Students coming to the UK for an English language course between 6 – 11 months long can apply for a Short Term Study visa. Applicants are required to apply for Entry Clearance from outside the UK and will need to meet the application requirements including:
You can find details of the requirements for the Short Term Study visa here.
Applicants should not intend to settle in the UK, or use successive leave under Short Term Study to make the UK their home.
Successful applicants will receive a vignette transit visa, you must travel to the UK before the end date of the transit visa. You will then be able to collect your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) once you have arrived in the UK.
While in the UK on a Short Term study visa you cannot change course or institution, you must also leave the UK within 30 days of course end date. Failure to do so can impact your UK immigration record.
Applicants who will be studying a course of 6 months of less in length, at an accredited institution, may be able to apply for a visitor visa.
Only certain type of study can be undertaken while on a visitor visa, these include:
You will require a letter from Northumbria University which confirms the type of study you will be undertaking.
If you are studying a programme which requires ATAS you must apply for this before travelling to the UK, you should apply as soon as you are notified of your ATAS requirement.
Not all students are required to apply for entry clearance, some nationals can apply for this visa on entry to the UK. You should carefully read the information on UKCISA to assess whether you are required to apply for entry clearance before travelling to the UK.
If you are not required to apply for entry clearance, and use e-Gates when entering the UK you should keep your boarding pass as evidence of your route and date of entry to the UK. You will be required to show this as part of your enrolment.
An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon be a requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK. It will give you permission to travel to the UK, and it will be electronically linked to your passport.
You will need at ETA to come to the UK for up to 6 months as a visitor. An ETA provides an individual with permission to travel to the UK and must be obtained in advance of travel. As an ETA only provides permission to travel to the UK, eligible individuals with an ETA must also subsequently obtain permission to enter the UK on arrival.
In order to apply you can either use the UK ETA app or apply online on the gov.uk website. Applications are automated, electronically linked to your passport, and cost £10 per applicant.
The requirement to obtain an ETA initially only applied to Qatari nationals from 25 October 2023, who wished to travel to the UK on or after 15 November 2023. The requirement was then extended to nationals from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia from 1 February 2024, who wished to travel to the UK on or after 22 February 2024.
You can come to the UK on ETA to study a short-term course of 6 months or less, repeat a module with attendance which is shorter than 6 months or resit an exam. If you would like to study on the course which is longer than 6 months, you will need to apply for a Short-term Study visa (if you are studying on English language course) or Student visa (if you are studying on a full-time academic course towards an RQF Level 3 or above qualification, for example, IFP, Bachelor Degree, Master’s Degree, PhD ) prior to your arrival to the UK.
You can find further information on ETA in this video.
To find out more about an Electronic Travel Authorisation, please visit the gov.uk website.
You can no longer apply for an electronic visa waiver (EVW) to enter the UK.
If you are a national of any of the following counties, please see the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) drop-down section above.
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