Student visas for the UK can be further broken down in to two categories, one are for adult students while the other is for children who are under the age of 17. Both kinds of visa do require there to be a valid admission notice for the application to begin.

Child Visa (under 17)

Under the tier 4 child visa children under the age of 17 can apply to move to the UK for education.  This visa places the applicant under the point based application route.

In order to be eligible for this application the applicant must be aged between 4 and 17 and must intend to gain admission in a UK institution and study there for at least 6 months. For children who are aged between 16 and 17 they can apply for a tier 4 child student visa under the ‘child’ or ‘general’ categories.

When applying for a visa under this category it is also important to ensure that the institution which you are applying to is eligible, and that their admission notice can be used to win a student visa. Furthermore, the documents provided by the applicant must be accurate and up to date and if necessary sponsorship should also be arranged.

Adult Students

Adult students also need a valid admission notice in order to apply and when they apply for a tier 4 student visa. This is the visa route adopted by non-EEA nationals. Through the tier 4 visa students will be able to remain in the UK for the duration of their course and for a short time after. During the time after they complete their studies they will either have to apply for an extension, switch to a different visa category or leave the UK.

Steps and Eligibility

When applying for a student visa, out of a total of 40 points, 10 points are for funds while the other 30 points are for a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

The student must be of an appropriate age and should have a security clearance. There must be a clearly defined time period that they wish to spend in the UK. In the case of postgraduate doctors and dentists applying for foundation there are other specific requirements. Those candidates applying through government of international scholarships should provide documentation pertaining to those institutions. Lastly all candidates are required to have an interview with entry clearance officers.

Applicants are allowed to bring along a dependent as long as that they can prove that they will not be requiring public funds to manage their stay in the UK.

Applications must be made in a timely manner for extensions under all student visa categories if the person wishes to continue studying. In the case that they wish to start a job or business then they must apply to switch to the relevant visa category.

Fees

The UK student visa application costs GBP 348 and an addition of the same amount for any dependents also moving with the applicant.