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If you are not a national of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you may need a visa to study in the UK.
There have been no changes as yet to visa requirements for EEA or Swiss nationals after the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Students from the EEA or Switzerland can still study in the UK without a visa.
If you do need a visa, the type you need depends on the programme you’re studying.
|
Type of programme |
Programmes |
Type of visa |
|
Full-time |
|
Tier 4 (General) student visa (full-time) |
|
Part-time London based |
|
Tier 4 (General) student visa (part-time) |
|
Part-time - study split between London and other campuses |
|
Short Term Study
|
If you’re coming to the UK to study on a full-time programme, you’ll need:a Tier 4 (General) student visa.
We’ll give you plenty of information and guidance on how to apply for your visa as soon as you’re accepted on to the programme but here’s what you need to know in advance.
Once you are accepted at LBS, 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 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 have access to sufficient funding to cover one year of tuition fees, as well as the maintenance requirement set by UKVI (currently £11,385 GBP).
Tier 4 students are required to pay an Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) as part of the Tier 4 visa application. This is currently set at £300 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 caps the length of time a non-EU student can study in the UK with a Tier 4 visa. The cap is set as follows:
The length of study is based on the validity of previous visas, not the period of study itself, which may mean future study in the UK is more restricted. London Business School can only support visa sponsorship under Tier 4 for students who still have sufficient study time in the UK. For our full-time programmes, including visa coverage before and after the programme, the amount of time needed is:
After you have applied to LBS, we will help you check whether the study limit poses any concerns and will work with you to advise if your application can proceed.
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.
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 £11,385 GBP).
Tier 4 students are required to pay an Immigration Healthcare Surcharge (IHS) as part of the Tier 4 visa application. This is currently set at £300 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 caps the length of time a non-EU student can study in the UK with a Tier 4 visa. The cap is set as follows:
The length of study is based on the validity of previous visas, not the period of study itself which may mean future study in the UK is more restricted. LBS can only support visa sponsorship under Tier 4 for students who still have sufficient study time in the UK.
After you have applied to LBS, we provide support in checking whether or not the study limit poses any concerns and will work with you to advise if your application can proceed.
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 you 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.
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 and do not need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) part-time visa. 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’re coming to study on a part-time programme and don’t already have immigration permission (due to work based in the UK or previous residence in the UK), there are two main options for you:
Note that you won’t be able to study at LBS on a standard tourist visa, either issued in advance or on arrival in the UK.
The Executive MBA Dubai, Executive MBA Global Americas and Europe, and Executive MBA Global Asia fall within the UKVI definition of distance learning. This is because a significant amount of the programmes takes place outside the UK.
If you’re on one of these programmes and don’t already have immigration permission for the UK (if you work in the UK for example, or had previous residence in the UK), you have two main options:
The process for obtaining a short-term study visa depends on your country of nationality. UKVI splits the process between non-visa nationals and visa nationals. Check which applies to you on the UKVI website (Appendix 2).
If you are a non-visa national, you don’t need to apply for a short-term study visa before you travel. Instead, you can travel to the UK and present your papers upon arrival (including your visa support letter from London Business School and recent formal evidence that you can support yourself financially while in the UK). The visa will be stamped into your passport.
If you are a visa national, you need to apply for a short-term study visa before you travel to the UK. Your application needs to include a formal visa support letter from London Business School and formal financial documents to show that you can support yourself financially while in the UK.
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 and do not need to apply for a Tier 4 (General) part-time visa. 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, as well as continuing to carry 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.
London life
Prepare to live in one of the world’s most exciting cities. Explore parks, visit galleries, go to a show or dine in a different restaurant every day - the opportunities are endless.
READ MORETogether with the UK government, we are committed to helping the brightest and the best make a contribution to the British economy. Your options are:
We will guide and support you each step of the way.
As a recent UK graduate from a full-time programme completed on a Tier 4 study visa, you qualify for an exemption from the Resident Labour Market Test. Employers are easily able to sponsor our alumni on a Tier 2 visa and offer them post-study job opportunities.
For students not on full-time programmes, or not on Tier 4 visas, it is still possible to find Tier 2 employment with recruiters looking for highly skilled employees. Our Career Centre team and visa team work to help all our students find employment after their studies.
Graduate visa route (Further information to follow)
London Business School is proud to be able to endorse students and alumni for the Start-up visa. This visa is aimed at early stage entrepreneurs who want to stay in the UK to develop an innovative, scalable and viable business in the UK. The visa gives you 2 years to stay in the UK after your studies to establish and grow your business.
