Studying in the UK for six months or less

The following visa information applies to all international students, including European Union, European Economic Area and Swiss nationals, studying on a Short Course.

You will need a Standard Visitor visa to come to the UK to study for 6 months or less. You will still have to meet ARU’s academic entry requirements.

Who needs to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before coming to the UK?

Some nationals will need to apply for a visa before arriving in the UK. This is called applying for entry clearance. Find out more about applying for entry clearance.

If you need to apply for entry clearance, you are known as a visa national. If you don’t need to apply for entry clearance, you are known as a non-visa national.

Visa nationals

• You must apply online for entry clearance before you come to the UK.
• You will also have to book an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity and provide your documents.
• The earliest you can apply is three months before you travel.
• You should bring all your documents that you submitted with your entry clearance application when you travel to the UK. The Border Force Officer may ask to see these documents when you arrive in the UK.
• You can apply for entry clearance as a visitor from within any country outside of the UK (it does not have to be the country where you normally live).

Non-visa nationals

If your course lasts less than six months, you may not need a full visa to study in the UK. However, recent changes mean that many non-visa nationals (including EU/EEA and Swiss citizens) must now obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travel.

If you are a national of a country covered by the ETA scheme, you must apply for an ETA before travelling to the UK — even for short courses. This includes nationals of:

• Australia
• Canada
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• South Korea
• United States
• EU/EEA countries
• Switzerland

You can check your eligibility and apply online on the UK Government ETA page.

If your nationality is not yet included in the ETA scheme, and you're a non-visa national:

• You can still request to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor at the border.
• You do not need to apply for a visa beforehand if your course is under 6 months.
• You must bring supporting documents to show the Border Force Officer, such as:
• An acceptance letter from ARU confirming your course.
• An ATAS certificate, if required.
• Proof of finances and your return travel plans to meet the genuineness requirement.

Important entry information

• ETA holders and eligible eGate users (see below) will not receive a stamp in their passport.
• If you are not using eGates and haven’t applied for an ETA (where not required), you must ask the Border Force Officer for a passport stamp to confirm your entry as a Standard Visitor.
• If you plan to leave and re-enter the UK during your studies, you'll need to re-enter as a Standard Visitor each time (ETA or stamp, as applicable).

Using eGates at the airport

Nationals of the following countries can use eGates at UK airports:

• Australia
• Canada
• EU/EEA countries
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Switzerland
• United States

eGate users will not receive a passport stamp. You should keep evidence of your travel and course details (e.g. flight confirmation, ARU letter) in case you are asked to prove your lawful entry later.

Holders of an Electronic Visa Waiver Document

Nationals of Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can apply for an Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) instead of a visa if they wish to come to the UK for a short course lasting six months or less.

An EVW allows you to enter the UK without a visa, but you must apply online for permission to travel. It is only valid for a single entry and for visits of up to 6 months.

You can apply for an EVW between 3 months and 48 hours before travel.

If granted, the EVW will be issued electronically — you do not receive a physical document but must show proof (e.g. email or printout) when you travel.

You can use an EVW to:

• Study a short course (up to 6 months) in the UK.
• Visit for tourism or business.
• Attend certain short-term educational exchanges.

You must follow the conditions set out in Appendix Visitor of the UK Immigration Rules. Failure to do so may result in refusal of entry.

Important: An EVW is only valid for a single entry. If you leave the UK during your visit and wish to return, you will need to apply for a new EVW before travelling again.

Entering the UK via eGates at UK airports

The following Nationals are non-visa nationals who can use eGates to enter the UK:

• Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States of America;
• EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals

Using the eGates

• You can enter the UK as a visitor for a period of six months.
• If you enter the UK as a visitor using the eGates you will not receive a stamp in your passport as you do not have to see a Border Force Officer.
• Your passport must have a biometric symbol on the cover.
• You must be above the age of 12. Visitors between the ages of 12 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult.
• So that you can remember and prove when you entered the UK to calculate your six-month period, you must retain some evidence of your date of arrival in the UK such as an e-ticket or paper or electronic boarding pass. You will also have to produce this evidence on arrival at Anglia Ruskin University.