A visa is a certificate that is put into your passport or travel document by an Entry Clearance Officer at a British mission overseas. The visa gives you permission to enter the UK.

If you have a valid UK visa, we will not normally refuse you entry to the UK unless your circumstances have changed, or you gave false information or did not tell us important facts when you applied for your visa.

Please note that applicants will be automatically refused and may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if they use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information. They may also be banned if they have breached immigration laws in the UK.

When you arrive in the UK, an Immigration Officer may ask you questions, so take all relevant documents in your hand luggage.

You will need a visa if you:

• are not an EEA national
• are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
• hold a non-national travel document, or
• hold a passport issued by an authority that is not recognised in the UK.

If you do not intend to work or stay in the UK for more than six months, you might wish to consider entering as a student visitor. More information is available in our Visitors (INF2) guidance on our website or from your nearest visa application centre. You do not need an entry clearance as a student visitor if you are a non-visa national but, you will have to satisfy the Immigration Officer that you qualify for entry to study when you arrive in the UK. You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the Register of Education and Training Providers. They will then give you permission to stay in the UK for up to six months. If you have any doubts about whether you qualify for entry, you should apply for a visa before you travel to the UK.

You can apply in a number of ways, for example, by post, by courier, in person and online. Staff at the visa application centres will tell you about the ways in which you can apply.

Some visa sections will only accept applications made online. To find out if you can apply for your visa online please visit the visa4UK website.

If you cannot apply online you will need to fill in a visa application form (VAF9 A & B - Student). You can get a form free of charge from your nearest visa application centre or from the visa application forms page on our website.

You should apply for a student visa in the country of which you are a national or where you legally live.

In some countries, if you are applying for a visa to stay in the UK for more than six months, you may need to be tested for active tuberculosis before we will accept your application.

In some countries, we are working with commercial companies to run visa application centres (VACs). The VACs are in largely populated areas, making it easier and more convenient for people to apply for a UK visa. Trained staff at each VAC deal with all visa enquiries and applications. They collect your biometric information (see the relevant section of this leaflet) along with the relevant fees, and provide unbiased, face-to-face advice on the application process, including whether or not you have included all the necessary documents. Entry clearance staff at the British mission will then consider your application and decide whether to issue or refuse your visa. VAC staff have no say in this decision.

You will need to complete the Visa Application form (VAF9 A & B), pay the visa fee and provide:

• Current Passport
• Visa letter from a license sponsor (dated no more than 6 months before the visa application is made)
• Proof of maintenance funds
• Documents assessed by your sponsor when you were accepted onto the course and specified in the Visa letter.
• Your biometric details (finger scans and digital photograph, taken at the visa application centre)
• Recent passport –sized (45mmx35mm) colour photograph of your (this should be taken against light coloured background clear and good quality without sun glass hat or head covering)
• Original specified documents

Please ensure that you provide all supporting documentation with your application. If you do not provide all the mandatory information, your application will be refused. No further evidence can be accepted after a decision has been made on your application. If your documents are not in English, a certified translation must be provided.

All UK visa applicants, save for those benefiting from a limited number of exemptions and exceptions, are required to provide biometric data (10-digit fingerscans and a digital photograph) as part of the application process.

You will have to go to your nearest visa application centre in person to provide your biometrics. In those countries where there is no visa application centre, you will need to go to the British mission.

Your visa application will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information. The finger scans are electronic so staff do not need to use any ink, liquid or chemicals. You will have your digital photograph taken at the same time and the whole procedure should take no more than five minutes to complete. You should make sure that you do not have any decoration (such as henna), or any cuts or other markings on your fingertips before having your finger scans. You should also make sure that if you have any cuts and bruises on your face, they have healed or disappeared before you have your photograph taken. Digital photographs must be of your full face and you should not wear sunglasses, a hat or any other head covering (unless you wear it for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be covered).

You should include all the documents you can to show that you qualify for entry to the UK as a student. If you do not, we may refuse your application.
As a guide, you should include:

• any relevant diplomas or educational certificates that you have
• a letter from the university, college or school confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study and/or a period of research in the UK, and a statement of charges for the course and/or period of research (if appropriate)
• if you are following a certain type of postgraduate study, an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) Certificate
• evidence of government sponsorship (if appropriate)
• bank statements, payslips or other evidence to show that you can pay for your stay and your course of studies in the UK, and
• if you are being privately sponsored (for example, by a college in the UK) a letter from your sponsor giving details of how they will support you during your studies, and evidence that they can do so.

We will refuse your application if we find that any documents are forged. It is better to explain why you do not have a document than to submit a false document with an application. Your application will be automatically refused and you may be banned from coming to the UK for 10 years if you use a false document, lie or withhold relevant information. You may also be banned if you have breached immigration laws in the UK.

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) was introduced in November 2007. In common with other Governments around the world, the British Government is working hard to stop the spread of knowledge and skills that could be used in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. The ATAS is designed to ensure that people who are applying to study certain sensitive subjects in the UK do not have links to WMD programmes. If you intend to undertake postgraduate studies and/or research which lead to a Doctorate or Masters degree in certain designated subjects, you will have to get and Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before you apply for your visa. Full details about this scheme can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth

Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/ATAS.

The Entry Clearance Officer will try to make a decision using your application form and the supporting documents you have provided. If this is not possible, they will need to interview you.

• your personal details are correct
• it correctly states the purpose for which you want to come to the UK, and
• it is valid for the date on which you want to travel. (You can ask for it to be post-dated for up to three months if you do not plan to travel immediately).

The UK Border Agency aim to operate a fast and effective visa service. Last year, over 90% of straightforward, non-settlement applications were resolved within 24 hours. If an interview is required, The UK Border Agency aim to process non-settlement applications within 15 working days. If you are applying to settle in the UK, in most cases The UK Border Agency aim to process your application within 12 weeks.

Go to visa fees for an up-to-date list. Fees are payable at the visa office to which you will apply, usually in local currency. A fee is charged to pay for the cost of processing your application and for that reason it is not refundable. For up-to-date information on fees in the local currency, please contact the visa application centre or visa section where you intend to apply.

When an entry clearance officer cannot make a decision about whether you qualify for a visa immediately, you may be asked to attend an interview. We aim to do this within 15 working days. Always try to make your application well in advance of your intended travel date.

You should not experience any problems on arrival in the UK, providing that:

• you have given the entry clearance officer all information relevant to your visit to the UK
• you have not, with or without your knowledge, given false information to support your application, and
• there has been no change to your circumstances, or reasons for going to the UK, since the visa was issued.

If you have given false information to support your application you will be refused entry to the UK and may be automatically refused a visa for the following ten years for using deception on an application.

UK visas are normally valid for multiple entries to the UK, until the expiry date shown on the visa.

You must first apply for a replacement passport and then reapply to a visa application centre or visa section for another visa. You will need to provide a police report as evidence that your passport has been reported missing or stolen. You will have to pay the fee again and produce all supporting documents. If you are in the UK, you should also contact your country's Embassy for a new travel document and the UK Border Agency Public Enquiry Office for a new visa.

Under the Immigration Rules, if you want to travel to the UK you must be able to support yourself and live without claiming certain benefits. A full list of public funds is available on theUK Border Agency website.

If you enter the UK with a student visa or prospective student visa, or if you want to study on a course at degree level or higher, you can apply to the UK Border Agency. Their contact details are at end of this guidance. The UK Border Agency will charge you a non-refundable fee for any application to extend your stay in the UK.

If you enter the UK with a student visitor visa, you will not be allowed to extend your stay.

You can take part-time or holiday work, but you must not:

• work for more than 20 hours a week during term time unless your placement is part of your studies, has been agreed with your educational institution and leads to a degree or qualification awarded by a nationally recognised examining body
• do business, be self-employed or provide services as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or
• work full-time in a permanent job.

You may be able to switch if:

• you have completed a recognised degree course at either a UK publicly-funded institution of further or higher education or an approved private educational institution that has satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance
• you hold a valid work permit for employment
• you have been sponsored by a government or agency and you have their written permission to remain in the UK in a different category, and
• you have not broken immigration law.

Your husband, wife or civil partner and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can support them without needing any help from public funds.

Your dependants will need to make their application online or fill in the following visa application form:

Application Form - VAF3B

They will also need the following:

• Their passport or travel document.
• A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm),colour photograph of themselves. This should be:

• taken against a light coloured background
• clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
• printed on normal photographic paper, and
• full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless they wear this for cultural or religious reasons (but the face must not be covered).

• The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and they must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where they are applying.
• Evidence of their relationship to you.
• Evidence that you can support them without needing any help from public funds.
• Evidence of the course of study your are doing or are going to do in the UK.
• A copy of the relevant pages from your passport, showing your permission to stay if you are already in the UK.

Your husband, wife or civil partner will be allowed to work in the UK if The UK Border Agency give you permission to stay in the country for at least twelve months.

Nationals of certain countries are required to register with the police if they are entering the UK for more than six months. Your visa will state if this is necessary. You will be charged for the initial registration certificate.

You can travel to the UK as a prospective student for up to six months to arrange your studies. You will need to show that:

• you intend to enrol on a course of study within six months of arriving in the UK
• you can pay for your course, support yourself and your dependants, and live without
• working or needing any help from public funds, and
• you intend to leave the UK when you finish your studies or when your permission to stay ends if you do not qualify to stay in the UK as a student.

Note: you should not buy a ticket, or pay all or part of the cost of a study course if your visa application being delayed or refused would mean that you lost your money.

You should apply in good time for your entry clearance so that you are not delayed in getting into the UK. However, you cannot have your clearance post-dated by more than three months. It can get very busy in visa sections, especially over the summer when lots of students are applying.
Information about UK recognised degrees is available on the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills website. You can get more advice about studying in the UK from the following organisations: British Council The British Council provides information to help international students prepare for study in the UK.

Education UK
British Council
Phone: (+44) (0) 161 977 7755 (9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday)
Email: general.enquiries@britishcouncil.org
Website: www.britishcouncil.org

Under the Points Based System, it will be possible for you to ask for an administrative review. This is a Review of the original decision by an Entry Clearance Manager who was not involved in the original decision. You cannot submit any new information with an administrative review. It is therefore very important that you thoroughly prepare your visa application form and provide all necessary documents when you first apply.

Each visa application for the UK is dealt with on its own merits, but an entry clearance officer may wish to know why another country refused you a visa.