Visa information for US nationals

Important travel and visa advice

You must enter the UK holding the correct student visa if you are:

  • a new student starting a course which is longer than six months, and
  • not eligible to apply for a suitable visa within the UK.

We will check your ‘right to study’ at registration. If you do not have this, you will be asked to leave the UK and return only once your visa has been granted. Please ensure you have this as it can be costly and may cause you to miss the start of your course.

A student visa granted while you are present as a visitor will not meet right to study requirements until you re-enter the UK.

Visitor status will not allow you to:

  • join a course exceeding six months
  • apply for a student visa in the UK.

Follow these steps to apply for student visa

  1. Step 1

    Further information on documents, eligibility and supporting evidence you will need to provide.

    Visa documentation

    Any concerns regarding your application, please contact an immigration adviser.

  2. Step 2

    You must have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to apply for a student visa.

  3. Step 3

    You will have to create an account with UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) and complete an online application through GOV.UK.

  4. Step 4

    At the end of the application you must pay a fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).

  5. Step 5

    Once you've completed your online application you will be prompted to book a biometric enrolment appointment.

    The way that applicants in the US submit their biometric data is changing.

    If booking your appointment on or before 15 July 2025, you will be offered a choice of Application Support Centres (ASC), which are run by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. The last appointment offered by the ASC will be on 1 August 2025.

    If attending an ASC, you will be required to upload your documents online ahead of your biometrics appointment. If you do not upload them online, you'll need to purchase document scanning assistance and send the receipt for this, together with your passport and supporting documents to VFS Services in New York after attending your biometrics appointment.

    You must send your passport, application form and supporting documents within five days of attending an ASC to VFS in New York:
    VFS Services USA Inc. UKVI Scanning Hub, 128 East 32nd St, Floor 4, New York, NY, 10016

    Alternatively, you may also choose a Premium Application Centre (PAC) or Temporary Service Point Enrolment location. These are run by the private contractor VFS Global and an additional fee will be charged.

    If booking your appointment after 15 July 2025, you must choose a visa application centre operated by VFS Global. There are ten free-to-use visa application centres and 28 user-pay centres to choose from.

    Find a UK Visa application centre

    Applicants outside the USA will be offered locations run by private contractors in their country of application.

  6. Step 6

    Your visa will be issued electronically as an eVisa. Your decision email or letter will tell you how to get access to your eVisa.

    Currently we still expect your passport to be endorsed with a sticker (vignette). The vignette will show a start and end date giving you a 90-day window during which you should arrive in the UK.

    It is expected that vignettes will be decommissioned for student visas some time in 2025. After that time, you will be able to submit and collect your passport at the visa application centre on the same day as your appointment. However, if you have dependants who are applying with you, they will be asked to collect or take delivery of their passport at a later date because they will continue to receive a vignette.

  7. Step 7

    Whether you speak to a Border Force Officer or use an eGate, your status will be checked against immigration records. You will be deemed to have entered using your student visa if it is valid on the day you arrive.

    Once you are in the UK, if you need to demonstrate your immigration status (eg to meet right to rent, study or work requirements), you can do so by generating a share code using the view and prove service, which allows a third party to check your status online.

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