STUDENT VISITOR VISA - LESS THAN 6 MONTHS

This is a fairly simple procedure, and you do not need to show a proof of level or financial guarantee. You will just need to provide us with your home address and a copy of your passport at the time of booking.

We will then send your enrolment to the school and send your invitation letter within 10 working days (depending on where you live). Please note that if you require the letter sent out to you by courier service (FedEx, DHL or UPS) there will be an additional fee of approx £50 (depending on where you live) that will need to be paid before we send the letter.

You will need to include this invitation letter from the school in your application at the embassy. We recommend booking at least 8-10 weeks before the start of the course, at which point only the deposit of GBP 200.00 and postage fee need to be paid to receive the invitation letter. The balance needs to be paid 4 weeks before the start of the course. Any booking made 6 weeks or less before the start date will require full payment.

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GENERAL STUDENT VISA - 6 MONTHS OR MORE

The immigration rules to enter the UK are strict and getting a general student visa can be difficult if you are not prepared for the application at the embassy.

In order to process your enrolment and help you with our visa application, we will require the following information at the time of booking:

1. Home address (in your country)
2. Name and telephone number of an emergency contact
3. Copy of passport
4. Certificate of English Language studies in English from your previous school/university showing your level of English

Certificates of English Language Studies must be signed and stamped by the Institute which issued the certificate. If the document is not in English we will also need a fully certified translation by a professional translator; the translation must include the translator’s qualifications, confirmation that it is an accurate translation, the date and the translator’s signature.

The certificate must demonstrate that the student has reached at least Pre-intermediate / Intermediate level of English or B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). The certificate must also clearly state the course dates and should have been issued within the last two years.

Other certificates accepted as proof of level include:

• IELTS 4.0 or above
• TOEIC 550 points or above

In the instance that a student’s application is supported by a private tutor, confirmation from the tutor will be required, showing the dates that the student commenced and completed their tuition. A copy of the tutor’s teaching qualification will also be required to support the student’s application.

If a student does not have a document that clearly shows their English level, for example a high school transcript, the student can only be accepted if he/she takes the school’s placement test, and may also be required to do an oral placement test.

Once all these requirements have been fulfilled and payment has been made, we will send your enrolment to the school and they will issue a CAS Statement. This document is similar to a Visa Letter and contains all the required information. The CAS statement will include a CAS reference number which will be needed for the visa application form.

Please note that you will not receive an original CAS statement and this document will always be sent by email. An original CAS statement is NOT necessary for the visa application.

Any changes to an application after a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) has been issued will be reported by the school to the UK Border Agency. We will require an explanation of any changes to the application before they can be implemented. A change of start date after the Student Visa is granted will only be allowed in special circumstances and must fulfill Visa requirements.

We recommend booking at least 8-10 weeks before the start of the course, at which point only the deposit of GBP 200.00 need to be paid. The balance need to be paid 4 weeks before the start of the course. Any booking made 6 weeks or less before the start date will require full payment.

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GETTING READY FOR THE EMBASSY INTERVIEW

Below you will find further information on the preparation for the pre-visa interview with the Entry Clearance Officer at the British Embassy or for writing the personal statement.

• Money
• Learning English in the UK
• Your School
• Your Course

MONEY

You will be asked questions such as: Where will you stay in the UK? How much will it cost per week? How much will your food and living costs be? How are you going to support yourself? Have you got a regular income from your family or a sponsor who will send you money every month?

Advice: You will need to be able to demonstrate to the British Embassy that you have enough money to support your stay in the UK. If you have a general student visa you may be able to work part-time, but you should not rely on this when working out your costs. Make sure you can provide documentation for all your accounts, as well the accounts of any sponsors who will provide regular income.

Below is information on the average cost of living in London per week. Remember this is just an example, and costs vary from person to person, depending on your lifestyle. The costs below assume that you are living on a relatively small budget. If you want to check how much these cost in your currency have a look at: http://finance.yahoo.com/currency or http://money.cnn.com/data/currencies/

• Accommodation £60 - £120
• Food £25 - £50
• Travel £15
• Entertainment £20 - £50
• Other £15 - £50

Total £135 - £285

Below is more specific information on the costs of certain items in the UK. Prices are based on average supermarket prices and can be either higher or lower depending on quality.

• Travel card in London (zone 1 and 2 with 30% discount) £59.60 per month
• Bus Pass in London (all zones with 30% discount) £36.10 per month
• 1 cinema ticket £5-£8
• Restaurant meal £10-£30
• 1 pint (568ml) of beer (in a pub) £2-£3
• 1 bottle of wine (from supermarket) £5.00
• 1kg rice £0.70
• 1kg apples £1.50
• 500g beef steak £4.00
• 500g cheese £2.50
• 10 eggs £1.25
• 1 litre orange juice £0.65
• 1 litre of milk £0.55

Please ask us for an evaluation for the cost of life in the city you have chosen.

LEARNING ENGLISH IN THE UK

You may be asked questions such as: Why do you want to learn English in the UK? What benefits will a trip to the UK bring to you that can’t be gained in your country? How have you demonstrated an interest in the UK and its culture?

Advice: Living in the UK is an opportunity to be immersed in the British language and culture and learn about them first hand.

YOUR SCHOOL

Why did you choose to study in one particular city? How did you choose your school out of all the schools on offer?

Advice:All the schools we work with are British Council accredited. The British Council regularly inspects organizations in the UK offering courses in English as a foreign language, and if they meet agreed high standards of quality they then become accredited. This is your guarantee of choice and quality.

Why choose an accredited centre?

The accreditation monitors and improves standards of management, teaching, resources and welfare in organizations teaching English as a foreign language in Britain.

This is done through regular inspections including unannounced spot checks. Each inspection leads to a report on the organization’s services and facilities. The areas of inspection are:

• appropriately qualified teachers
• teaching which meets the Scheme standards
• accommodation, including homestays, which is regularly inspected and meets Scheme standards
• 24- hour supervision of juniors
• safe premises, with properly-equipped classrooms and areas for relaxation
• proper emergency procedures, known to staff and students.

Please ask us for more details on the school you have chosen.

YOUR COURSE

What will it teach you? How many students in a class? Where will the students in your class come from? How is the course organized? How many hours per week is the course? Will you take an exam? What sort of exam? What do you expect to have learnt by the end of your course? How exactly will it help your career? What will you do when you return?

Advice: See below for general information. Ask us for a detailed syllabus of your course.

Background Information About Your Course

All of the teachers in the schools we work with are fully qualified native-speakers and you will be fully immersed in the language outside the classroom as well. This will be an opportunity to take the first steps in English language learning, or to improve skills you already have.

Make sure that you know as many details as possible about your course and any exams that you may wish to take. Below is some general information on the courses but please do not hesitate to ask us for more detailed information on the course from your school.

General Course

This is the most popular course because it covers all of the main language skills: grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, reading, and writing, listening and speaking. General English courses are appropriate for those who wish to use their English as a job qualification, for travel, for living in an English speaking country or for studying at an institution where English is the language of instruction.

The courses are usually available at seven levels of proficiency, ranging from Beginner (someone with little or no knowledge of the language), through Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-intermediate and Advanced, to Proficiency (someone who is approaching native-like proficiency in the language). On average students can expect to progress a level every 4-8 weeks depending on ability and work levels.

Intensive Course

This is the same format as the general course, only with more lessons, therefore more exposure to the language. It is ideal for students who have less time to study or want to learn as much as possible in the shortest time possible.

Individual Course

This course is designed to adapt to the specific requirements of you, the student. It is tailor-made to your individual needs and interests, and will progress at just the right speed for you.

Sometimes you will alternate teachers to give you exposure to different accents and/or to learn vocabulary specific to your business. This is especially suitable if you want to work on areas that you feel may need more practice or work on topics of special interest to you.

IELTS Exam Preparation Course

For university entrance, the most popular UK exam is the International English Language Testing System - IELTSu>. It is recognized as an entrance requirement by British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian universities and for secondary, vocational and training programs.

This course usually allows you to study from 1 to 12 weeks, and consists of lessons of General English (very useful for the IELTS exam) combined with lessons specifically preparing for the IELTS exam, which you can take whenever you are ready to. You can arrange the exact date of the exam when you arrive in the UK.

The examination fee is not included in the course price. Each of the test centres schedules their administrations to suit local needs. All candidates are tested in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.

Cambridge Exam Preparation Course

Cambridge ESOL exams are the world's leading range of certificates for learners of English. Each year they are taken by over 2 million people, in 130 countries. They can help you gain entrance to a university or college, improve your job prospects and measure your progress in English.

There are 3 Cambridge ESOL Examinations; the First Certificate in English (FCE) for Intermediate level, the Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) for Upper-intermediate and the Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) for Advanced English speakers.

They are world-renowned exams offered at 3 ability levels recognized all over the World. Rigorous preparation programs develop all the language and examination skills you need to succeed. The courses each blend general language study with specific examination work.

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CANCELLATIONS AND VISA REFUSALS

If the client wishes to cancel their booking this must be done in writing by the person who signed the booking form or who made the online order. The date of cancellation will be taken as the date that the company receives the letter.

The cancellation charges are:

• 43 days or more before departure = deposit only + any non-flexible travel products
• between 28-42 days before departure = 40% + any non-flexible travel products
• between 8-27 days before departure = 60% + any non-flexible travel products
• between 1-7 days before departure = 100% + any non-flexible travel products

After a course has started there is no refund for any course, accommodation or any other item booked.

Where a client has made a reasonable attempt to obtain a visa for the destination country within a reasonable timescale but is unable to obtain the visa, all money will be returned minus the £200 deposit (and postage fee if applicable) on receipt of written confirmation from the relevant consulate detailing the visa rejection (only original documents will be accepted), In cases where an original invitation letter has been sent out by post, this will need to be returned too.

For cancellations and visa rejections within 14 days of the date of departure, the company reserves the right to levy an additional charge equal to the price of a week’s tuition and accommodation at the chosen school and location.

For more details please read our full Terms and Conditions.

For more information on visa requirements and applications, please ask your local British consulate or visit the British Foreign Office website.

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English courses in the UK >

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