Visas
This page provides visa guidance for students wishing to learn English in the United Kingdom. Please note this information is for guidance only and is subject to regular change. For up-to-date information, please refer to the UK Visas and Immigration website.
Do I need a visa?
Everyone is allowed to study in the UK for up to six months as a visitor. This means many students can study without a visa and some nationalities need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa.
For courses longer than six months, all international students need to apply for a visa before travel.
Study in the UK for up to six months
International students can study in the UK for six months or less as visitors. Students do not need a visa if they are from an EU or EEA country, or any other country on the ‘non visa national’ list below.
All students will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) if they do not need a visa. This will be electronically linked to your passport. An ETA costs 10 GBP and allows multiple visits to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years.
Other students need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before travel.
Non-visa national list
| Any EEA country Argentina Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bahamas Barbados Belize Botswana Brazil Brunei Canada Chile Costa Rica Dominica East Timor El Salvador Grenada Guatemala | Honduras Hong Kong Israel Japan Kiribati Macau Malaysia Maldives Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Monaco Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nicaragua Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay | Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Seychelles Singapore Solomon Islands South Korea Taiwan Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu United States of America Uruguay Vanuatu Vatican City |
This list sometimes changes. You can check by using the UK government tool – enter the nationality and course length to find out if a visa is required.
Key facts: Standard Visitor visa
Visitors with a Standard Visitor visa are allowed to study in the UK flexibly during the validity of the visa, which is usually six months.
- Students can study at any UK institution with a government-approved accreditation. All British Council accredited language centres are suitable
- Students can change course or change provider
- No minimum level of English required
- Students cannot work with this visa, but they can volunteer
- The application cost is 115 GBP
What if I already have a visa?
Some other UK visas allow study, so if you already hold a valid UK visa but are unsure whether you can study on it, please contact us so we can check.
