Every year many students from all over the world choose United Kingdom as their destination for higher education. Many international students successfully gain a visa to study in the United Kingdom. The UK government welcomes international students, and there is no limit on the number of student visas that can be issued.

Is Visa required for international students:

This depends on ones nationality and immigration status. Find out if you need a visa to study in the UK at: www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

One should apply well before one intend to start his studies in UK. A student can apply for a visa up to three months before the start of their course.

A Student is generally asked to:

produce documents showing their finances and qualifications
attend an interview or enrol his biometric information
take an English Language Test such as IELTS

While there are no vaccination requirements for a visa, some institutions will require students to have certain vaccinations or – if you are coming from a tuberculosis high-risk area – a chest x-ray. Check with your institution, for example your university or college, to see what their requirements are.

The following two visas are suitable for students who want to do a short course or an English language course for up to 11 months:

• Short-term student visa: You can apply if you are aged 18 or over, and you want to study in the UK for up to six months. If you want to join an English language course, you can apply for an extended visa to stay for up to 11 months.
• Short-term student (Child) visa: You can apply if you are aged 17 or younger, and you want to study in the UK for up to six months.

The following two visas allow you to do a longer course in the UK:

• Tier 4 (Child) student visa: You can apply if you are between 4 and 17 years old. If you are between 4 and 15 years old, you must be coming to the UK to be educated at an independent, fee-paying school.
• Tier 4 (General) student visa: You can apply if you want to study in the UK and you are aged 16 or over, and meet certain eligibility requirements

English language tests:

Some students applying for a Tier 4 (General) visa may need to take an English Language test as part of their application. Please note that UK Government guidelines and regulations on secure English language test (SELT) providers are subject to change. Depending on where you are from and the type of course you are doing, these changes may have an effect on the test you can take to meet visa requirements. It may also have an effect on any English language requirements set by your university or college.

If you are applying for a visa to come to the UK for more than six months you will need to pay an additional NHS health surcharge per year. This includes students applying from within the UK or from outside the UK.

For further details, including how this may affect any family members travelling with you, please see the UKCISA website.

Check the Gov.uk website for full official information.

Many international students in the UK take a part-time job, work placement or internship alongside their studies. The hours and type of work you can carry out will depend on the type of visa and your sponsoring intitution. Please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website for further information.

You may need to make a Tier 4 application while you are in the UK. For example, you may need to apply because

• you need more time to complete your studies with your current Tier 4 sponsor
• you are switching to a new Tier 4 sponsor
• you are extending your stay in the UK to work as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer or as a Doctor or Dentist in training, or for the Doctorate Extension Scheme, all of which are done with Tier 4 leave

Check here on UKCISA for guidance on renewing your Tier 4 visa.

There are many options available to international students who want to stay and work in the UK after completing their studies. Find out more about UK work visas for graduates.