Student Visa: Information for EU/EEA/Swiss Students

Unless you are an Irish national or have already obtained settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme you will need to apply for a Student visa in order to study a course longer than 6 months in the UK. You must not enter the UK as a visitor or with an ETA (Electronic Visa Authorisation) while your overseas student visa application is in progress as study is not permitted with a visitor visa or an ETA. You cannot switch from a visitor visa or an ETA to a student visa from inside the UK.

Application process for EU/EEA/Swiss applicants

You do not need to attend a biometric appointment at a Visa Application Centre as you can self-enrol biometric data when you apply through the UKVI ID app, and you will receive a ‘secure digital status’ when your visa is granted instead of a physical entry visa. Read the information on our website about how to apply for a student visa from overseas.

You should keep your boarding pass and flight details as evidence of your date of entry into the UK and provide this along with your passport and sharecode when confirming your Right to Study before your course starts.

To apply for a visa, you must:

• Have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) created by the admissions team in your academic School. Your CAS will be sent to you by e-mail and will include a statement confirming the University's assessment of your English language ability.
• Have held the required level of funds in your bank account for 28 days to cover the cost of your first year's tuition fees and your living expenses.
• Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) at £776 per year for the length of your visa (which may be longer than your course); this entitles you to access NHS services in the UK during your stay. 

Please note that EU/EEA/Swiss students are among the nationalities exempt from the requirement to obtain ATAS clearance certificate for science and technology courses that come under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ATAS scheme.

On a Student Route visa, students can work up to a maximum of 20 hours a week. See our full guidance on working with a Student route visa.

You must also familiarise yourself with the your responsibilities as a Student visa holder which apply to students of all nationalities.

Immigration Health Surcharge Refund for EU/EEA/Swiss students

You may be entitled to a refund of the Immigration Health Surcharge paid as part of your visa application if you are a full-time EU student with an EHIC card, your visa has a start date on or after 1 January 2021, and you won't work while you are in the UK.

Full details are available on the UKVI website.