuine professional or personal relationship with this person. It would be helpful if they provide a letter of support as well as evidence of how they are able to afford to assist you with the costs to cover your visit to the UK.

Some activities are specifically prohibited for those holding visit visas. Whilst someone is a visitor they are not permitted to work in the UK. Work includes:

• Working for an organisation or business in the UK;
• Conducting business activities in the UK. This includes running or setting up a business as a self-employed person;
• Doing a work placement or internship (including as part of a course of study);
• Providing goods and services;
• Direct selling to the public.

They also cannot claim public funds, extend, or switch from their visit permission, and any receipt of payment for any activity carried out in the UK is also prohibited as a visitor.

The above list covers most relevant prohibited activities for students but the full list of prohibitions if needed can be found in paragraph V 4.4 of Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules.

If you are a visa national or choose to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before travelling to the UK, you must:

• pay to submit a Standard Visitor visa application online; and
• attend an appointment at a Visa Application Centre to provide your biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) and documents. You should upload your documents online before attending the Visa Application Centre to avoid added fees. 

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel.

Standard applications take 15 working days (3 weeks) from when you attend your appointment at a Visa Application Centre. You should also allow an extra week for your passport to be endorsed with an entry clearance vignette (visa sticker). 

You may be able to pay extra to upgrade your application to the priority service (5 working days) or super priority service (end of the next working day). Please check what services are available directly with the Visa Application Centre you apply through.

If your visa application is refused, please send a copy of refusal notice to immigration@reading.ac.uk to enable a University of Reading immigration adviser to assist and advise you.

Visa fees

A six-month visitor visa application costs £115 or equivalent in your local currency. 

If you have visited the UK before and will need to regularly travel to the UK you can choose to apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead for either 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years. View the table of visa fees and the maximum length of stay.

However, if you have never visited the UK before it is advisable to initially apply for a six-month visitor visa. 

Any application you decide to submit is done so at your own risk.

If clarification is needed on any aspect of the Rules or you have questions about your application, please contact the International Student Advisory Team.