If you are coming to study a course which is no more than 6 months long (or 11 months if you are only coming to study an English Language course) you may apply for a Student Visitor visa.
We do not advise you to apply for a Student Visitor Visa unless you are certain that you will not want to work while you are here and you will only be here for a maximum of 6 months (11 months for students studying English Language only). It is not possible to extend these visas or switch from a Student Visitor to a Tier 4 visa.
Exam re-sits
If you need to come back to the UK just to re-sit exams, you will need to apply for a student visitor visa. If you then need to apply for more time in the UK to continue your course after passing your exams, you will need to leave the UK and apply for a Tier 4 (General) visa.
Applying for a student visitor visa
If you are a non-visa national, you may apply for entry clearance as a Student Visitor in any country outside the UK or you may apply for leave to enter when you arrive in the UK. This only applies if your course is for no more than 6 months - if you are coming to study English Language and you wish to apply for an extended Student Visitor visa for up to 11 months, you must apply for entry clearance before you travel to the UK.
If you decide to apply when you arrive in the UK, you must make sure that you have documents in your hand luggage proving that you are starting a course at the University of Kent which is no longer than 6 months. You will need a letter with the university's Tier 4 sponsor licence number on it, as well as details of your course, including the strart and end dates and the tuition fees. You must also be able to show that you have enough money to live on while you are in the UK (e.g bank statements). You will need to show these to the Border Force Officer when you arrive in the UK. Even if you apply for your visa in advance, you should carry these documents in your hand luggage in case you are asked to show them on arrival.
If you have ever had problems with a UK visa before, the UKBA advise you to apply for your visa before you travel, as there is an increased risk that you will be refused entry to the UK.
How do I know if I am a non-visa national?
Read the UKBA information for non-visa nationals.
Use the UKBA visa checker
More information on Student Visitor visas
UKBA information on Student Visitor visas
