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.

    If applying in the USA, you will be offered a choice of Application Support Centres (ASC) which are run by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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

    Important: 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.

    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) but it is anticipated that these will be decommissioned some time in 2025. The vignette will show a start and end date giving you a 90-day window during which you should arrive in the UK.

  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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