How to Get a UK Student Visa in 2022 – First stop, congratulations! Getting admitted into any university at all in the United Kingdom requires a lot of hard work. So yes, you deserve to be congratulated. But before you actually pack your bags, you have to be sure that you actually have the proper paperwork ready. The amount of information may actually be overwhelming at first, but then with a little organization, you will be able to go through the whole process in no time.
This article is actually meant to offer you some kind of guide that will make your UK visa application process seamless and less daunting as possible.
Apply to a UK university and get your Acceptance Letter
The universities in the UK only accept the very best candidates so getting admitted are actually a big deal, it is truly a great accomplishment. Your life is about to change drastically, not just in terms of your higher education, but your entire future.
Studying in the UK will greatly impact your career, and future, with that being said, it is only normal for us to add that you have to figure out a way to get the most from this as much as you can.
If you will like to apply into one of the universities in the UK and you are probably unsure on which university to apply to, here are lists of universities that you can actually consider:
- Imperial College London
- King’s College London
- Coventry University
- Durham University
- Hult International Business School
Find out if you need a visa to study in the UK
There has been a lot of confusion that has been created by Brexit, most especially among international students that actually want to study or those that are already studying a degree in the UK. But we will try our best to clarify the changes and who actually needs a visa to study in the United Kingdom:
Eu/EEA and Swiss students
- If you actually arrive in the UK before the 31st December 2022, you don’t actually need a visa
- If you arrived in the UK on or after 1st of Jan, you might actually need a visa
- If you had started studying before 31st of December 2020 and you desire to continue studying after the 1st of January 2021, you will actually need to apply for a settlement scheme before the 30th of June 2021
- Citizens that are from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, however, they can always check what visa regulations actually apply to them.
Non-EU/EEA Students
Depending on how long these set of students want to study, they will need to apply either for a short-term study visa or a general student visa (which is generally called Tier 4 student Visa).
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The fastest and easiest way to find out if you actually need a student visa in the UK is to actually use the online tool that is on the UK Government website. All the information will be stated there.
Find out what type of Visa you Need to actually Study in the UK
There are actually 2 kinds of visas for which you might actually need to apply for to become a UK student, and they include:
- Short Term Study Visa (which is usually available for 6 through to 11 months)-for students that has plans to study a short language course or take up a short period of research as part of a degree program.
- Tier 4 (General) Student Visa: This is actually meant for students that have actually enrolled in an academic degree (Bsc, Msc, or Ph.D.). This Tier 4 student’s visa doesn’t have any fixed period of availability; the length of your actual studies is usually determined by the length of the visa.
When and Where to apply for a student visa in the UK?
There are two options for getting your student visa in the UK. You can apply at the UK embassy that is in your country or you can as well do it online on the official UK Government website.
Depending on your nationality, you might need to have your fingerprint and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit as part of your application).
Tips about the UK students visa applications
- To view the latest up-to-date information about the UK student visa, you can as well visit the official site of the UK Government.
- Try not to postpone your visa application until the very last moment. It usually takes about 3 weeks to receive the Tier 4 student Visa. But of course, depending on the place from which you are applying, we will admonish you to begin your process at least 3 months in advance.
- Be sure that you have your certificate of acceptance for studies before you actually apply for the student visa.
- Be sure that you actually have all the required information before you start the whole application process.
- Make sure that the institution that you are applying for is actually a licensed one.
- Universities usually have a trained visa advisor that are able to answer all your questions about the Tier 4 student visa and also help in guiding you through the whole application process.
Conditions Required to Receive a Tier 4 Student Visa
- You must be over 16 years old
- You must speak, read and also understand English Language
- You must have sufficient money that will help in supporting yourself during your studies (tuition, living expenses, medical insurance, etc)
- You must have an unconditional offer of study from a licensed university in the UK
Documents Required for a UK Student visa
- Completed visa application form
- Valid passport and travel documentation
- One passport sized photograph
- A proof that you can actually support yourself
- Parental consents, if you are under 18 years old
- Tuberculosis test results (for citizens of some countries)
- Immigration health surcharge
- Self-assessment form appendix 8 with some attached documents (this wont be required if you are applying online).