Today – 22nd Feb – sees the final stage in a long process where the UKBA (UK Borders Agency) have been reviewing the processes and the kinds of visas students need if they want to come to the UK and study. The system has been discussed for a while now but last year – on 1 April the first part of the change was made and students coming to the UK were considered under the Points Based System. Up to then anyone could start a school or college and issue letters which students around the world used to apply for visas. There was really little control over the huge variety of different operators so in general (albeit with a little trepidation) the high quality schools and colleges welcomed the new changes.

As of today there have been some further significant changes – if you want to come and study in the UK then follow these steps!

1. Do you come for  a country in the EEA (Europe)? If you do then there are no limits on your visas – you can come and study any length of course and you can work as well. You might find the UIC Workskills course to be beneficial in improving your range of skills.

2. Apart form this there are basically 2 kinds of visas – General Student Visas and Student Visitor Visas. 

3. General Student Visas are for courses longer than 6 months, they give students the right to work part time, and to extend their courses – (although switching to another school or college is not quite so easy). You can also do courses with a work placement. If you want to apply for a General Student Visa then you have to apply to a school which is on the Official UKBA Register of Sponsors. UIC is on this list. You will get a confirmation and a special number (A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies – CAS) and then together with the financial information showing you have enough money to support yourself you apply for a visa.

4. If you want a General Student Visa then you have to be at level B1 on the Common European Framework – more or less intermediate level.

If you are coming for less than 6 months but still want the rights you get with a General Student Visa then you can still apply for one.

4. Student Visitor Visas are for courses under 6 months and are not part of the Points Based System – so you have to apply for these in the old way – that is to go to your local consulate or visa office.

5.If you come from a visa national country ? then you have to have a visa before you arrive in the UK – if you do not then it is possible to ask for a Student Visitor Visa when you enter. It is always a good idea to have booked a course and then you can show the immigration officer the documents from the school and will get the right stamp in your passport.

6. If you only have a visitor visa then it is not possible for you to study – you are only in the UK as a tourist – so it is really important to get the right advice.

The system continues to develop – in some ways which we think are fine and in others which we find rather puzzling.  UIC has always been on the Register of Sponsors and of course continues to work to the highest standards – expecting attendance levels for example above the minimum set by the government. As the system develops more we’ll keep you informed and will do what we can to make the system fairer and easier to understand.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 7:31 pm and is filed under Business, Learning English, UIC London, work experience. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.