Study as a Visitor (Up to 30 Days)
Study a short course at an accredited institution while you visit the UK, including an English language course.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa
Maximum stay per visit
6 months
Your course must fit inside it
Visa validity
2, 5 or 10 years
Long-term visitor visa option
Decision time
Usually 3 weeks
Standard service, from outside the UK
Paid work allowed
No
Visitors cannot work in the UK
Can I study in the UK as a Standard Visitor?
Yes. You can study a course of up to six months at an accredited institution, including an English language course. This is different from a short recreational course of up to 30 days, and from a longer course under the Student route.
Who this is for
This is for someone who has been accepted onto a course — including an English language course — provided by an accredited institution, for no longer than six months, unless it's a distance learning course studied mostly from outside the UK. The decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant is a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of their visit and has enough money to support themselves without working or claiming public funds.
What counts as an accredited institution
An accredited institution cannot be a state-funded school or academy. It can be, among other categories, an institution that is a licensed student sponsor, one that holds a specified accreditation or a satisfactory inspection, review or audit, or an overseas higher education institution that offers only part of its programmes in the UK. A related, shorter-term activity — an unpaid elective or a short period of research linked to a degree-level course studied overseas — can also be undertaken this way, alongside the main course of study.
Requirements
- Genuine visitorYou must satisfy the decision maker that you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit and are genuinely visiting to study, not to settle long-term.
- Accredited institutionYour course must be provided by an institution that meets the published accredited-institution requirement, and cannot be a state-funded school or academy.
- Course lengthThe course must last no longer than six months, unless it's a distance learning course you're mostly studying from outside the UK.
- English language courses includedAn English language course counts as study for this purpose, but it must still be taken at an accredited institution, even if it will last less than 30 days.
- Electives and short researchAn unpaid elective, or a short period of research, linked to a degree-level course you're studying overseas can also be undertaken this way, for up to six months.
- Funds without workingYou must have enough money to cover your visit without working or accessing public funds.
- General suitabilityThe application must not fall for refusal under the general suitability rules that apply across UK immigration routes.
Documents typically needed
- Passport or travel documentValid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
- Evidence of your courseConfirmation of your acceptance onto the course, including who's providing it and its dates. This could be a letter from the institution.
- Evidence of your fundsShowing you can support yourself during the visit.
- Evidence of your return or onward travelShowing you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit.
- Certified translationsFor any document that is not in English or Welsh.
How to apply
Check the institution is accredited
Confirm you've been accepted onto a course provided by an institution that meets the accredited-institution requirement, and that it isn't a state-funded school or academy.
Check the course fits within six months
Make sure the course lasts no more than six months, unless you're doing a distance learning course studied mostly from outside the UK.
Check if you need a visa or an ETA
Depending on your nationality, you may need a Standard Visitor visa, an electronic travel authorisation, or neither.
Apply online
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online if you need one, and provide evidence of your course alongside your other supporting documents.
Prove your identity and wait for a decision
Confirm your identity using an identity-checking app or at a visa application centre, then wait for the decision within the published timescale.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)
- £135
- Extend your stay (up to a total of 6 months)
- £1,172
Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. Source: GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa
Processing times
- Apply from outside the UK
- Usually within 3 weeks
- Extend your stay from inside the UK
- Usually within 8 weeks
Standard service times published by the Home Office; a faster decision may be available for an extra fee.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Study a course of up to six months at an accredited institution, including an English language course
- Undertake a short period of research, or an unpaid elective, linked to a degree-level course you're studying overseas, for up to six months
- Sit an entrance exam, resit an exam or module, or take a PhD oral (viva) as part of your course
Not permitted
- Study a course of more than six months, other than a distance learning course
- Study at an institution that doesn't meet the accredited-institution requirement, or at a state-funded school or academy
If the application is refused
A refusal decision explains why the published requirements were not met. Most Standard Visitor refusals do not carry a right of appeal, although a right of appeal on human rights grounds can apply in some cases, and the refusal notice sets out what, if anything, follows.
Common questions
Can I study English as a Standard Visitor?
What counts as an accredited institution?
How is this different from the 30-day recreational course?
When do I need the Student route instead?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Recreational Visit
Take a short course purely for leisure while you visit the UK, such as pottery or riding, for up to 30 days of your stay.
Read the guide →Student Visa
Study in the UK from age 16 with a licensed student sponsor. You need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies to apply.
Read the guide →Tourist Visit
Travel to the UK as a Standard Visitor for a holiday, sightseeing, or to see family and friends, for up to 6 months at a time.
Read the guide →