Short-term Student (English language) visa
Important information
A Short-term Student visa is for students who are genuinely seeking entry to study as a short-term student on an English language course only that is between six and 11 months in duration. For studies not exceeding six months a Visitor visa would be appropriate.
You must be aged 16 or over and you must apply for this visa from outside of the UK. You cannot extend a Short-term Student visa or switch into the Student route from inside the UK.
This visa category imposes some restrictions and conditions while you are in the UK:
• You will not be entitled to take up employment, undertake placements or internships, start your own business, and you will have ‘no recourse to public funds’.
• You cannot bring dependants.
• You will have no entitlement to healthcare. Therefore, we strongly advise that you take out medical insurance to cover the duration of your stay to avoid any unexpected costly medical bills.
• You are only permitted to study on the course for which you are granted Short-term Student immigration permission.
• You must leave the UK within 30 days of your course end date as declared in your visa application or before your visa expires, whichever is earlier.
• You must not intend to make the UK your main home, for example, through frequent or successive visits under the Short-term Student route.
• You cannot apply to switch into any other immigration routes from within the UK.
Short term Student visa
Make sure to read the list carefully so that you are fully compliant.
• Completed online application form (see ‘what is the application process?’ below). You can apply for this visa up to 3 months before your intended date of travel to the UK.
• Payment of £200 for the visa application and £475 for the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) or equivalent in your local currency.
• Your current passport or other travel document which shows your identity and nationality (with a blank page for your visa).
• Letter of acceptance from the University of Reading confirming your course details.
• Evidence of your immigration permission to be in the country where you are applying if you are not a national of that country.
• Tuberculosis (TB) certificate if you are resident in any of the countries listed on the UK Government website. If you have lived for at least 6 months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK, and you have been away from that country for no more than 6 months you will not need a TB test.
• Details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans - you should not pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa.
• If applicable, fully certified translations.
• Be a genuine Short-term student. The caseworker will consider whether they believe you are genuinely seeking entry to the UK as a Short-term Student to undertake the studies stated in your visa application. See page 12 of the Short-term Student guidance for further details.
Financial evidence
• You will need to demonstrate that you have the funds to:
o maintain and accommodate yourself for the duration of your trip; and
o meet the cost of your return or onward journey; and
o pay your course fees or have paid the course fees by the date of your visa application.
• There is no set amount stated in the Rules that you need to demonstrate for accommodation/living costs, but you may wish to aim to have £1023 per month for the duration of your stay, as this is the requirement for a Student visa.
• There is no specified minimum period the funds must have been held for in the Immigration Rules, but it is advised that you submit evidence covering at least 3 months. The most recent evidence must not be dated more than 31 days before the date of application.
• The types of evidence that you can provide in support of your application can include payslips (showing 6 months), evidence of self-employment, savings, and bank statements.
• When using personal funds, the caseworker may make further checks to establish the origin of the funds especially if they have not been held for long. Therefore, it is advisable to provide evidence of where your income comes from.
• The evidence you provide must meet the requirements in Appendix Finance of the Immigration Rules.
Additional requirements if you are under 18 years old
• You must show that suitable arrangements have been made for your:
o travel to the UK; and
o arrival and reception in the UK; and
o living and care arrangements in the UK
• Your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must provide their written consent to your application and the above arrangements.
• For further information on these requirements see pages 14-15 in the guidance.
Further guidance can be found in the Short-term Student modernised guidance.
At your appointment, you will also need to provide your biometrics. To provide these you will need to:
• have a digital photo taken of your face; and
• put your fingers on a glass screen to be scanned; and
• provide your signature.
The next correspondence you receive should be your visa application decision.
The standard visa processing times for applications made outside of the UK is 15 working days from when you attend your biometric appointment. You might be able to pay extra for a faster decision (check with our VAC). You should allow a week for your passport to be endorsed with an entry vignette (visa sticker), and you must travel to the UK during the validity of the vignette.
After you have arrived in the UK, you will need to create a UKVI account and access your eVisa. For more information on how to do this, please see our eVisa webpage.
If your visa application is refused, make sure you contact the International Student Advisory Team and supply a copy of the visa refusal notice.