Short-term Student (English language)

Page 1 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Short-term Student (English

language)

Version 3.0

This guidance is based on Appendix Short-term Student (English Language) of the

Immigration Rules.

Page 2 of 17   Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021 
 
Contents 
Contents ......................................................................................................................... 2 
About this guidance ....................................................................................................... 3 
Contacts ..................................................................................................................... 3 
Publication .................................................................................................................. 3 
Changes from last version of this guidance .............................................................. 3 
Short-term Students (English Language) ..................................................................... 4 
Recreational study for visitors ................................................................................... 4 
Validity requirements for the Short-term Student (English Language) route ............... 5 
Validity requirements ................................................................................................. 5 
Entry clearance requirement ..................................................................................... 5 
Suitability and Eligibility requirements for the Short-term Student (English Language) 
route ............................................................................................................................... 6 
Suitability requirements ............................................................................................. 6 
Eligibility requirements ............................................................................................... 6 
Cost of application ..................................................................................................... 7 
Short-term students: applications for entry clearance .................................................. 8 
TB certification ............................................................................................................... 9 
TB certification ........................................................................................................... 9 
English language courses up to 11 months) .............................................................. 10 
Accredited institutions ................................................................................................. 11 
Intention to study as a Short-term Student ................................................................. 12 
Frequent or successive study .................................................................................. 12 
Travel, reception and care of Short-term Students aged 16 or 17 ............................. 14 
When to grant and refuse entry clearance ................................................................. 16 
Granting entry clearance ......................................................................................... 16 
Refusing entry clearance ......................................................................................... 16 
Extensions of stay in the UK.................................................................................... 16 
Conditions of permission for Short-term students ...................................................... 17 
Short-term students and employment ..................................................................... 17 
Police registration .................................................................................................... 17 

Page 3 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

About this guidance

This guidance tells you about the Short-term Student (English Language) route and

how to consider an application from a short-term student for entry clearance under

Appendix Short-term Student (English language).

Contacts

If you are an accredited institution providing a course and you are also a student

sponsor that holds a premium account, you can direct questions about this guidance

to your Premium Account Manager. Otherwise you can contact the educator’s

helpdesk.

If you are a caseworker and have any questions about the guidance and your line

manager or senior caseworker cannot help you, or you think that the guidance has

factual errors, then please email the Student Migration Policy team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes

and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance,

then you can email the Guidance Rules and Forms team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 3.0

• published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Changes from last version of this guidance

Accreditation Body for Languages (ABLS) removed from the list of approved

Accreditation bodies. ABLS are no longer providing accreditation services as of 1

October 2021.

Related content

Contents

Page 4 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Short-term Students (English

Language)

This page gives further information about the Short-term Student (English Language)

route.

The Short-term Student (English Language) route is for people aged 16 or over who

want to come to the UK to study an English language course with an accredited

provider that will last longer than 6 months. Study of up to 6 months with an

accredited provider is permitted as a visitor under Appendix V: Visitor. Someone

granted entry clearance under the Short-term Student (English Language) route can

study on an English Language course (that does not cover any other subject areas)

for up to 11 months.

People should use the Student or Child Student routes if they want to come to the

UK to study:

• an English Language course that lasts between 6 and 11 months and are aged

below 16

• an English Language course that lasts longer than 11 months

• any other course that lasts longer than 6 months (unless studying for a period

of distance learning as a Visitor on a course otherwise taught overseas)

For more information on the Student and Child Student routes see Appendix Student

and Appendix Child Student of the Immigration Rules.

Recreational study for visitors

People who have been granted an entry clearance or permission to enter the UK as

a Visitor (for example, for tourism or to visit family) can study on a recreational

course for up to 30 days with any type of provider, but this excludes English

Language courses. All English Language study undertaken as a visitor must be with

an accredited provider.

For more information see Visitor visa guidance.

Related content

Contents

Page 5 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Validity requirements for the Short-

term Student (English Language) route

This page tells you what requirements an applicant under the Short-term Student

(English Language) route must meet to make a valid application for entry clearance.

Validity requirements

In order to make a valid application under the Short-term Student (English

Language) route, an applicant must:

• apply online using the form ‘Short-term Student visa’

• pay any application fee and Immigration Health Charge

• provided any required biometrics

• provided a passport or other travel document that establishes their identity and

nationality

• be outside the UK

• be aged 16 or over on the date of application

If an applicant does not meet one or more of these requirements, you should

consider whether to reject the application. If you are unsure, you should speak to a

senior caseworker.

Entry clearance requirement

A person seeking to come to the UK as a Short-term student must obtain entry

clearance on this route before arriving in the UK. They cannot apply for permission to

enter at the UK border.

Related content

Contents

Page 6 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Suitability and Eligibility requirements

for the Short-term Student (English

Language) route

This section tells you what requirements an applicant under the Short-term Student

(English Language) route must meet to be granted permission.

Suitability requirements

Applicants must not fall for refusal under the Part 9: grounds for refusal

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to apply under this route applicants must:

• be genuinely seeking entry to study as a short-term student

• be aged 16 or over

• have been accepted on an English Language course of study by an accredited

institution and provide written evidence of this from the institution

• intend to leave the UK either

o within 30 days of the end of their course of study

o at the end of 11 months

whichever is the earliest

• maintain and accommodate themselves out of funds available to them

• meet the cost of their onward or return journey

• have paid their course fees on the date of application, or hold enough funds to

pay their course fees and be able to demonstrate these funds as specified in

Appendix Finance

• hold a valid tuberculosis (TB) certificate where applicable

If the student is aged 16 or 17, they must also:

• show that suitable arrangements have been made for their travel to, reception

and care in the UK

• have consent from both parents, a parent with sole responsibility, or a legal

guardian to the arrangements for the applicant’s travel, reception and care in

the UK

Applicants must not:

• intend to study a course that lasts longer than 11 months

• intend to study at an academy or state-funded school (for example, one which

provides free education and is funded mainly from public funds)

• make the UK their main home – for example by using the route to live in the UK

for extended periods through frequent or successive periods as a short-term

student

Page 7 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

• intend to take employment, become self-employed, or undertake any business

activity

This table gives further information about Short-term Students and their conditions:

Requirement

Short-term Student (English Language)

Entry clearance

mandatory

All applicants

Entry clearance

application form

AccessUK application located on GOV.UK

Age requirement

16 or over on date of application

Entry clearance

endorsements

Cat D: short term student

Biometric Residence

Permit

Required

Entry clearance

endorsements

Code 3: 11 months: short-term student

Length of permission

Maximum 11 months

Conditions of entry

clearance

Study only on the course for which permission is granted

No work

No recourse to public funds

Are dependants allowed?

Not permitted

Is switching into this

category permitted?

Is the Immigration Health

Surcharge payable?

Yes

Can you apply for further

permission to stay (in

country) after this visa?

Does police registration

apply?

Yes, for further information please see: police registration

Cost of application

The Short-term Student (English Language) route application costs £186. To find out

the cost of an application see UK Visa fees.

Related content

Accredited institutions

Contents

Page 8 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Short-term students: applications for

entry clearance

This page tells you how to consider applications for entry clearance under the Short-

term Student (English Language) route.

Border Force staff must refuse permission to enter to an individual who arrives at the

UK border without holding entry clearance on the Short-term Student (English

Language) route and applies for permission to enter for the purpose of undertaking

English Language study of between 6 and 11 months in length. Students studying a

course of under 6 months in length can enter as a Visitor to study at an accredited

institution.

When you consider an application, you must check that:

• the application is valid, see paragraphs STS 1.1 to STS 1.4 of the Short-term

Study rules

• the applicant’s passport or travel document is genuine

• the applicant meets all suitability and eligibility requirements of the route

• there are no grounds for refusal

All applicants will be required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge at the

reduced rate for students when they make their application for entry clearance. See:

immigration health surcharge for more information.

You must also consider whether the applicant is a genuinely intends to study as a

short-term student as their reason for travelling to the UK.

The Immigration Rules do not allow short-term students to extend their stay. You

must refuse any application for permission to stay.

Related content

Contents

Page 10 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

English language courses up to 11

months)

This page tells you about English language courses that an applicant can be granted

permission to study on the Short-term Student (English Language) route.

For the purpose of this route, ‘English language study’ is a course that teaches

English as a foreign language only and does not include other subjects. An applicant

cannot study mixed courses under this route. You must refuse any other applications

for any other type of course.

You must check that the applicant has been accepted for a course of study at an

accredited institution. They must provide an acceptance letter from the institution

with details of the course.

Students are able to extend their course up to a maximum of 11 months, provided

the student is studying at the same institution. For example, if a student originally

applies for an English Language course of 7 months in length, but once they have

been granted permission wishes to extend that course to 11 months with the same

provider, this is permitted. A student is not permitted to switch to a different provider,

or switch onto a different course with their current provider.

Applicants for entry clearance on the Short-term Student (English Language) route

must meet all the requirements of paragraphs STS 3.1 to STS 7.2 of the Immigration

Rules, see: Eligibility requirements for Short-term Student (English Language) route.

Related content

Contents

Page 11 of 17  Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021 
 
Accredited institutions 
This page tells you what an accredited institution is, how to decide if an institution is 
accredited for the purpose of Short-term Student (English Language) applications 
and how to check the accreditation. 
 
A short-term student must be accepted on and study an English course provided by 
an accredited institution. 
 
An accredited institution is one which: 
 
•  is a licensed Student sponsor listed on the Student sponsor register 
•  holds valid accreditation from: 
o  Accreditation UK 
o  the British Accreditation Council (BAC)  
o  the Accreditation Service for International Colleges (ASIC) 
•  holds a valid and satisfactory full institutional inspection by one of the following 
bodies: 
o  Estyn 
o  Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education 
o  Education Scotland 
o  Office for Students (OfS) 
o  the Independent Schools Inspectorate 
o  Ofsted 
o  the Education and Training Inspectorate Northern Ireland  
•  is an overseas higher education institution which offers only part of its 
programmes in the UK 
 
To check that an overseas institution is an overseas higher education institution, as 
defined in paragraph 6 of the Immigration Rules, you must check that it offers 
programmes equivalent to UK degrees, by checking on the Ecctis (formerly UK 
NARIC) website. 
 
Related content  
Contents 

Page 12 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Intention to study as a Short-term

Student

This page tells you how to decide whether an applicant meets the study requirement

of the Short-term study rules at STS 5.1. and therefore, genuinely intends to study as

a short-term student in accordance with the short-term study rules.

To decide whether or not an applicant meets the requirements of STS 5.1, and

genuinely intends to study as a Short-term Student, you must be satisfied that they:

• have given a true account of how long they intend to study in the UK

• genuinely intend to study here on a course or courses that will be completed

during their stay

• genuinely intend to study at an accredited institution

• do not intend to study at an academy or state-funded school, for example:

o one that provides free education and is mainly funded from public funds-

however, a short-term student can study at a UK Higher Education Institution

(university) if they pay fees

• do not intend to use frequent and successive periods of study as a means to

live in the UK or to circumvent the requirements of the Student or Child Student

routes

• have enough money to support themselves

• intend to leave the UK within 30 days of the end of their declared period of

study, or at the end of 11 months when their visa expires, whichever is soonest

You must refer to the requirement(s) in the rules that you are not satisfied is met if

refusing on one or more of these grounds. You must clearly set out why you are not

satisfied the requirement is met. For example, you may not be satisfied that the

person intends to leave or will be studying on a course that does not meet the

requirements of the route.

Frequent or successive study

A student is likely to be considered as intending to study in the UK for extended

periods through:

• successive use of the route if, for example, the student is seeking a second

period of 11 months permission under the short-term study route where less

than 2 months have passed since they last left the UK, having last visited the

UK for the purposes of short-term study

• frequent use of the route if, for example, the student is applying for multiple

periods of permission under the Short-term Student (English Language) route

within a 5-year period

Where an application meets either of the above criteria, this will not automatically

result in a refusal. You must consider the evidence as a whole to decide if the

applicant is a genuine Short-term Student. You must be satisfied that, where the

Page 13 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

student seeks to spend multiple periods in the UK as a Short-term Student, the

frequent or successive study periods do not mean they are studying a course that

lasts longer than 11 months. If a student is looking to utilise the Short-term Student

(English Language) route on multiple occasions, a student would generally be

expected to be studying towards a higher level of English Language proficiency

against the Common European Framework of Reference for Language (CEFR) i.e.

B1 level on the first instance then B2 level on the second instance. However, there

may be circumstances where an applicant requires a further period of study at the

same level, for example a student who hasn’t achieved the English proficiency in the

previous application.

Related content

Accredited institutions

Contents

Page 14 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Travel, reception and care of Short-

term Students aged 16 or 17

This section tells you about suitable care arrangements for Short-term Students

aged 16 or 17.

The Home Office has a statutory duty of care towards children under section 55 of

the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009, and it is mandatory for staff to

complete the e-learning course on this duty. For more information, see: Safeguard

and promote child welfare.

The applicant must show that suitable arrangements have been made for their travel

to, and arrival and care in, the UK if they are aged 16 or 17. You must make every

reasonable effort to make sure the documents presented to you are genuine.

The applicant must show that suitable care arrangements are in place by providing

written consent with the applicant from:

• both parents

• one parent if that parent has sole legal responsibility for the applicant

• the applicant’s legal guardian

The written consent must confirm support for all the following:

• the application

• the applicant’s living and care arrangements in the UK

• the applicant’s travel to, and reception arrangements in, the UK

If a foster carer or relative, who is not a parent or guardian, has responsibility for

their care, the letter of consent from their parent or parents or legal guardian

regarding arrangements for their travel to, and reception and care while in the UK

should include:

• the name and date of birth of the intended foster carer or relative

• the address where the applicant will be living

• the relationship of the foster carer or relative to the applicant

• authority from their parent or parents or legal guardian allowing the foster carer

or relative to care for the applicant during their stay in the UK

• a letter from the education provider to include details of the foster care

arrangements

, and

confirming they have or will notify the local authority - they

should include the reply from the local authority if they have one

There is a separate legal requirement that private foster care arrangements must be

notified to the relevant local authority by:

• the parents or other carer of the child

• other parties to the arrangement, for example the education provider

Page 15 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Unless there is cause for concern, the evidence of consent relating to care

arrangements in the UK can be either confirm:

• they will be accompanied by a parent, or parents (the parent or parents should

have, or be able to obtain, permission in a suitable category that enables them

to travel to the UK with the child)

• suitable arrangements

for private foster care exist, as above

For further information on Home Office requirements on foster care, see:

• private foster care

• private foster care: legislation

Related content

Contents

Page 16 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

When to grant and refuse entry

clearance

This page tells you when you can grant and when you must refuse entry clearance

for a person who applies for the Short-term Student (English Language) route.

Granting entry clearance

You must grant entry clearance if the applicant:

• meets all the requirements stated in Appendix Short-term Student (English

Language) of the Immigration Rules

• none of the Part 9: grounds for refusal apply

You must consider the application in line with the short-term student rules as set out

in this guidance. If you approve the application, you must endorse the visa as

follows:

Type of student

Visa endorsement

Short-term student (11 months)

Category D: short term student

Refusing entry clearance

You must refuse the application if you are not satisfied that the applicant meets all

the requirements of the Short-term Student (English Language) route, or if you are

satisfied that any of the Part 9: grounds for refusal apply.

Extensions of stay in the UK

You must refuse any applications for permission to stay as a Short-term Student

under paragraph 9.14.1 of Part 9 of the Immigration Rules because there are no

provisions in the Immigration Rules to grant permission for this purpose.

See: short-term student refusal wording for suggested wording.

Related content

Contents

Police registration

Immigration Rules appendix 2: police registration

Page 17 of 17 Published for Home Office staff on 01 October 2021

Conditions of permission for Short-

term students

A Short-term student is not allowed to:

• access public funds

• work

• study on any course apart from the one for which they were granted permission

to study

Short-term students and employment

Short-term students are not allowed to work in the UK, either in a paid or an unpaid

job. They are not allowed to enrol on a course of study that includes a work

placement or work experience.

Short-term students can volunteer but may not do voluntary work. You must be clear

on the difference between the two.

Voluntary workers:

• often have a contract with their employer (this means the employer must

provide the work and the voluntary worker must attend at particular times and

carry out specific tasks)

• are also usually remunerated in kind

Volunteers:

• do not have a contract of employment

• must not take the place of an employee

• must not receive payment in kind but reimbursement for reasonable travel and

subsistence expenses is allowed

• usually help a charity or voluntary or public sector organisation

Police registration

All applicants granted permission under this route must register with the police if they

are a:

• national or citizen of a country or territory listed in Appendix 2 to the

Immigration Rules

• stateless person

• person holding a non-national travel document

Related content

Contents