Tier 4 | Child Student Visa

Tier 4 Child Student Visa

1. Overview of Tier 4 | Child Student Visa

You can apply for the Tier 4 (Child) student visa if

  • You are aged between 4 and 17 Years
  • You have a place on a course
  • You have the consent of your parent or guardian
  • You have enough money to cover your course fees and living costs
  • You are from a country that’s not in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland

1.2 Processing Time

  • You can apply for a visa up to 3 months before your date of travel to the UK.
  • You should get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks.

1.3 Fees for Tier 4 | Child Student Visa

  • It costs £310 to apply for a Tier 4 (Child) student visa from outside the UK.   

2. Eligibility for Tier 4 | Child Student

You must have:

  • An unconditional offer from qualified education provider
  • Enough Money to support yourself and pay for your course

Your courseYou can do a course that’s taught in line with:

  • The National Curriculum
  • The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF)
  • Independent school education inspection standards
  • You can do pre-sessional study, ie a short course to prepare you for your main course.

You can also do a course that’s accepted as being at the same academic level as the:

  • Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)
  • HM Inspectorate of Education (in Scotland)
  • Estyn (in Wales)
  • Education and Training Inspectorate (in Northern Ireland)
  • Independent Schools Inspectorate

2.2 Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies

  • Your education provider will send you a reference number called a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) once they’ve offered you a place on a course. You’ll need to enter this on your application.
  • Your CAS can cover both the Pre-sessional course and your main course of study.
  • You must apply for your visa no later than 6 months after you’re sent the CAS.   

3. Documents Required for Child Student Visa

When you apply you will need to Provide

  • Current Valid Passport
  • 2 passport size colour photographs for yourself and for each parent or Guardian applying with you, with names written on the reverse side
  • Proof that you can support yourself and pay for your course
  • Proof of parental or other legal guardian consent
  • Your tuberculosis (TB) test results if you’re from a country where you have to take the test

Note: Your documents will usually be sent back within 14 days.   

4. Stay Duration on Tier 4 | Child Student Visa

Your age and the length of your course of study will affect how long you can stay.

  • Category How long you can stay
  • Under 16 Course length (up to 6 years) Plus 4 months afterwards
  • 16 or 17 Course length (up to 3 years) Plus 4 months afterwards

You can arrive in the UK:

  • Up to 1 week before your course starts if your course lasts 6 months or less
  • Up to 1 month before your course starts if your course lasts more than 6 months   

5. What you can and can’t do

You can:

  • Study at an independent fee-paying school (if you are aged between 4 and 15)
  • study at a publicly-funded further education college (if you are 16 or 17 and you’re a fee-paying student)
  • Apply from inside or outside the UK
  • Apply to extend your stay

You can also work, if you are 16 or over:

  • Part-time during term for up to 10 hours per week
  • Full-time during vacations
  • On a work placement as part of your course, (but not for more than 50% of your course time)
  • As a student union sabbatical officer for up to 2 years

You can’t:

  • Study at a publicly-funded school
  • Get public funds
  • Take a full-time permanent job or be self-employed
  • Work as a doctor or dentist in training
  • Work as a professional sportsperson (Example: A Sports Coach) or entertainer
  • Settle in the UK on this visa
  • Bring in family members (‘dependents’) – if your parents want to accompany you, they’ll need to apply for a Parent of a Child At School Visa.

5. Extending Tier 4 | Child Student Visa:

You may be able to apply to extend your stay in the UK under a Tier 4 (Child) visa.You must:

  • Meet the eligibility requirements of this visa
  • Already be in the UK

Note: You should apply before your current visa expires.FeesIt costs £422 to extend your visa.