Visas for travel to England

What is a visa?

A visa is an official permit to enter the country, which you may need to get if you want to study in England. Students who are not British Citizens or citizens of one of the EU or European Economic Area (EEA) countries may need a visa before travelling to the UK. The visa is placed in the passport or travel document. With a valid UK visa, entry to the UK is normally not refused unless circumstances have changed or false information has been given on application for the visa.

The visa tells the immigration officer at a UK port of arrival:

The purpose of the travel
How long the student can stay in the UK; and
The latest date that the student can enter the UK

How to apply

Students can apply for visas at the nearest British mission (embassy, high commission or consulate) in the country where they are legally resident. The application can be made by post, by courier, in person or online. The visa section at the British mission will provide further information about the ways to apply.

More information and application forms are available from the British Government on the internet.

Further changes to General Student Visas in March 2010

In addition to the change of the Student Visa system on 22 February 2010 (see below ), the British government has announced some additional changes starting on 3 March 2010 for students from non-European Economic Area countries who are applying for entry into the UK under the Tier 4 General Student Visa (GSV) route. Other visa routes including the Student Visitor Visa are unchanged.

Below are some frequently asked questions:

1. Which LAL courses will change from 3 March to meet the new visa requirements?

All courses offered by the school will remain the same except the Work Experience programme. Students who require a visa and use a Student Visitor Visa cannot work. Students using a General Student Visa are only allowed to work 10 hours in addition to their studies.

2. What are the visa requirements to follow courses?

We recommend the majority of students requiring a visa to study in the UK to use a Student Visitor Visa (SVV). Students using a Student Visitor Visa have no right to work and must leave the country after a stay of less than 6 months and therefore any course studied must be less than 6 months. Any application for an additional visa must be made outside the UK. These students do not require a language test and are able to study any level of course.

Students using a General Student Visa (GSV) have the right to work a maximum of 10 hours per week and are able to extend their visa in the UK. However, all students except overseas government-sponsored students require a language test and must show on application for the visa that they are at level B1 or higher on the Common European Framework for Reference (CEFR). They are then allowed to study on courses of level B2 or higher. Overseas government-sponsored students are able to study English at any level.

Therefore students must test at Level B1 or higher to start the course. CEFR B1 states that students:

‘Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.’

Common European Framework for Reference (CEFR)

CEFR level	Cambridge Exam	IELTS	TOEIC	TOEFL	ALTE Level	LAL Level
C2	CPE	IELTS 7.5-9.0	UNIcert IV	900 + points	Level 5	Post-Advanced
C1	CAE	IELTS 6.5-7.0	UNIcert III	800 – 900 points	Level 4	Advanced
B2	FCE	IELTS 5.0-6.0	UNIcert II	650 – 800 points	Level 3	Upper-Intermediate
B1	PET	IELTS 3.5-4.5	UNIcert I		Level 2	Intermediate
A2	KET	IELTS 3.0			Level 1	Pre-Intermediate
A1		IELTS 1.0-2.5			Breakthrough level	Elementary

3. How do we test your English level?

We accept the results from all internationally-recognised English examinations including Cambridge ESOL, TOEFL, TOIEC and IELTS.

Students who are applying for a General Student Visa (GSV) need to show us the above or sit an online level test in their own country. This secure test is supplied by us and produced and monitored by Oxford University. The test is supervised by the booking agent who must verify the identity of the student and ensure the rules of the test are followed.

Students who are not applying for a Student Visa (which one?) sit an unsecure placement test under supervision of the booking agent. This test is only used to best place the student in the appropriate class on arrival in the school.

4. What is a Highly Trusted Sponsor?

LAL Language Centres in the UK are approved education providers and can sponsor students for visas. UKBA has recently announced that it is going to establish a new category of Highly Trusted Sponsor but has announced no details of this category at this time – LAL is an A-rated sponsor and would expect to be included on the Highly Trusted Sponsor list.

The Register of Sponsors Licensed under the Points-Based System can be found here:
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation (PDF file).

5. What is a Statement of Intent?

Students who are applying for a General Student Visa (GSV) need to complete a simple document at the time of booking the course stating their reason to study and their intention to follow the conditions of their visa. This document will be available on www.lalschools.com shortly.

Changes to UK visas from 22 February 2010

From 22 February 2010, any student who applies to study in the UK under Tier 4 of the points-based system must possess a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) from their prospective sponsor.

Students will not be able to apply under Tier 4 using a visa letter from that date, even if the visa letter was issued before 22 February 2010.

Changes to UK visa regulations from 31st March 2009

From 31 March 2009, all students from outside the European Economic Area must apply either as an adult student or a child student (under Tier 4 of the points-based system).

LAL Torbay (which includes LAL London and LAL Summer Schools in England) has been licensed by the UK Border Agency to enrol international students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System. We are A-rated and our sponsorship licence number is J4UOU37K5. You can confirm these details on the UKBA website here: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/employersandsponsors/pointsbasedsystem/registerofsponsorseducation (PDF file, will open in a new window).