Child Student Visa for International Pupils
Cheltenham College is a Sponsor for UK Visas and Immigration. We are licensed to support Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for Child Student Visas.
All non-UK passport holders will require a Child Student Visa to be able to study at Cheltenham. The only exceptions are:
- British and Irish citizens.
- European citizens with Settled or Pre-Settled status
- Non-European citizens with a visa which allows study, including (but not limited to) dependant visa holders and those with indefinite leave.
The visa is course based so one application will be needed for each course (GCSE and BTEC or A Level). If you are making an application from overseas, you can make the application up to six months before your date of travel to the UK. If you are applying from within the UK, you may make an application up to three months before your course is due to start. You will usually get a decision on your visa within 3-8 weeks. You can check visa processing times for your country on the gov.uk website. You are advised not to book flights until your visa has been granted.
Full details on how to apply for a Child Student Visa on the UK Government website can be found here.
ocuments required to make application:
- A current passport.
- A Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) issued by the UK Visas and Immigration which we will provide once we have a copy of your child’s current passport. This will contain a reference number which you will need enter on your visa application. The CAS is valid for six months and only valid for studying at Cheltenham College.
- Parental Consent Form, completed on our Parent Portal.
- You may be required to provide a tuberculosis (TB) certificate, so please ensure that you allow plenty of time to get an appointment at an approved clinic before submitting your visa application. A list of countries likely to require a TB certificate can be found here:
Process
- After submitting your application, you will receive a ‘Decision Letter’ from UK Visa and Immigration and if your leave is granted, you will be given a 30-day travel vignette in your passport. Cheltenham College must have a copy of the Decision Letter, so please forward this to us at admissions@cheltenhamcollege.org as soon as possible. The vignette allows you to enter the UK and is valid for 30 days from the date you said you would arrive in the UK (even if you arrive at a later date). You will have to apply for another 30-day visa if you do not travel within those 30 days.
- A BRP card (Biometric Residence Permit) will be issued. You will be asked on your application to state where you wish your Biometric Residence Permit sent to for collection. YOU MUST QUOTE THE CHELTENHAM ACL CODE WHICH IS 3SC852 SO THAT THE BRP WILL BE SENT DIRECTLY TO CHELTENHAM’S DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, READY FOR COLLECTION WHEN YOUR CHILD STARTS SCHOOL. IT MUST NOT BE SENT TO THE LOCAL POST OFFICE. If your child will be travelling unaccompanied to the UK without parents or a guardian, you must complete a copy the Travel Consent Form that is sent to you with your Child’s CAS and ensure your child carries it with them when travelling. It also advisable for them to carry a photocopy of the parent’s passport to accompany the Consent Form, and a copy of the original offer letter from Cheltenham College.
- On arrival at Cheltenham, if the pupil is attending the international induction programme their passport and BRP will be collected as they arrive. Pupils arriving after the International induction programme must give their passport or travel document containing their vignette and all other completed forms to their House matron; these will be handed to the Operations office and will be duly returned when all the necessary checks have been completed.
- When you apply for a Child Student Visa, you may be asked to demonstrate to UK Visas and Immigration that you have the money available to pay your school fees for the first year of the course. We recommend that you pay a year’s fees in advance before we apply for the CAS, so that we can state on your CAS that fees have been paid in full. We can provide a pro-forma invoice if required. If you are a UK National or you come from one of the countries listed by the UKVI in their guidance at https://www.gov.uk/child-study-visa/money then you DO NOT need to meet this financial requirement.