Visas and Immigration
The Guildhall School has a thriving international student population. To study with us, students who require immigration permission need to comply with the rules and regulations set out by the UKVI - Visas and Immigration service. This page aims to provide guidance to those who must apply or maintain their immigration permission for study in the UK.
Do I need a visa to study in the UK?
If you are not a UK or an Irish national, then you may need permission to travel to and study in the UK. The type of immigration permission you need will depend on the course you will be studying at Guildhall School. You can check if you need a visa to study in the UK by using the UKVI visa checking tool.
Which visa is for me?
The type of visa you need will depend on the course you are studying and how long you are studying in the UK. Please read the information below carefully to see which visa may be best suited to you and your situation.
If your course lasts up to a maximum duration of 6 months, you should be able to travel to the UK and study on a Standard Visitor visa. Depending on your nationality, you'll either:
- have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before you travel to the UK
- be able to visit the UK for up to 6 months without needing a visa.
Use the visa checker to find out whether you would need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa before you travel to the UK. In either case, you must make sure you meet the basic Standard Visitor requirements. If you need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa you must have any relevant documentation ready, before you make an application.
You must also be able to prove the following to apply for this visa:
- You've been accepted onto a course by an accredited UK institution. Usually, your offer letter from Guildhall School will be sufficient evidence of this.
- The course is no longer than 6 months (unless it's a distance learning course).
- The institution you are attending cannot be an academy or state-funded school. Guildhall School is a higher education institution and so you will be able to use this visa to study here.
To apply for the Standard Visitor visa, please follow the steps on the UKVI website. This visa costs £115 for a maximum length stay of 6 months. You should receive a decision on your visa application within 3 weeks, though this may vary at busier times of the year for the UKVI.
Should you have any further questions about the Standard Visitor visa, please contact the UKVI directly.
The Short Term Study visa is permitted for those who are studying an English language course in the UK and if the course is between 6-11 months in length. As Guildhall School does not offer English language courses, this visa will not be suitable for any of our courses.
If you need a visa to study a degree level course lasting more than 6 months at Guildhall School, then the Student Route visa (formally known as the Tier 4 (General) student visa) will be suitable if you are eligible and your course is suitable for sponsorship under this visa route.
You will be eligible to apply for this visa if:
- You are 16 years old or over;
- You have been offered a place to study a course by a license student sponsor (Guildhall School);
- Have enough money to pay for the course and support yourself during your time in the UK;
- You can speak, read, write and understand English;
- You have consent from your parents if you are 16 or 17 years old;
- Your course is suitable for sponsorship under the Student route visa - all Guildhall School degree level courses are suitable for sponsorship except Advanced Certificate courses.
You can apply for this visa from outside or within the UK. If you are thinking about applying from within the UK, make sure you check you are eligible to do this. The documents and supporting evidence you need in your visa application will depend on your circumstances and where you are applying from.
If you are applying from outside the UK, the earliest you can apply for this visa is 6 months before the start date of your course.
To apply for the Student route visa, you will need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number, produced by the Guildhall School which is unique to you and will need to be included in your visa application. The immigration team at the Guildhall School will contact you by email in May to tell you what we need from you so we can provide you with your CAS number. You can then apply for your Student route visa.
It costs £490 to apply for the Student route visa. The cost is the same whether you apply from outside or inside the UK. You will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) in addition to the cost of the visa.
Should you wish to apply for the Student route visa earlier than the summertime, please contact the immigration team.
You can apply for the Graduate route visa if you have been previously studying on the Student route visa in the UK, and you are now looking to work, complete further study and continue living in the UK.
To be eligible for this visa, you must have successfully completed your degree for which you were issued the Student visa. Your previous education provider, where you studied your degree in the UK, will need to confirm to the UKVI that you have successfully completed your degree before you can apply for your Graduate route visa.
If you are completing your studies at the Guildhall School and wish to continue your studies here, we will confirm your final grade internally with the Student Records team and notify the UKVI, and then yourselves, so you can apply for the Graduate route visa.
You can use the Graduate route visa to study at Guildhall School on our Advanced Certificate courses only (this course is not eligible for sponsorship under the Student route visa).
The cost of the Graduate route visa application is £822. You will also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee for each year you will be in the UK.
EEA and Swiss Nationals
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and along with this the transitional period and freedom of movement between the UK and the EEA ceased. Therefore, it's highly likely that EEA and Swiss citizens who do not have EU pre-settled or settled status will need to apply for the Student route visa to study at Guildhall School.
If you have EU pre-settled or settled status, please detail this in your application and provide a share code for us to verify. More information on how to generate a share code can be found on the UKVI website - View and prove your immigration status.
There have been some recent updates to the EUSS scheme, including the decision to automatically extend the validity length of pre-settled status holders, even if no EU Settled application has been made. You can find more information about this on the following website and see if it applies to you, on the UKVI website.
Electronic visas (eVisas) and BRPs
The UKVI aims to replace all Biometric Resident Permits (BRPs) with electronic visas (evisas) by the end of 2024.
UKVI are now inviting all students who have been issued with a BRP (either in 2024 or in previous years) to create an online UKVI account so they can prove their immigration permission using an eVisa. If you would like further information about eVisas, we recommended you read the information on the UKVI eVisa website.
Current Students
If you are a current student (i.e. you started your course in September 2023 or earlier) you should create a UKVI account as soon as possible. There are step by step instructions for how to do this on the eVisa webpage. When you create your UKVI account make sure to use your current passport that you will be using to travel. When your eVisa is available for you to view, please generate a share code and send this to the Immigration team at immigration@gsmd.ac.uk. They will then verify your immigration permission for the rest of your course and update your student record.
New Students
If you are a new student joining a course in September 2024 (including students who have studied at Guildhall School before), please be aware that the UKVI will continue to issue physical Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) to some students until 31 October 2024. Others may receive a digital eVisa upon application. Regardless which visa you are issued with, you will be able to travel to the UK and we will be able to enrol you onto your course.
Issued with a BRP:
If you are given an entry clearance visa to travel to the UK then please travel to UK after the start date of your entry visa. Once you've arrived in the UK, you will need to follow the instructions you have been given on your visa decision letter to pick up your BRP. Please bring your BRP and other documents to registration and we will then hopefully be able to register you for your course.
After enrolment, you will then need to create a UKVI account. When you create your UKVI account make sure to use your current passport that you will be using to travel. When your eVisa is available for you to view please generate a share code and send this to the Immigration team at immigration@gsmd.ac.uk. They will then verify your immigration permission for the rest of your course and update your student record. In the meantime, please keep your BRP and make sure you take it with you when you travel. This is important as you may need to show it when leave and re-enter the UK.
Issued with an eVisa:
After you have accessed your eVisa you should generate a share code and send it to the Immigration team at immigration@gsmd.ac.uk. They will verify your immigration permission of the rest of your course and update your student record. When you arrive at in-person registration we will need to check that travelled to the UK after the start date of your permission to be in the UK. Please be prepared to show us evidence of the date you travelled to the UK. For example, a copy of your flight e-ticket or boarding pass which includes your date of travel to the UK.
To aid BRP holders to switch to a digital visa, the UKVI has created helpful videos detailing the step-by-step process. Additionally, the UKVI is updating the UKVI Online Immigration Status (eVisas) page regularly with advice for current BRP holders and what to do to switch to an eVisa before the end of 2024. The UKCISA website has also recently released a new eVisa related page which can be found here: UKCISA eVisa. As ever, you can email the Immigration team at immigration@gsmd.ac.uk should you have any further queries.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is not a visa, but it does allow nationals from certain countries, the permission to travel to the UK.
You will only need an ETA if you are coming to the UK as a visitor. If you travel to the UK using an ETA, you will still need to seek a visitor visa on-arrival to the UK. ETA will replace the single-use Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW). ETA is multi-use, allowing multiple trips during its two-year validity.
If you are a national of a country on the list set out by the UKVI, then you will need to apply for the ETA prior to leaving your country for the UK. The latest list of countries can be found on the UKVI website - Apply for Electonic Travel Authorisation.
Erasmus students
If you have been accepted to complete an Erasmus programme with the Guildhall School, then it is most likely you will be an EU citizen. In this case, you will not need to apply for a visa to enter the UK.
The UKVI regulations state that EEA and Swiss nationals are able to enter and study in the UK for up to 6 months without a visa or immigration permission.
If you are not an EU citizen, please contact the immigration team for more information about what immigration permission you will require to study at the Guildhall.
CAS and the Student visa
If you require a Student Route visa to study in the UK, you will need to make an application this summer - even if you currently hold a valid Student Route visa from Guildhall School or another institution. Before you can make your visa application, you will first need a unique Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) number from Guildhall School; we will be able to assign this as soon as you have:
- met all the entry criteria listed in your offer letter; and
- paid your tuition fee deposit (if applicable); and
- submitted a CAS Request Form and its supporting documents.
From May onwards, offer holders who require a visa, will be able to log on to the their eGo portal and read 'Student Visa: A Guide for Students'. This can be found along with the CAS request form and other guidance material under 'My Applications’ > ‘Manage my Application’ > 'Immigration and Visa actions' tab.
When filling out the CAS request form, you will also need to prepare any supporting documents you intend to submit with your visa application. The immigration team at Guildhall can help you check through documents to make sure they are suitable for submission to the UKVI.
Important things to note:
- The preparation time needed to make a successful visa application can be quite long, so you should contact the immigration team as early as possible to ensure everything is ready before enrolment in September.
- We advise you not to travel extensively over the summer as this will reduce the time available to make your application.
- You will not be able to enrol if you have entered the UK as a tourist or visitor. Please note: for EU nationals applying for a Student visa, if you enter the UK prior to the start of your Student visa, you will need to leave the UK Common Travel Area and re-enter once your Student visa has been successfully approved.
For more information on the Student Route visa, please see the UK Visas & Immigration website.
Arriving in the UK
When arriving in the UK ahead of your studies with us at Guildhall School, it's important you have all the necessary visa documentation with you, just in case border control at the UK Border request to see anything in closer detail.
You must have your passport, any entry visa(s) (vignettes) which have been placed in your passport prior to your arrival in the UK, and your Home Office visa decision letter. If your passport is endorsed with an entry clearance visa, you should travel within the validity period as stated on the visa.
If you are an EU national applying for a Student visa and you enter the UK prior to the start date of your Student visa, you will need to leave the UK Common Travel Area and re-enter once your Student visa has been successfully approved.
Nationals from certain countries, may take advantage of the eGates at numerous ports of entry to the UK. More information on who can use the eGates and where they are located, can be found on the UKVI eGate webpage. Additionally, there is more detailed information about entering the UK and immigration on arrival, via the UKCISA website.
Further help and guidance
UKCISA - UK Council for International Student Affairs
UKCISA is a free online service which provides information on Student immigration in the UK and applying for permission from inside and outside the UK. It is recommend you consult their webpages on the many Student visa related queries and utillise their free student advice line should you wish to speak with an immigration specialist. Their telephone number is +44 20 7788 9214 and lines are open Monday-Friday between 1pm-4pm UK time.
UKVI - UK Visas and Immigration Service
This is the UK government's visa and immigration service and is part of the Home Office. The Home Office are responsible for the issuing of visas and immigration permision to stay in the UK. It is recommended that you contact this service if you have any queries about your visa or the conditions surrounding your stay in the UK. They have a dedicated contact page which is the best way to find the correct immigration-related help for you.
Immigration Team - Guildhall School
The immigration team at Guildhall School consist of colleagues within the Registry team who are based on floor 5 of Milton Court. You can contact the team via email: immigration@gsmd.ac.uk or arrange an appointment to come and speak to us in person.
