New Student Visa Rules for the UK

May 9th, 2007 by IEFA

Effective September 1, new student visa rules will be in effect in the UK. Under the old rules, most students did not need a visa and if you were studying for more than 6 months, you needed to get entry clearance. Under the new rules, there are two categories of student visa. Although students can enter the UK prior to September 1 under the old rules, if they leave and re-enter the UK after September 1, then the new rules will apply.

Here’s a brief overview of the new rules for the Student Visitor Visa (less than 6 months) and the Student Visa/Prior Entry Clearance (greater than 6 months).

The Student Visitor Visa is for those that plan a stay of less than 6 months. Under the Student Visitor Visa, a student cannot have paid employment or an internship greater than 2 credit hours, and cannot extend their stay once they have arrived. For everyone else — if you plan to stay more than 6 months, if you may extend beyond 6 months, or if you want to work or have an internship greater than 2 credit hours — then you need to apply for a Student Visa/Prior Entry Clearance.

Although official UK sites have not been updated yet to reflect the new rules and processes, a summary of the new rules can be found on the NAFSA site. We will watch for further information and post an update when a good official resource on the new rules is posted.

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One Comment

  1. memory foam says:

    No MXM, This new rule for student visitor visa applies to all the international students coming to UK.

    Please someone refer to me the official sources for the new visa rules. Thanks.

    -Vincent

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