Visas and Immigration
Activate Learning is a UK Visas and Immigration student sponsor overseen by the UK government and has British Council accreditation. This means we can support student visa applications for short- and long-term courses in the UK at all our campuses.
Different types of visa for studying
If you're not sure, you can check if you require a visa to come to the UK.
There are two categories of study visas in the UK:
Short-term study visa
These visas last for 6 or 11 months.
You can study any course for 6 months OR study only English for 11 months.
Student visa
International learners who need a Student visa must apply for a full-time course that is at Level 3 or higher.
Student visas
With a Student visa, you can study any full-time course approved at Level 3 or above of the National Qualifications Framework (NFQ). The course must include a minimum of 15 hours organised daytime study per week.
Extending your visa / working on your visa
If you are in the UK on a Student visa, then you can apply to extend your leave to progress to the next level, demonstrating academic progression. You will need to check before you apply that you will be able to meet the Student visa route rules.
Student visa applicants at a publicly funded further education college, are not allowed to work. You can do a work placement as part of your course, provided:
- your education provider is a Sponsor and the work placement does not make up more than 30% of the course
- or if the course is at or above NQF 6/QCF 6/SCQF 9
If you are required to register with the police, this will be stated in your passport and you will need to register within seven days of your arrival in the UK and each time your circumstances change (i.e. change of address, visa extension, etc.)
To register, you will need your passport, confirmation of student letter, registration fee, as well as two passport-size photographs of yourself.
Following registration, a Police Registration Certificate will be sent out to you. Please ensure that you keep this safe.
Please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website and the UK Council for International Student Affairs website for the latest information about the Student visa rules and requirements.
Contact us now to understand your visa requirements and what you could study with us!
Family
The following students are allowed to have dependants with them in the UK:
- Students who have financial sponsorship from a government or international sponsorship agency to study a course lasting six months or longer
- Students studying above degree level at a higher education provider with a track record of compliance on a course lasting nine months or longer
- Students who have permission, or had permission within the last three months, to study on a full-time course of six months or longer, and who are now applying for permission to study a full-time course of six months or longer where either:
- the partner or child applying has been the student’s dependant in that period
- the child applying was born since the last grant of permission to the student and they are applying at the same time as the student or the dependant partner
- Students with permission on the Doctorate Extension Scheme
- Students whose child was born in a timeframe set out at Appendix Student ST 31.2 are allowed to have that child as a dependant with them in the UK
A person applying for permission to come to the UK as a dependent partner or dependent child for more than six months must meet any requirement for a tuberculosis certificate in paragraph A39 and Appendix T of the Immigration Rules Students who are studying in the UK for less than 6 months cannot bring dependants to the UK. Child Students cannot bring dependants with them to the UK.
When you arrive
Before you start your course, we will help you learn more about living and studying in the UK.
Find out more
