How to Obtain a British student visa

 Studying abroad in the UK will be one of the best experiences of your life. It is important to make sure you apply for a British student visa so that you can enjoy your studies and experiences without worrying about illegal student status.

If you are not a member of the EEA and wish to study abroad in the UK you must apply for a British student visa, also called the new Points Based System Tier 4 (General Student) visa in effect as of March 31, 2009. Follow these tips on obtaining a British student visa and get your ticket to study in the UK in no time!

Apply for the correct British student visa.

• Child students are between 4 and 17 years old.  If you are 15 years or younger you must be attending an independent fee-paying school.

• If you are attending a course of study for 6 months or less then you may come as a child visitor.

• Adult students are those studying in the UK for post-16 education.

• Student visitors are foreigners at least 18 years old who study for 6 months or less and do not plan to work while in the UK.  You may not apply for an adult visa once you are in the UK.

• Prospective students may go to the UK to explore which program to attend or attend a program for 6 months or less.  You may later choose to apply for an adult student visa while in the UK.

Apply for and be accepted into a UK program of study. All applicants will need to have been accepted by an UK institution that has registered with the UK Border Agency as a licensed sponsor. Make sure your institution is approved by the UK government on the Tier 4 Sponsor Register before you apply.   

Submit a copy of your Visa Letter with you application. A Visa Letter is a piece of paper given to you by your UK sponsoring educational institution. This either make your application valid or invalid, so make sure to make copies and keep it in a safe place.

Submit the correct forms. You first submit a student visa application.  Submit the required information to a visa application center. There are various places to submit your application for a British student visa, including any UK consulate or embassy near you.

• Complete a student visa application. You will need to complete the Application form VAF9 - PBS Migrant. You can normally complete the application via the internet. The application form can be completed online or in paper form, however the points scoring appendix must be completed on paper.

• Complete Appendix 8. You must complete this PDF form in paper and mail it in manually.

• Obtain a valid passport.

• Pay the necessary nonrefundable fees.

• Submit a recent passport sized photograph.

• Biometric details or fingerprints. You will be asked to provide this information in person. 

• Students age 16 or 17 living independently must submit evidence of sufficient funds. This could be any number of things; the most common example is a simple bank statement.

If you are from the EEA, which is the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, you do not need a British student visa in order to study in the UK. You do need to be able to prove that you are approved for a course of study, provide evidence that you have sufficient funds to pay for your stay and bring along a valid passport before you are allowed to enter the UK as a student.