Short Term Study Visitor
Students coming to the UK for an English language course between 6 – 11 months long can apply for a Short Term Study visa. Applicants are required to apply for Entry Clearance from outside the UK and will need to meet the application requirements including:
- Evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, for example bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
- Details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans - you should not pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
- Evidence that you’ve paid your course fees or have enough money to pay them
- Your tuberculosis (TB) test results, if you’re from a country where you have to take the TB test
- ATAS certificate if applicable
- A letter from Northumbria University confirming your course details.
Students must be able to demonstrate their genuineness as an applicant to apply for a Short Term Study visa to then travel to the UK. If The Home Office/UKVI feel that you do not sufficiently show this within your application for leave to enter the UK, you visa application may be refused.
You can find details of the requirements for the Short Term Study visa here.
Applicants should not intend to settle in the UK, or use successive leave under Short Term Study to make the UK their home.
Successful applicants will receive a vignette transit visa, you must travel to the UK before the end date of the transit visa. You will also need to generate a share code when you receive your eVisa to provide the University with your immigration permission.
While in the UK on a Short Term study visa you cannot change course or institution, you must also leave the UK within 30 days of course end date. Failure to do so can impact your UK immigration record.
Applicants who will be studying a course of 6 months of less in length, at an accredited institution, may be able to apply for a visitor visa.
Only certain type of study can be undertaken while on a visitor visa, these include:
- Study
of a programme of 6 months or less in length
- Re-sitting
examinations
- Taking
part in a viva as part of your Postgraduate Research programme
- Study abroad programmes of less than 6 months in length
You will require a letter from Northumbria University which confirms the type of study you will be undertaking.
If you are studying a programme which requires ATAS you must apply for this before travelling to the UK, you should apply as soon as you are notified of your ATAS requirement.
Not all students are required to apply for entry clearance, some nationals can apply for this visa on entry to the UK. You should carefully read the information on UKCISA to assess whether you are required to apply for entry clearance before travelling to the UK.
If you are not required to apply for entry clearance, and use e-Gates when entering the UK you should keep your boarding pass as evidence of your route and date of entry to the UK. You will be required to show this as part of your enrolment.
You can no longer apply for an electronic visa waiver (EVW) to enter the UK.
An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon be a requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK. It will give you permission to travel to the UK, and it will be electronically linked to your passport.
You will need an ETA to come to the UK for up to 6 months as a visitor. An ETA provides an individual with permission to travel to the UK and must be obtained in advance of travel. As an ETA only provides permission to travel to the UK, eligible individuals with an ETA must also subsequently obtain permission to enter the UK on arrival.
In order to apply you can either use the UK ETA app or apply online on the gov.uk website. Applications are automated, electronically linked to your passport, and cost £16 per applicant.
The
following nationalities can apply for an ETA to travel to the UK
now:
- Andorra
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- The Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macao Special Administrative Region
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Oman
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Samoa
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Uruguay
- Vatican City
Applicants can also apply for an ETA now if they have a passport issued by Taiwan which includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan.
Other nationalities cannot get an ETA.
You can come to the UK on ETA to study a short-term course of 6 months or less, repeat a module with attendance which is shorter than 6 months or resit an exam. If you would like to study on the course which is longer than 6 months, you will need to apply for a Short-term Study visa (if you are studying on English language course) or Student visa (if you are studying on a full-time academic course towards an RQF Level 3 or above qualification, for example, IFP, Bachelor Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD ) prior to your arrival to the UK.
You can find further information on ETA in this video.
To find out more about an Electronic Travel Authorisation, please visit the gov.uk website.
