Child Student Visas.

A Child Student Visa allows non-British children to study at an independent school in the UK. To be eligible, you must be between the ages of 4 to 17.

If you are from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you can apply for the free EU Settlement Scheme. You must have started living in the UK before 1st January 2021. If eligible, this means you would not need to get a Child Student Visa.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or EU Settlement Scheme to study in the UK.

To apply for a Child Student Visa, you must:

• Be between the ages of 4 to 17
• Have the consent of your parent or guardian to study in the UK
• Receive an unconditional offer on a course at the independent school
• Prove that you will have funds to support you when you are in the UK

If you are older or cannot get the approval from your parent or guardian, you must instead apply for a Student Visa (permitted you are 18 or over.)

To apply for a Child Student Visa, you must apply online.

When applying, you’ll need to provide the following documentation to the Home Office:

• A valid passport or another piece of travel documentation
• A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider
• Written consent from your parent or guardian to study in the UK

In some cases, you may need to provide other documents. Some examples include proof of your relationship with your parents or tuberculosis test results. Remember that the Home Office will need substantial proof that you are eligible for a Child Student Visa.

To apply for a Child Student Visa, you’ll have to pay one of two fees:

1. An application fee of £363 when applying from outside of the UK
2. A fee of £490 when extending or switching to a Child Student Visa when in the UK

On top of this, you’ll have to pay the healthcare surcharge. For a child under the age of 18, this is £470 per year.

The length of an application depends on if you are applying from within or outside of the UK.

Outside of the UK

When applying for a Child Student Visa outside of the UK, your application will take roughly 3 weeks to process. You can apply as early as 6 months before your course is due to start.

Inside the UK

When applying for a Child Student Visa inside of the UK, your application will take roughly 8 weeks to process. You can apply as early as 3 months before your course is due to start.

Remember that you must apply before your current visa expires. To compensate for this, the Home Office allow for your course to start up to 28 days after the expiry date.

The length of time you can spend in the UK depends on your age.

If you are under 16, you can stay for a course length of up to 6 years. You are also allowed 4 months after the course ends.

If you are between 16 to 17, you can stay for a course length of up to 3 years. You are also allowed 4 months after the course ends.

You are allowed to arrive in the UK up to 1 month before your course is due to start.

There are a number of reasons why your application may have been refused. This could be due to:

• The application form being incomplete or invalid
• Fee payments not made
• Your criminal or immigration history invalidated your application

If your application was refused, you may apply for an administrative review of the Home Office’s decision. You have up to 28 days to file this request if outside the UK or, alternatively, 14 days if within the UK. If this is refused, you can submit a judicial review to further this.

We highly recommend consulting an experienced immigration solicitor if your application is denied. We can help explore other options or assist in submitting forms to question why your appeal was refused. This can save you time and expenses in the long term, purely by letting our solicitors do the work for you.