Visa requirements

You can study in the UK on a Visit visa if the studies last less than 6 months. Although part-time degree programmes at London Business School last longer than 6 months, the part-time nature of the studies and the structure of the programme to be considered distance-learning for visa requirements, means studying on a Visit visa is permitted. Depending on your nationality, you may not need to apply in advance for this visa, and can instead just travel to the UK and request entry as a visitor for your studies.

Once you are accepted at London Business School, the School becomes your visa sponsor, and we provide you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to support your visa application.

You must also be able to prove that you have sufficient funding to cover tuition fees and living expenses.

There are strict rules on how to show you have sufficient funding. Full guidance is provided after you have been accepted to LBS, but it is worth ensuring in advance that you will have access to sufficient funding to cover one year of tuition fees, as well as the maintenance requirement set by UKVI (currently £12,006).

You are required to pay an Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) as part of the Student route visa application. This is currently set at £470 per year that you will be in the UK. This gives you full access to the National Health Service during your period of study.

UK immigration legislation requires students to show academic progression in their studies in the UK. This essentially means that you are expected to move from a lower level degree to a higher level degree, i.e. bachelors to masters.

If you are moving from a degree at the same level as your LBS degree (e.g. masters to masters) it may be possible for you to do so without leaving the UK, though in some instances we may advise you return home to make your visa application from outside the UK. Your Admissions Manager will be able to advise on this.

If you are moving from a higher degree to a lower degree (e.g. PhD to masters), LBS can still sponsor your visa, but you will need to return home to make your visa application from outside the UK.

• You are not permitted to work.
• You are not permitted to bring dependents. Your dependents will need to apply to come to the UK in their own right as general visitors. They will not be able to work or study.

If you already have a two, five or 10-year visit visa for the UK (e.g. for business or tourist purposes), you can study on this visa for up to 30 days in a six-month period. Your reason for holding the business or general visa must still be valid, and you may be asked for evidence of this when entering the UK. This may be evidence of required business trips to the UK, or a personal connection to the UK that requires you to visit on a regular basis.

• If you do not already have a long-term visit visa, but make frequent business trips to the UK, it may be worthwhile asking if your company can support your application for a long-term visit visa. This would allow you to study at LBS for up to 30 days in a six-month period and continue carrying out your business activities, within the limits of activities permitted on a visitor visa.
• You are not permitted to bring dependents. Your dependents will need to apply to come to the UK in their own right as general visitors. They will not be able to work or study.
• It is not possible to concurrently hold more than one visa for the UK, so please be advised that applying for a Student route part-time visa when you already have a business or general visit visa may result in the latter being cancelled.