The Child Student route allows eligible overseas children to come to the UK for the purposes of studying at an eligible UK educational institution.
Speak to WMYS expert immigration lawyers for support with applying for your visa. We are able to help with all aspects of your application.
The Child Student Visa is for children who are nationals of a country other than the UK or Ireland.
To be successful, applicants must:
The Tier 4 (Child) Student Visa is no longer in existence, having been replaced by the Child Student Visa.
You can apply outside the UK for the visa six months in advance of your course start date and you will likely receive a decision in three weeks.
If you are applying from inside the UK, you can apply three months in advance of the course start date and you are likely to receive a decision within eight weeks.
Child Student Visa holders aged under 16 years can stay in the UK for the length of the course (up to six years) plus four months.
Visa holders aged 16 or 17 years old are permitted to stay for the length of the course (up to three years) plus four months following the end of the course.
You may be able to extend the visa if you are eligible in order to continue studying in the UK.
Children aged between 4 and 17 years old can apply for the Child Student Visa. There are strict eligibility requirements involved in this immigration category to obtain entry clearance.
Applicants must ensure that the following applies to their situation:
There are several requirements related to the types of eligible courses, and only specified educational institutes may be issue a Certificate of Sponsorship to the visa applicant.
In order to be eligible to come to the UK as a Child Student, the child must obtain the following points:
| Points type | Requirements | Number of points |
| Study (all criteria must be met) | – Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies – Eligible course – Eligible independent school – Aged between 4 and 17 years old – Parental consent confirmed | 50 |
| Financial | – Met financial requirements | 20 |
Child students must be able to demonstrate on their application that they have enough funds to be supported throughout their course.
The child student is not allowed to work until the age of 16, and then they may only work under certain conditions.
According to the Home Office (UK government department in charge of immigration), this includes the requirements below (where the child has been in the UK for less than 12 months at the time of application):
| Living arrangements | Required funds |
| Residential independent school boarding | Enough funds to pay the course fees and boarding fee for one academic year |
| Living with a private foster carer or close relative who is a British citizen or has settled status | Enough funds to pay the fees for one academic year
The carer or relative must have funds of at least £570 per month of the course (max. nine months) |
| Living with the child’s parent of legal guardian | Sufficient funds to pay the course fees for one academic year
If there are no other children to be cared by the parent, £1,560 per month must be available for max. nine months If there are other children being cared for by the parent in the UK, £625 per month must be available for each child |
| Aged 16 or 17 and living independently | Sufficient funds to pay the school fees for one year
£1,334 for each month of the course up to a max nine months (if studying in London) £1,023 for each month to a max. nine months where studying outside London |
If the child student is using a student loan of government grant/ scholarship, they are required to have held the funds requirement for a period of 28 days.
To submit your Child Student Visa application, it is important to prepare carefully so as to give yourself the best chance of success.
If you are in doubt about how to apply, it is recommended that you speak with a qualified immigration lawyer who can assist you.
To apply for a Child Student Visa, follow the below steps:
To maximise your chance of a successful application, you should ensure:
If your child holds or is applying for a Child Student Visa, you may be eligible to apply for the Parent of a Child Student Visa.
To be eligible, the following must apply to your case:
You are permitted to stay in the UK until the expiration of your child’s visa, or until they turn 12 years old (whichever happens first). It may be possible to extend the visa, if you meet the criteria.
If your child continues studying in the UK after this age, you must make ensure that arrangements are in place to facilitate their ongoing care.
While in the UK, you are not permitted to work, study, start a business, apply for benefits, or bring another family member to the UK.
You are also not permitted to make the UK your primary residence.
To apply for the Child Student Visa, you will be required to submit some of the following documents to the Home Office.
There may be additional documents required depending on your circumstances. You will be required to demonstrate your eligibility for the visa with a comprehensive set of documents.
The Child Student Visa is issued on the basis of the length of the period of study and the age of the applicant.
If the child is aged 16 or 17 year and is on a course that lasts longer than the maximum permitted time of three years, they will be required to apply again before the expiration date of their stay.
Applications made by international students aged 18 years and older must be made on the Student Visa route if they wish to continue their studies in the UK.
In most cases, the time you spend in the UK on a Student Visa or Child Student Visa do not count towards Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Reach out to us for more information or to see how we can help you?
The Child Student Visa (which replaced the previous Tier 4 Student (Child) Visa), is for international child students aged between four and 17 years old, and who are not British or Irish citizens.
The visa allows eligible children to come to the UK for the duration of a specific course of study. Visa holders are only permitted to study in independent fee-paying schools.
There are a number of eligibility requirements, including financial maintenance requirements to cover the cost of school fees and living expenses for the duration of the term time.
There are approximately 25,000 international child students studying in the UK. The annual cost of an independent school for day students is just over £15,000, while for boarders, parents can expect to pay £36,000 annually.
A Visitor Visa allows individuals to come to the UK for a short period for some limited purposes. One of the types of Visit Visas is the Short-term Study Visa.
This allows individuals to undertake short-term (usually English language) courses for up to 11 months. These courses must not be degree courses.
In most cases, an international child student who wishes to study in the UK will submit a Child Student Visa application and apply to an independent fee-paying school in order to study in the UK.
The child can generally remain in the UK for the full length of their course.
They are then permitted to stay for four months after their course finishes. After this, they will need to leave the UK unless they have applied to extend their stay or switched to another immigration category.
If your child will be studying for less than six months, you will need to apply for a Child Visitor Visa.
Contact us or make an enquiry online to discuss your application with one of our immigration lawyers.
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