Right to Study and Visa Information

This information is for guidance only. You should contact your local Embassy or Consulate for up to date
information. Please also consult the UKBA website:
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk

If you are a citizen of a country in the European Union or the European Economic Area, or of Switzerland,
you do not need a visa to enter the UK. If you come from anywhere else you will need a visa. There are two
types of student visas: General Student Visas or Student Visitor Visas. The rules which apply to them
are different. When you book a course you will need to tell us which one you want, so you need to
understand the differences. On your first day, all students or course participants, regardless of
nationality, will have to bring a passport or valid ID to show their right to study in the UK. If you
do not have the right to study, you will not be allowed to study and no refunds will be given. These notes
will help you to understand the system and decide what to do.

The process of applying for a visa:

1. Decide if you are from an EEA country, a Visa National country or a Non-Visa National country (See
Section A)
2. Decide which type of visa you want (See Section B)
3. Make your application for your course, telling us which type of visa you want (See Section C)
4. Use the documents we send you to apply for your visa (See Section C)

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Section A: Where are you from?

For visa purposes there are three categories:

EEA, EU & Switzerland

Visa Nationals

Non-Visa Nationals

EEA, EU & Switzerland

If you are a citizen of one of these countries you can come and go as you please. You do not need to read
any of these notes about visas. The countries listed below fall into this category:

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 Austria Hungary Poland
Belgium Iceland Portugal
Bulgaria Ireland Romania
Cyprus Italy Slovakia
Czech Republic Liechtenstein Slovenia
Denmark Latvia Spain
Estonia Lithuania Sweden
Finland Luxembourg Switzerland
France Malta United Kingdom
Germany Netherlands
Greece Norway

Visa National (VN)

If you are a VN you need a visa to enter the UK for any reason, and must get it before you leave home (this
is called ‘pre-entry clearance’). The countries listed below fall into this category:

Afghanistan Albania Haiti Russia

Algeria India Rwanda
Albania Indonesia Sao Tome e Principe
Angola Iran Saudi Arabia
Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Iraq Senegal
Bangladesh Belarus Ivory Coast Sierra Leone
Benin Jamaica Somalia
Bhutan Jordan South Africa (except those who have
Bolivia Kazakhstan already visited the UK using this
Bosnia Herzegovina Burkina Faso Kenya passport)
Burma Korea (North) Sri Lanka
Burundi Kuwait Sudan
Cambodia Cameroon Kyrgyzstan Surinam
Cape Verde Laos Syria
Central African Republic Lebanon Tajikistan
Chad Liberia Tanzania

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 China (except for Hong Kong and Libya Thailand
Macao) Macedonia Madagascar Togo
Colombia Comoros Malawi Tunisia
Cuba Democratic Republic of the Mali Turkey
Congo Mauritania Turkmenistan
Djibouti Dominican Republic Moldova Uganda
Ecuador Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Nepal Ukraine
Egypt Equatorial Guinea Niger United Arab Emirates
Eritrea Ethiopia Nigeria Uzbekistan
Fiji Oman Venezuela*
Gabon Pakistan Vietnam
Gambia Peru Yemen
Georgia Philippines Qatar Zambia
Ghana Zimbabwe
Guinea The territories formerly comprising the
Guinea Bissau socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Guyana * Venezuelan visitors who have new
secure fingerprint passports issued
since 2007 will be allowed to enter the
United Kingdom without applying for a
visa

Non-Visa National (NVN) If you are a NVN you need a visa, but can get a Student Visitor Visa on arrival
at the port of entry. If you want a General Student Visa, you must get it before you leave home.

The main countries in this category are:

Argentina Hong Kong Paraguay
Australia Israel South Korea
Brasil Japan Taiwan
Canada Malaysia Tibet
Chile Mexico Uraguay
Croatia/Herzegovena New Zealand

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 Honduras Panama USA

For further information about UK visas please visit http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/

The following link may also be useful to you as to determine which category you fall into and what action
you should take: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/doineedvisa/

Section B: The different types of visa

There are three main types of visa which concern us:

General Student Visa (GSV)

Student Visitor Visa (SVV)

(General) Visitor Visa (VV)

General Student Visa (GSV) Tier 4

A GSV is processed as part of the UK Tier 4 Points Based System. People typically choose this if they want
to study in the UK for a longer period. It gives the right to work, can be extended, and can last longer than

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6 months, but is not available for students below intermediate level and is only valid for study at the
school or college named on it. To obtain this visa you must study for at least 15 hours per week (e.g. 20
lessons per week on our General English Programme). You must also be able to prove that your current
English Level is B1 (Intermediate) and that you are ready to start a course at Level B2 (according to the
Common European Framework of Reference). Please note that a GSV must always be obtained in
advance. The current fee for a GSV is £220 (as of 1/10/2010), but please check
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/adult-students/visa-fees/ to confirm this.

Student Visitor Visa (SVV)

A SVV has no level requirement or hours of study per week requirement but does not give the right to
work, cannot be extended, and cannot last longer than 6 months. Visa Nationals must get it before they
leave home. Non-visa nationals can get it free on arrival.

(General) Visitor Visa (VV)

A visitor’s visa allows someone to enter the UK for tourism, visiting family etc. A non-visa national can get
it on arrival. A visa national needs to get it at home. It is NOT possible to study if you have a visitor’s
visa and your primary purpose for coming to the UK was to study. IH London will NOT accept a student
to study on a VV if this the case.

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The following outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each visa type which allows you
to study:

Advantages Disadvantages
• You must already be at B1 level (with proof) of
English and be ready to enroll on a course at B2
Gener level.

al • Allows you to study for more than 6 months. • You must study a minimum of 15 hours (20 lessons)
Stude • Allows you to extend your visa in the UK. per week.
nt • Allows you to work up to 10 hours per week. • You can only study at the school that accepted you
Visa: and through which you got the visa. If you want to
change school, you will need a new visa.

• You must always get this type of visa at home

before you come to the UK.
Stude
• No restriction on level. • It lasts a maximum 6 months.
nt
• No restriction on where you study. • It cannot be extended.
Visitor
• You are not allowed to work.
Visa: • No restriction on the number of hours studying
each week.

Please Note:

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If you have a diplomatic visa you can study without any problems.

If you have a business visa you can do short training courses related to your work. This includes a
business English course.

Section C: What must you do when applying for a course?

1. Tell us what sort of visa you want

If you need a visa to enter the UK to study at IH London, we can provide you with supporting documents.
You must tell us what sort of visa you intend to apply for.

2. Send us a copy of your passport

We need information from it to produce the support that we will send you.

3. For a GSV, show how you will prove your level

If you want a GSV, we need to know how you will prove your level of English. This is not necessary for a
SVV.

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You need to show that you are capable of following a course at Common European Framework B2 level of
English. This means that you must already be at least at B1 level of English.

It is important that you tell us how you will prove your level when you apply for your course. We must
refer to this on the CAS, and you must then submit the original of the same document with your visa
application.

4. We can produce your support documentation & you can use it to apply for a visa

Once we have received all the necessary information from you we will be able to provide you with a
‘Support Letter’ for a SVV or a ‘Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)’ for a GSV. You can then use
this to make your visa application.

Section D: Procedures when you start your course with us

Please make sure that you bring your passport or ID with you to school on the first day. We need to
check all students visas and will also need to take a copy if you are a visa- national. Please note that if
you forget your passport, you will be sent home and will not be allowed to enter class until we have seen it
and taken a copy (if necessary).

Section E: Renewing your visa

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Firstly, you should note that the process of renewing a GSV can take a long time. It is recommended that
you submit the application form (as well as all the supporting documents) a minimum of 8 weeks before
your current visa expiry date. The UKBA aims to process applications between 4 to 14 weeks after you
have submitted your biometric information. Please note that this timescale is a guideline only, and some
cases may take longer to consider.

Please note that if you wish to make your application in person, you must make an appointment by phone
on 0870 606 7766. There is also a same-day service, at a premium fee, for considering certain
straightforward applications. Please note that any complex applications can not be dealt with in this way.

For further information, please consult: http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/studyingintheuk/adult-

students/applying/

To renew your GSV from within the UK you will need:

• A CAS for your next or continuing course

• Proof that you have attended at least 80% of the lessons of the course that you have been doing.
• Proof that you have made good progress. It is very useful to do an official exam during your first
course.
• £1600 for your living costs (£800/month for 2 months – this is all you have to show, even if your
course will be longer than 2 months).

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As long as your attendance and progress has been satisfactory, we can give you all the documents you
need if you are applying to renew your visa in order to continue to study with us. (Please note that you
will not be able to renew your SVV in the UK, you will have to go back to your country and
apply for another visa.)

Section F: The ‘single sponsor’ rule for General Student Visas

This is a very important part of the Points Based System.

To get a General Student Visa you must have what is called a sponsor – an organisation that is responsible
for you. If you study with us, we are your sponsor. You can only have one sponsor – the organisation who
assigned the CAS which you used to obtain the visa. If you want to do an English course with us and then
go to another school, or to a university, you will have to get a new visa when you transfer to the next
course. In the same way, if you want to study somewhere else and then come to us, you will need to get a
new visa.

This only applies to General Student Visas and not to Student Visitor Visas.

Section G: The timeframe for visa application

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Please be aware that the likely time frame for processing a visa application can be lengthy and it is
therefore advisable that you consider this at the time of your booking. You can use the following link on
the UKBA website to search the estimated processing time in the country relevant to you:
http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/processingtimes

Visa information courtesy of The London School of English

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