Child Student visa

If your child is between 4 years old and under 17 years old, you wish to send your child to come to study in the UK as a child student. Your child can apply for a child student visa to study in the UK.  This visa has replaced the Tier 4 (Child) student visa. If your child is 18 or over, they can apply for a Student visa instead. 

Requirement for a child student visa application

Your child must:

• study at an independent school in the UK.
• have an unconditional offer of a place on a course at an independent school who is a registered child student sponsor.  The child student sponsor will issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for your child to apply for a child student visa.
• have enough money to pay for tuition and living costs.
• have the consent from you parent or legal guardian to study in the UK.

Courses you can study

You can do a course at an independent school that’s taught in line with one of the following:

·     the national curriculum

·     the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) at level 3 or below

·     independent school education inspection standards

You can also do a course that’s accepted as being at the same academic level by:

·     Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)

·     Education Scotland

·     Estyn (in Wales)

·     Education and Training Inspectorate (in Northern Ireland)

You can do a short ‘pre-sessional’ course to prepare you for your main course.

You cannot do a foundation course that will prepare you for direct entry to a higher education institution.

Your CAS can cover both the pre-sessional course and your main course of study.

You must apply for your visa within 6 months of receiving your CAS.

Financial requirement

You must have enough money available to you to pay for your course and support you in the UK.

How much money you need depends on where you will live and who will be looking after you.

If you’ll live with your parent or guardian

Your parent must have a Parent of a Child Student visa to accompany you to the UK. If you’re over 12 your parent will not be eligible, unless you have a younger sibling who’s under 12 and also has a Child Student visa.

You must have enough money to pay for your course fees for one academic year (up to 9 months).

You’ll also need £1,560 per month (for up to 9 months) - this amount is for both you and your parent.

Your parent will need an extra £625 a month (for up to 9 months) for each additional child they accompany to the UK. The child must be your sibling and must also have a Child Student visa.

If you’re from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’

You do not need to prove you have enough money to support yourself if you’re a British national overseas or from one of the following countries or territories.

If you’re boarding at an independent school

You must have enough money to pay for your course fees and your boarding fees for one academic year (up to 9 months).

If you’ll live with a foster carer or close relative

You must have enough money to pay for your course fees for one academic year (up to 9 months).

Your foster carer or close relative must confirm they have at least £570 per month (for up to 9 months).

Your foster carer or close relative must be a British citizen or be settled (have ‘indefinite leave to remain’) in the UK. They cannot be your parent.

If you’re 16 or 17 and living independently

You must have enough money to pay for your course fees for one academic year (up to 9 months).

You’ll also need either:

·     £1,334 per month (for up to 9 months) if you’re studying in London

·     £1,023 per month (for up to 9 months) if you’re studying outside of London

London means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs.

You must prove you (or your parent) have the money for at least 28 consecutive days. The end date of the 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you apply for your visa.

When you do not need to prove you have money to support yourself

You do not need to prove you have money to support yourself if you’ve had a valid UK visa for at least 12 months immediately prior to the date of your Child Student visa application - you must currently be in the UK.

However, you might be asked to provide this evidence before you get a decision on your application.

If you do need to provide it, you’ll be contacted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) after you’ve submitted your application.

Documents required

When you apply for your Child Student visa you must provide:

·     a current passport or other valid travel documentation

·     a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider

·     written consent from your parent or legal guardian for your study in the UK

You may also need to provide:

·     

How to apply

You must apply online for a Child Student visa.

Apply outside the UK

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

have your fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre

use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document (you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration account)

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

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

How long it takes to get a decision

You’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

If you need to give your biometric information at a visa application centre, you may be able to pay to get a faster decision. Check if your visa application centre offers faster decisions and other services.

Apply inside the UK

You may be able to apply to:

·     extend your Child Student visa

·     switch to a Child Student visa from another type of visa

After you apply

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:

·     your supporting documents need to be verified

·     you need to attend an interview (if you’re 16 or 17)

·     of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it, contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

After you get a decision

If your application is successful, you’ll get either:

·     a biometric residence permit - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre

·     a digital immigration status which you can view and prove online - if you used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app

Questions

How long can I stay with this visa?
How long you can stay depends on your age on the date you apply and the length of your course.

If you are under 16 when you apply, you can stay for the course length (up to 6 years) plus 4 months afterwards.

If you are between 16 or 17 when you apply, you can stary for the course length (up to 3 years) plus 4 months afterwards.

When can I travel to the UK?
You can arrive in the UK up to 1 month before your course starts.

How much is the application fee?
It costs:

·     £490 to apply for a Child Student visa from outside the UK

·     £490 to extend or switch to a Child Student visa from inside the UK

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

When can I start to apply?
When you can apply depends on whether you’re applying from inside or outside the UK.

·     Applying from outside the UK

o  The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course.

o  You’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

·     Applying from inside the UK

o  The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts.

o  You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.

o  You’ll usually get a decision within 8 weeks.

Documents to apply for a child student visa

• a current passport or other valid travel documentation with at least one blank page.
• a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider
• written consent from your parent or legal guardian for your study in the UK
• proof that you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course.
• proof of your relationship to your parent or guardian (for example a birth certificate or other government issued document showing their names
• evidence of the qualifications you used to get a place on your course
• your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you are from the listed of countries require TB test.
• written consent for your application from your financial sponsor if you’ve received sponsorship for your course fees and living costs in the last 12 month
• You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances. Read the guidance for the full list of documents you’ll need to provide.

Parental consent

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

·     your visa application

·     your living arrangements and care in the UK

·     your travel to the UK