Visa to the UK on your own to study and not only
If there is a desire to go to the UK as a tourist or already made a firm decision to get an education in England, then the registration of a British visa will be one of the technical tasks that require a positive solution. A study visa to the UK is issued on the basis of the length of stay in the country and the type of visa specifically depends on it.
If the main purpose of the visit is not to study, but to visit friends or study attractions, you can get a regular Standard Visitor visa and still be able to study in the UK for a total of 30 days.
Short-term study visa is a short-term student visa for up to 6 months. This type of visa is suitable for english language schools. Gives the right to study for six months on several programs. Visas are available for children under the age of 18 and adults.
Extended visitor visa – study visa to England for up to 11 months. Gives the right to study with the possibility of a longer stay in the country.
Tier 4 is a study visa to the UK, ensuring the student’s long-term stay in the country. This type of visa requires proof of language proficiency. It is designed for private schools or universities in the UK. It also entitles a student to employment. It is worth bearing in mind that the visa is tied to the chosen educational institution. If you change it, you will need to re-issue the document.
Tier 4 Child Visa – allows children from 4 to 17 years old to come to the UK for long-term education.
For a student visa, you must submit a document on enrollment in the educational institution.
It is very important to confirm the intention to return to the homeland after the end of the training period. This can be done by showing the presence of movable and real estate in the homeland, a letter from the employer, the fact of having a family.
An important condition is the stable financial situation of the student or his family, who sponsors the trip. It will be useful bank statements, certificates from the place of work, the presence of your own business.
Each document must be translated into English. Translations can be performed by both professional translators and independently if the level of language corresponds. Translations must include the translator’s name and contact details.
Scanned copies of each document are uploaded to the visa center’s website. If there are problems with downloading the electronic version, this service can be additionally obtained directly from the visa center.
List of student visitor visa documents:
1. Completed questionnaire (you don’t need to print it)
2. Confirmation of the date and time of the visit to the visa center. It is necessary to print and show at the entrance to the visa center
3. Photos taken at the visa center
4. Passport valid six months after the end of the trip. At least one blank page on both sides must remain in the passport
5. Passport common-civilian
6. Copies of foreign and civil passports (downloaded to the site)
7. Copies of previous English visas, if there were before
8. Original invitation from the school (scan copy is uploaded to the site)
9. If accommodation is booked separately from the training course, confirmation of hotel or apartment reservation
10. Documents proving financial viability (bank statements for 6 months and certificates of balances in the accounts). Help from the place of work with the position and salary, form 2-NDFL (if there is)
11. Copies of documents on the ownership of property in the Russian Federation (apartments, houses, cars – is not a prerequisite!)
For children under the age of 18, if they travel without parents it is necessary:
notarized consent to leave from both parents
sponsorship letter from parents (required even if the parent accompanies the child on the trip)
Full contact details of the host party
parental permission that the host party (personal guardian or educational institution) may be caring for the student while in the UK
If the student is not working:
certificates from the place of work of the sponsor of the trip and statements from the sponsor’s bank
documents proving kinship with the sponsor (birth certificate, marriage certificate)
sponsorship letter from the person paying for the trip
The visa application process usually looks like this:
1. Filling out the questionnaire is carried out on the official website of the UK visa service https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration, after which the online consular fee is paid
2. then on the site you can choose the time of the visit to the visa center
3. printout of the booking form of the visit to the visa center
4. Visit to the visa center and the delivery of biometric data, and simply put fingerprints on the scanning device (it is quick and simple)
5. The visa center takes 10-15 working days to process the application, followed by an email about the passport’s readiness to be issued. But, the success of the event can be found out only by getting the documents on hand
6. obtaining a passport with a visa at the visa center (must be carrying a Russian passport)
We recommend starting visa processing ahead of time, but the documents are accepted by the visa center no earlier than three months before the date of the proposed trip. If you are considering English courses in England or summer English camps, don’t forget that summer is the most active tourist season. Accordingly, the number of applications to visa centers is increasing. As a result, the period of consideration of documents increases, although not critically.
If a student is applying for a visa for a program lasting more than 6 months, the results of the TB test must be attached to the application.
When applying for a student visa for a period of 6 months, you must pay the ‘Immigration health surcharge’ (IHS) fee. It entitles the UK public health system. For students, IHS will cost 300 pounds a year.
You don’t have to pay for AN$10,000 visa for any length and student visa valid for up to 6 months. In this case, tourists are advised to purchase health insurance for the duration of the trip. Otherwise, patients will be billed for medical services when seeking medical care.
Obtaining a passport with a ready visa will be carried out on a Russian passport. You can order delivery by courier service. It’s safe and fast. Especially relevant for those who live far away.
There is a common misconception about the difficulty of obtaining a British visa. The fact is that the UK has never been part of the Schengen zone, which confused those who are used to freely travel in Europe using a single visa.
Yes, Britain has its own visa. In fact, there are no special requirements, no difficulties with filling out the questionnaire – the main thing without errors to make all your data. The questionnaire has been translated into Russian on the website.
The refusal rate is less than five, most of which are due to inattention in collecting documents and filling out the questionnaire. Even if a refusal is received, it is possible to challenge the decision, which often gives a positive result.
There is a myth about “clean passport.” Based on our many years of experience in the UK, no one has yet been prevented from having previously obtained visas from other countries. There is no such instruction in this regard and officials who decide to issue a visa – we personally asked those who work in the Home Office.
Another misconception is bias against Russian citizens. It doesn’t make any sense! Not a single case of even a minuscule problem has not been in 15 years of our relationship with the visa centers of Great Britain in Russia. And within the country with equality and friendliness absolutely to all nations things are going well.
Most often, we recommend to independently deal with the registration of the questionnaire, because without a visit to the visa center in any case can not do. And the documents will have to collect independently. Passport, certificates from work, bank statements – no one but you will be able to do it. However, Mercury Education has a service to complete the visa application and translate documents. For those who need to save time we will provide advice and technical support.
If you still have questions or need our help with a British visa, email us through a feedback form or call us.