Visa Requirements
Most students will need a visa to study at UWC Atlantic except for British and Irish nationals and those who have a (Pre)-settled status.
There are two types of Visas, a Child Student and Student Visa. UWC Atlantic can sponsor students under both the Child Student and Student visa routes. Our Admissions team will be able to inform you which is the correct visa for you but if you are unsure of your visa requirements, the UK government website has more detailed information.
UWC Atlantic can sponsor students under both the Child Student and Student visa routes.
Our Admissions team will be able to inform you which is the correct visa for you but if you are unsure of your visa requirements, the UK government website has more detailed information.
The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you start your course. It can take up to 4 weeks for you to get a decision. Some countries have a fast track service, which is highly recommended if you apply late. Please bear in mind UWC Atlantic cannot expedite the process.
You will need to send the following documents to the college before applying for the visa:
- A scan of the photo page of your passport
- A scan of your birth certificate (and its official translation - no exceptions)
- A scan of your most recent school transcript (and its official translation - no exceptions). For the visa application, provisional results or mock Exams results are not accepted.
- A scan of the parents' consent letter found on Open Apply.
- A certificate of an approved English Language exam: if you are 18 or over at the time of applying, and from a non-majority English-speaking country, you must sit an approved English test before you get the visa. For detailed information, please visit this website
UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) has developed a digital immigration system. This means physical documents have been replaced with an online record of your immigration status. This is known as an eVisa.
From 2024, all students will be applying for an electronic visa by using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.
With an eVisa you will not need to carry a physical document to travel to the UK, except for your current passport, which must be registered to your UKVI account.
You can watch a video on what an eVisa is.
If any document you are required to submit is not in English, e.g. your birth certificate, school transcript/record you must have it translated officially by a legal translator. A lot of visas are rejected when this is ignored.
Please read these Translation Guidelines if you have to translate these documents. (Please note Chinese birth certificates must be translated).
Depending on where you are from, you will have to show evidence of sufficient funds to pay for the course fees for the first academic year. This information can be found in the Financial Statement sent to your family.
Some countries do not have to meet this requirement: see list of countries which do not need to show this evidence.
Even if your country is not on this list, we still highly recommend that you pay the fees for the first year in advance. This will make the visa process go smoothly.
If you have a full scholarship, you will not need to show financial evidence. If you have a partial scholarship, you will have to show financial evidence of the portion not covered by the bursary.
If you choose to submit bank statements or certificate of deposit, there are many requirements to meet. Please read these 3 documents before considering this option:
- Bank statements for visa applications - Are yours ready to send?
- Example of Certificate of Deposit
- Example Bank Statement.
IMPORTANT: If you are going to pay the first year fees in advance, please do so at the time of sending the documents to the college to avoid delays.
Once the Admissions team has received all the documents above and the deposit has been received, they will send you a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies number) and a letter. The number is generated by the Home Office, is valid for 6 months and can only be used once. If an application is refused, a new CAS will be required.
With this CAS number, you can start the application online.
Remember to choose the correct visa type (this will appear on the letter from the college):
General Student
or
Child Student
It costs £490 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK.
ALL STUDENTS have to pay for this, please find more information here. Even if you are under 18 years old, you will need to pay for this in order to apply. This will be entitled to free NHS hospital treatment in the UK on the same basis as an ordinarily resident person. This will apply from the date your visa is granted until it expires.
The fee is £776 per-person per year. The IHS fee is calculated on the overall length of time of your visa.
Whilst issuing Student visas the Home Office usually adds an extra period at the end of your visa. This additional period varies between 7 days to 4 months, depending on the overall duration of the course. You can use the calculator on the GOV.UK website to find out how much you will need to pay:
Prior to making your visa application, students from certain countries are required to obtain a clear Tuberculosis Screening Test result. You can find specific details about your home country online here.
If you need this test, you must get it from a clinic which is on the UK Visas and Immigration Authority’s list of approved TB Testing Clinics.
You can arrive before your course starts:
- up to 1 month before, if your course lasts more than 6 months
You must not travel to the UK before the start date given on your visa, no matter when your course starts.
As part of your visa application, you may be requested to attend a short video interview with the Home Office. The purpose of the interview is to check that the applicant is a genuine student, so they may ask you some questions about your course, why you chose to study it, etc. These are some examples of questions and appropriate answers.
You will be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:
- Your supporting documents need to be verified (always have translations ready)
- You need to attend an interview
- Of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)
If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it, please contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
HIGHLY IMPORTANT: always check your junk inbox as Home Office emails may end up there. Many visas have been rejected because of lack of response.
You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.
When you get confirmation of the approval of your visa, you MUST immediately inform Admissions. In order to do so, you need to get a a SHARE CODE (not the reference number) and send it to us.
You can generate your SHARE CODE at https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.
Without the share code, we cannot confirm your status and will continue to ask to complete this process.
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