Student Visa Processing Time in UK – The United Kingdom is one of the most popular countries for International students to pursue their education. Who wouldn’t love this sovereign state with beautiful landscapes, rich culture, top-notch education, advanced economy and whatnot?
Student Visa Processing Time in UK
It is alluring to get the Visa immediately, hop on to a plane right away and land in the UK, but only if it is that quick and easy. The visa process takes from three weeks to three months from application to approval, depending on various factors like
- Volume of application
- Type of application
- Time of the year
- Accuracy of your application
In this blog, we’ll discuss, in detail, the duration for processing a UK study Visa.
Who Needs a Study Visa to Go to the UK?
You’ll need a Study visa if you are a student looking to pursue your education in the UK. However, there are a few other requirements, along with the correct study visa type.
Yes. There are three categories of study visas for different purposes of your studies in the UK, with different conditions to be fulfilled for the stay and different processing times for each study visa category.
Now, Let us dive deeper…
What Are the Types of UK Study Visa?
Student visa
This study Visa is required if you are a student of age eighteen or above. You can apply for this Visa from outside the UK or inside the UK (in case you are already there on any other Visa)
If you are applying from outside the UK, the earliest you can apply for your visa is 6 months before your course begins. The Visa Process usually takes less than 3 weeks from the date you submit your application.
If you are applying from within the UK, the earliest you can apply for this visa is 3 months prior to the beginning of your course.
The decision is generally out within 8 weeks for this process because if you are applying from within the country, you are switching your visa.
However, note that the course should be set to begin at least 28 days before the expiry date of your current visa.
You can extend your student visa if you pursue a higher education after completing your current course, provided you fulfil such other requirements. The process is similar to applying for a study visa from within the UK.
If you plan to work in the UK after your graduation, you can switch your student visa to a graduate visa after the completion of your course, using which you can stay for an extended period of:
- 2 years if you are a Graduate.
- 3 years if you have a Doctoral qualification.
This process of switching to a graduate visa also takes less than 8 weeks from the date of your Visa application submission.
Child Student Visa
This visa will be required if you are a student of age 4 or above and under 16 who wants to study at an Independent school in the UK.
Similar to the Student Visa, you can apply for this Visa from inside or outside of the UK. The child student Visa processing time is usually 3 weeks if you apply from outside the country or 8 weeks if you apply from within the country from the date of submitting your application.
If you are less than 16 years of age, you can apply for a 6-year-long course and stay up to 4 months after completing your course.
However, if you are 16 or 17, you can apply for a 3-year-long course and stay up to 4 months after completing your course.
Once you have completed your opted course, you can either return to India or apply to switch to a student visa from your current child’s student visa if you wish to continue your higher studies in the UK.
This process time for switching from a child student visa to a student visa is similar to switching from a student visa to a graduate visa.
Short-term Study Visa
As the name suggests, this visa is for students who take up short-term courses. The catch is that this visa is granted only if you apply for English Language courses in the UK with a duration of 6-11 months at an independent school.
The student visa processing time in UK takes three to four weeks from applying. You can stay in the UK for a maximum period of thirty days after the completion of your course.
Can You Bring Anybody on a Dependent Visa While You Are in the UK on a Study Visa?
The answer to this depends on the type of study visa you have.
- If you are on a student visa, you can take your partner (married or unmarried) and your children (less than 18 years old) if you fulfil any one of the following requirements:
- You are a government-sponsored student of a course that extends for more than six months
- You are a full-time student postgraduate student of a course extending for more than nine months
- If your postgraduate level course begins on or after 1 January 2024, it must either be:
- a PhD or other doctorate
- a research-based higher degree
- You cannot bring your dependents if you are on a Child student Visa. However, your parents can accompany you by applying for a parent-of-a-child student Visa.
- If you are on a short-term study visa, you cannot bring any dependents or parents to the UK.
These details might seem all around the place when you first read it. To make it easy, first decide which student visa category suits you the best and start your Visa application process accordingly. You can find more details on the UK Visa and immigration website.
Student Visa
- Processing time: <3 weeks from outside the country / <8 weeks from within the country
- Stay duration: 5 years for a degree-level course / 2 years for below degree level course
- Switch possible: Yes
Child Student Visa
- Processing time: <3 weeks from outside the country / <8 weeks from within the country
- Stay duration: Age <16: Up to 6 years of course +4 months / Age 16 & 17: Up to 3 years of course +4 months.
- Switch possible: Yes
Short-term Study Visa
- Processing time: 3-4 weeks
- Stay duration: 6-11 months of course + 30 days
- Switch possible: No
Knowing when to start your Visa application process is one thing, but cracking your Visa interview is the last yet crucial step in successfully completing this Visa application process.
However, achieving your dream of studying abroad doesn’t have to be that cumbersome. We are here to provide you with end-to-end assistance throughout the process.
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