Short-term study
Short-term study visas allow students to come to the UK for a period of up to 6 months (or 11 months if studying an English Language course) in order to undertake a short course of study, or to complete certain academic requirements of their course (attend an exam for example) after their Tier 4 (General) Student visa has expired.
Please note that if you enter the UK as a short-term student you are not entitled to:
• Work (paid, unpaid, voluntary or as part of a work placement or internship)
• Extend your visa in the UK, or switch to a different visa category from within the UK
• Bring dependants
For more information about short-term study visas, please consult the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website:
https://www.gov.uk/study-visit-visa/overview
How do I apply for a short-term study Visa?
The process of obtaining a short-term study visa varies depending on your nationality. Some students (referred to as non-visa nationals) are able to enter the UK as short-term students without applying for Entry Clearance (a visa) before their arrival. Others (visa nationals) are required to apply for Entry Clearance as a short-term student before travelling to the UK.
To check if you need to get a visa before arriving in the UK, please visit this website: www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
Visa nationals
Citizens of some countries must apply for Entry Clearance (a visa) to come to the UK for any purpose and for any length of time. They are known as visa nationals.
If you are a visa national, you must make an application for Entry Clearance as a short-term student from your home country. This application must be approved and a visa issued as a sticker in your passport before you can travel to the UK.
To find out more about the visa application process in your country, including how to apply and the location of visa application centres, please visit this website: https://www.gov.uk/study-visit-visa/apply
The documents you will need to provide with your application include:
• Your current passport, plus any previous passports
• One passport-sized photograph
• The correct fee (£97 in local currency). For short-term study visas issued to study an English language course between 6-11 months, the fee is £186.
• An original letter from Nottingham Trent University confirming details of your course (length, cost, payments made) or, for students returning to complete specific academic requirements, the exact date(s) of your resit exams or final submission. You need to request this letter from your Subject Administrator.
• Bank statements covering a period of at least 6 months which prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your time in the UK (we recommend at least £800 per month that you intend to be in the country, in addition to any outstanding course fees).
• details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans – but you are advised not to pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
• your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months and you are from a country where you have to take the test: www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa
For a full list of the documents you need to support your application, please check the UKVI website : www.gov.uk/study-visit-visa/documents-you-must-provide
We highly recommend that in addition to submitting these supporting documents with your visa application you also carry them with you when you travel to the UK, so that you can present them if asked to do so by an Immigration Officer on arrival at the UK Border.
Non-visa nationals
Citizens of certain countries (non-visa nationals) are able to come to the UK as a short-term student without needing to apply for a visa beforehand. Instead, these citizens can be stamped in as a short-term student on arrival at the UK Border.
If you are a non-visa national travelling to the UK to complete a short period of study, you must make it clear to the Immigration Officer at the UK border that you are entering the UK for the purpose of short-term studies rather than as a tourist. You will not need to fill in an application form or pay the application fee, but you will be required to submit the same documents as above at the UK Border.
Please note that even though non-visa nationals are not required to apply for a short-term study visa before travelling to the UK, some choose to do so. Applying for a visa in advance can save time at the UK border, and is a particularly good idea for those who have previously been refused entry to the UK, breached the conditions of their UK visa or who have any unspent criminal convictions.
