On this page we've put together some useful information and links to help you with your visa application. Manchester College is registered with the Dfes (the Department for Education and Skills) and all courses offered by Manchester College meet the study requirements needed to obtain a student visa application.

Information and Advice

The information below has been taken from the UK goverment site UK Visas and is correct as of May 17th 2005. For the latest information you should follow this link. The information contained here should only be used as a guide but it aims to answer some common questions.

How do I qualify to travel to the UK as a student?
You must be able to show that you have been accepted on a course of study at an educational establishment that is on the UK's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) Register of Education and Training Providers.

Contact details for the DfES are near the end of this guidance or you can search the register on the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister click on the 'Search the Register' option and enter 'International Learning Centre' this is our parent company click on the GO button and go to page 5. There you'll see the address details for our Centres.

You must be able to show that you are going to follow:

  • a recognised full-time degree course or
  • a course run during the week involving at least 15 hours of organised daytime study each week or
  • a full-time course at an independent fee paying school
You must also:
  • be able to pay for your course and support yourself and any dependants, and live in the UK without working or any help from public funds and
  • intend to leave the UK when you complete your studies.

Do I need a visa to study in the UK?

You will need a visa if you:

  • are a national of one of the countries listed at the end of this guidance
  • are stateless (you don't have a nationality)
  • hold a non-national travel document, or
  • hold a passport issued by an authority not recognised by the UK

If you live in the EU or in any of the countries listed below you do not need a visa. Nationals from 10 non-visa countries (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong (but not British Nationals (Overseas)), Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea and United States) now need an entry clearance if they are staying longer than six months. At the moment, other non-visa nationals do not need to have an entry clearance to study in the UK.

Applying for a visa

To apply for a visa you will need the following.

  • Application form VAF1 - non-settlement  (PDF, 130K)
  • Your passport or travel document .
  • A recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm), colour photograph of yourself.
    This should be:
    • taken against a light coloured background
    • clear and of good quality, and not framed or backed
    • printed on normal photographic paper, and
    • full face and without sunglasses, hat or other head covering unless you wear this for cultural or religious reasons
  • The visa fee. This cannot be refunded and you must normally pay it in the local currency of the country where you are applying.
  • Supporting documents relevant to your application.

Working on a Student Visa
You can take part-time or holiday work up to 20 hours during term time, and you can work full time during College holidays as stated below.

If you are coming to the UK as a student for six months or less, you must ask the Entry Clearance Officer for permission to work.

Visa Extension
From September 2004 the maximum time someone can stay in the UK to do successive short courses (under 1 year) below degree level has been reduced from four years to two years. For example, it will not be possible to obtain a visa extension for studying at a language school beyond two years.

This change is now shown in the Home Office rules:

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/lawandpolicy/immigrationrules/part3

A "degree level" course is defined as "a course which leads to a recognised United Kingdom degree at bachelor's level or above, or an equivalent qualification at level 6 or above of the National Qualifications Framework, or levels 9 or above of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.". For information about the levels of the National Qualifications Framework, see: http://www.openquals.org.uk

Required documents

The rules about extending your stay in the UK are shown on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) website at http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk. You normally have to complete one of two forms. The forms sometimes change: make sure that you check that you are using the correct form (the last valid date may be shown on the front page).

The form FLR(S) ("Further Leave to Remain - as a Student") can be used if you are currently a full-time student in the UK and wish to extend your stay as a full-time student. The form FLR(O) ("Further Leave to Remain - for Other reasons") needs to be used instead in many other circumstances. Both of these forms can be printed from the IND website: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applying/applicationforms.

Guidance notes on how to complete the form FLR(S) ("How to complete the Home Office student application form") are provided by UKCOSA at: http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/advice.htm. You can ask for advice about immigration from the international student adviser at your college. You can also get advice on completing the forms by telephoning the Immigration and Nationality Enquiry Bureau on 0870 606 7766.

Details of the documents you need to provide with your application form are given in the application forms. These are some of the documents which you should bring with you:

  • Your passport
  • Your police registration certificate, if the stamp in your passport states you need to have one
  • A letter from your current college proving that you have attended your classes
  • A letter from your future college, confirming that you have been accepted on a course of study and showing the fees and how much you have already paid
  • Proof that you have enough money to finish your course. Original bank statements, passbooks or wage slips need to be supplied covering the last 3 months. Photocopies are not allowed, unless they have been certified by the bank or building society

Ways of applying

Note that since November 2003 it is not possible to apply for a student visa extension when you enter the UK. If you apply for leave to enter at an airport or sea port, you will be given a maximum of 6 months and will be asked to apply to the IND for a UK Residence Permit if you intend to stay longer than 6 months.

The two ways of applying for a student visa extension are:

1. Applying by post

From 1 April 2005 the fee for postal applications for "leave to remain" is £250 for students and £335 for others (previously £155).

If you are applying by post, always pay to use a recorded delivery service and keep a note of the reference number you are given. Documents need to be sent to the address shown on the application form. The completed form and the required documents should be sent by post before the expiry date of your visa. You will not have your passport until your application has been completed.

You may prefer to apply directly at an immigration office instead (see below) if this is inconvenient: for example, if you need to go abroad for some reason, if you want to cash travellers cheques, or if you need to prove your identity for an exam. If you need your passport to be returned for some reason (for example, if you need to return home because of illness or for a funeral), it may take a couple of weeks for IND to locate it and send it back to you: you may be able to obtain it more quickly by visiting the public enquiry office directly, but remember to take the reference number of your recorded delivery so that they will be able to locate it. You may want to ask your college for guidance about the visa extension process.

2. Going to the immigration office (an IND Public Enquiry Unit)

From 1 April 2005 the fee for personal applications (the premium service) is £500 (previously £250). Note that normally you must make an appointment before going to an immigration office.

Can I bring my husband, or wife and children with me?
Your husband or wife and any of your children under 18 can come to the UK with you during your studies, as long as you can support them. Your husband or wife will also be allowed to work during your stay in the UK.

More advice and information

You can get more advice about studying in the UK from:

UKCOSA
The Council for International Education provides advice and information to international students studying or planning to study in the UK, their family, teachers and other advisors:

UKCOSA: The Council for International Education

The Council for International Education
9-17 St Albans Place
London N1 0NX

Website: www.ukcosa.org.uk

British Council
The British Council provides information to help international students prepare for study in the UK. This link will take you to the British Council's "First Steps" guidance on preparing for entry clearance:

First Steps Guidance - Preparing for entry clearance

More information about studying in the UK is available from:

British Council

The British Council
Bridgewater House
58 Whitworth Street
Manchester M1 6BB

Website: www.britcoun.org/education/qdu/index.htm

UKvisas
You can get more advice and information about visas from:

UKvisas
London SW1A 2AH

General enquiries: (+44) (0)20 7008 8438
Application forms: (+44) (0)20 7008 8308
E-mail: www.ukvisas.gov.uk/enquiries

Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND)
You can get more advice and information about extending your stay once you are in the UK from:

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Croydon Public Caller Unit
Lunar House
40 Wellesley Road
Croydon CR9 2BY

General enquiries: (+44) (0)870 606 7766
Application forms: (+44) (0)870 241 0645
E-mail: indpublicenquiries@ind.homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Website: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Immigration Advisory Service
The IAS is an independent charity that gives confidential advice and help, and can represent people who are applying for a visa for the UK.

Immigration Advisory Service

3rd Floor, County House
190 Great Dover Street
London SE1 4YB

Phone: (+44) (0)20 7967 1200
Duty Office (24 hrs): (+44) (0)20 8814 1559
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7403 5875
E-mail: advice@iasuk.org
Website: www.iasuk.org