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Overview

You can apply for a Short-term study visa to study English language in the UK.

This visa is for English language courses lasting longer than 6 months and up to 11 months.

If your course is different to this, check which visa you need.

If you or your family are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein

If you or your family member started living in the UK by 31 December 2020, you may be able to apply to the free EU Settlement Scheme.

The deadline to apply was 30 June 2021 for most people. You can still apply if either:

you have a later deadline – for example, you’re joining a family member in the UK who was living in the UK by 31 December 2020
you have ‘reasonable grounds’ for being unable to apply by 30 June 2021 – for example, you had an illness or were the victim of domestic abuse

Check if you can still apply to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Otherwise you need a visa to work in the UK.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.

How long you can stay

You can stay in the UK for the length of your course plus an extra 30 days as long as your stay is no longer than 11 months.

Fees and costs

It costs £200 for a Short-term study visa.

Healthcare surcharge

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your online application. It usually costs £470.

This is so you can use the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.

Check how much you’ll need to pay before you apply.

What you cannot do

You cannot:

study on any other course or change your course while in the UK
study at a state-funded school
work or carry out any business (this includes paid or unpaid work, work experience or work placements)
extend this visa
bring family members (‘dependants’) with you on this visa
apply for most benefits (public funds) or the State Pension

Who can apply

You must be 16 or older to apply.

You must prove that:

you’ve been accepted onto an English language course that lasts 11 months or less and includes no other subjects
your course is with an accredited institution
you have enough money to support yourself without working or help from public funds, or that relatives and friends can support and house you
you can pay for your return or onward journey

If you’re under 18 you must also:

have made arrangements for your travel and stay in the UK
have the consent of your parent or guardian to study in the UK

Apply for a Short-term study visa: step by step

Step1:Check if you need a visa,ShowThis Section
Step2:Prepare the evidence you need,ShowThis Section
Step3:Apply,ShowThis Section
Step4:Attend an appointment,ShowThis Section
Step5:Travel to the UK,ShowThis Section
Step6:After you arrive in the UK

Your course

Your English language course must be with an ‘accredited institution’.

This can be either:

an accredited UK institution
an eligible overseas provider, if you’re studying in the UK as part of an overseas course

Accredited UK institutions

An accredited institution must either have a student sponsor licence or have a valid accreditation and be listed by one of the following:

Eligible overseas providers

You can also apply for a Short-term study visa if you’re studying at an overseas higher education institution and part of your English language course is in the UK.

Your institution must:

hold its own national accreditation
offer no more than half of its educational programme in the UK
offer programmes that are equivalent to a UK degree

Documents you’ll need

When you apply you must provide:

a current passport (with a blank page for your visa) or other valid travel document
evidence that you can support yourself during your trip, for example bank statements or payslips for the last 6 months
details of where you intend to stay and your travel plans – you should not pay for accommodation or travel until you get your visa
evidence that you’ve paid your course fees or have enough money to pay them

You also need to provide:

your tuberculosis (TB) test results, if you’re from a country where you have to take the TB test
contact details for at least one parent or guardian in your home country, if you’re under 18 years old
a certified translation if any documents are not in English or Welsh

Documents about your course

You must provide written proof of the course you’re studying. For example, a letter of acceptance from the educational institution stating the course’s name, duration and cost (including accommodation).

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances, such as evidence of your:

permission to be in the country you’re applying from (if you’re not a national)
financial sponsor’s occupation, income, savings or funds that will support your studies

If you’re under 18

If you’re under 18 you need to provide additional documents if:

you’re travelling on your own
you’re travelling with someone who is not your parent or guardian

Travelling on your own

You can travel to the UK without an adult (someone 18 or older).

You must have written consent from both parents (or one parent if they have sole responsibility) or your legal guardian. This must confirm they consent to:

your visa application
your living arrangements and care in the UK
your travel to the UK

They also need to provide proof that you have somewhere suitable to live during your stay in the UK, including:

the name and date of birth of the person that you will be staying with
an address where you will be living
details of your relationship to the person who’ll be looking after you
consent in writing so they can look after you during your stay in the UK

Your parent, guardian or school must tell the relevant local authority about your visit if either of the following are true:

you’re under 18 and have a disability
you’re going to be looked after for more than 28 days by someone who is not a close relative (called ‘private foster care’)

You should provide a reply from the local authority if you have one.

Travelling with an adult

If you travel to the UK with an adult (someone 18 or older), you need to identify them in your visa application.

Their name will appear on your visa, and you’ll be refused entry to the UK if you arrive in the UK without them.

You can identify up to 2 adults in your visa application, and your visa will only be valid if you travel with at least one of them.

The adult can apply for a visa at the same time, but you must each complete separate applications.

Apply

You must apply online before you come to the UK. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel to the UK.

As part of your online application, you’ll need to book an appointment at a visa application centre to provide your documents and prove your identity.

Allow time to attend your appointment.

The visa application centre may keep your passport and documents while processing your application.

How long it takes to get a decision

Once you’ve applied online, proved your identity and provided your documents, you’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

It’s currently taking 4 weeks on average to get a decision on Short-term study visas. Find out visa decision waiting times.

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision. Check if your visa application centre offers faster decisions and other services.

Apply online

You must apply online.

Before you start, check what documents you’ll need to apply.

Once you’ve started your application you can save your form and complete it later.

APPLY NOW

Continue your application

You can sign back into your application if you’ve saved it. Check your email and follow the link to return to your application.

After you apply

You’ll get a letter containing the result of your application. This will explain what you need to do next.

Find out what happens after you get your decision.

You can ask to cancel your application. You’ll only get your fee refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

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