Visas to Study
International students joining Ashbourne will need to apply for a visa to study in the UK.
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International students joining Ashbourne will need to apply for a visa to study in the UK.
International students will need to apply for a Child Student or Student visa to study in the UK. This includes students who are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and are coming to the UK.
If you are 16 or 17 and you want to study at an independent school in the UK, you can apply for a Child Student visa. If you are 18 or over, you will need to apply for a Student visa.
Students applying from outside the UK can apply for this visa up to six months before the start of the course. It costs £348 to apply for a Child Student or Student visa.
Students applying from inside the UK can apply for this visa up to three months before the start of the course. It costs £475 to extend or switch to a Child Student or Student visa.
Ashbourne College will continue to sponsor students or child students, including Tier 4 visa holders, who are continuing with their studies at the college through online distance learning, whether they are in the UK or another country.
Ashbourne will issue students with a CAS (Certificate of Acceptance for Studies) once they have settled their school fees and the college has checked that all application documents meet UKVI requirements. The CAS is a unique reference number that the student must have in order to submit their application, which can be done online.
After submitting the application form online, students will need to pay for the mandatory Immigration Healthcare Surcharge and book an appointment at a VFS Global centre in their country of residence to submit their biometric details and application documents.
EEA and Swiss students will be eligible to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to apply rather than attending an appointment at a visa centre. Using the app, students will need to scan their passport with a biometric chip and upload a photo of themselves.
It usually takes three weeks (15 working days) to receive a decision. VFS Global centres in some countries offer a priority service where an application is processed in five working days at an additional cost.
If the application is successful, students will get a biometric residence permit that they collect after arriving in the UK. They will be issued a temporary visa vignette in their passport to allow them to travel to the UK and this will usually be valid for 30 days. EEA and Swiss nationals will receive a digital immigration status, which they can view and prove online.
Students should check and double check over their application very thoroughly. If the student’s application is incorrect or incomplete it will be rejected. The most common reasons for visa rejection are:
Students are required to abide by the conditions of their student visa. Their sponsor is legally required to inform UKVI if the student is not keeping to the conditions of their visa, which include:
Students should remember that their visa has been issued for the purpose of study so if they are not attending classes or if they are engaging in activities that prevent them from studying, their sponsor is obliged to report the student to UKVI and the visa will be withdrawn.
Visa applications can be frustrating and confusing, particularly if English is not the student’s first language. Students are strongly advised to consult Ashbourne’s visa team on +44 (0) 20 7937 3858 or [email protected] to discuss any queries that they may have. Equally, students may wish to contact education and visa agents or immigration lawyers in their home country before they apply.
For more detailed information, applicants can access the Student and Child Student visa guidance (pdf) published by the Home Office.