Applying as a visitor

Citizens of some countries are designated as visa nationals (if your country is on the list, then you are a visa national) by the Home Office. Anyone who is a visa national must make an application for Entry Clearance as a Standard Visitor from outside the UK. The visa will be issued as a sticker in your passport. Please refer to the GOV.UK website for the Standard Visitor visa application. In addition to the application you will need some supporting documents. These include:

• An original letter from Imperial College stating your personal details (name and CID number) and confirming the date(s) of your course / resit exams / viva. New students will get this letter automatically when they accept an unconditional offer of a place on a course.
• Re-sit and viva students will need to request this letter by emailing Student Records. The Student Records Team will need confirmation in writing from your department of your resit / viva dates before they can prepare the letter.
• Bank statements covering a period of at least 6 months which prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your time in the UK (we recommend at least £1350 per month that you intend to be in the country, in addition to any outstanding course fees). If you have had any recent large deposits into your account you will need to provide evidence of where that money has come from.
• It needs to be clear from your application that you do not intend to remain in the UK for longer than 6 months. So include evidence of return travel or a covering letter stating your travel plans.
• If sponsorship of your Student Visa has been withdrawn by Imperial (because you are resitting without attendance, for example) you can include a copy of the confirmation email from the Visa Compliance Team.

We highly recommend that in addition to submitting these supporting documents with your visa application you also carry them with you when you travel to the UK, so that you can present them if asked to do so by an Immigration Officer at the UK Border.

Citizens of some countries are designated as non-visa nationals (if your country is NOT on the list, then you are a non-visa national) and are able to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor without first applying for Entry Clearance before you travel. Instead, you can be stamped in on arrival at the UK border, or enter the UK through eGates. If you enter the UK as a Standard Visitor you can remain for a maximum period of 6 months.

What is an ETA?

An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a digital permission to travel that is part of the plans to transform and digitise the UK border.

An ETA will soon be a requirement for non-visa nationals who are entering the UK for less than 6 months. This will include some international (and EU) students and staff entering the UK as a Visitor to study and undertake research at UK universities. British and Irish nationals will not require an ETA.

When does the ETA scheme start?

The following countries will require an ETA from the dates listed below:

• Qatar – 15 November 2023
• Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates – 22 February 2024

The ETA scheme will replace Electronic Visa Waivers (EVW) for visitors to the UK who are nationals of:  Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates.

Throughout 2024 the ETA scheme will be rolled out in phases to different nationality groups Check when you can get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) - GOV.UK

Apply from 27 November 2024 for travel from 8 January 2025: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British national overseas), Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan (if you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan), Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United States,  and Uruguay.

Apply from 5 March 2025 for travel from 2 April 2025: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.

How to apply?

Individuals should apply for an ETA before booking travel to the UK through the ‘UK ETA app’ or by searching for ‘apply for an ETA to come to the UK’ on GOV.UK.

To apply for an ETA, individuals will need to:

• Pay a fee
• Provide contact and passport details
• Provide a valid photo, complying with the rules for digital photos on GOV.UK
• Answer a set of questions

Cost and Validity:

An ETA will cost £10 per applicant when the scheme opens for nationals from the Gulf states and Jordan, permit multiple journeys and will be valid for two years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.

If you are refused an ETA, you will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa.

Further information

For official updates regarding the UK ETA scheme, please visit GOV.UK.

You will not require a visitor visa to enter the UK for a short period of study of less than 6 months. However for UKVI compliance, you are required to provide proof of entry to the UK. Therefore you will need to ensure you upload a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket to My Visa on My Imperial before you are cleared to enrol.  On the My Visa tile, in the visa number field, please enter either “boarding pass” or “travel ticket”. The start date as the date you enter the UK and the end date as the date of departure from the UK OR +6 months from the arrival date. Then attach a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket.

If you have pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme then you will need to generate a share code so the College can verify your immigration status. The code to prove your immigration status is different to the code for right to work or right to rent checks. When prompted please select it is for “something else”.  Once you have the share code, please log in to My Imperial and go to the My Visa tile. In the Visa Type field, you will need to select EU and then in the visa number field please input the share code which will be checked. You can enter the start and end date of your permission. To proceed, please upload a copy of the pdf with your share code.

You will need to upload one of the following before you can enrol on your course.

• A copy of the entry stamp in your passport which you will receive upon arrival to the UK. You will need to select the visa type as “Short-Term Other”. In the visa number field, please enter the visa number which is on the top right hand corner of the vignette. The start date as the date you enter the UK and the end date as the date of departure from the UK OR +6 months from the arrival date. Then attach a copy of your entry stamp.

OR

• if you are eligible to use the E-gates to enter the UK then you will need to upload a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket to the UK.  In the visa number field, please enter either “boarding pass” or “travel ticket”. The start date as the date you enter the UK and the end date as the date of departure from the UK OR +6 months from the arrival date. Then attach a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket.

Once you have been granted your visa, please ensure you upload a copy of your vignette from your passport to My Visa on My Imperial. You will need to select the visa type as “Short-Term Other”. In the visa number field, please enter the visa number which is on the top right hand corner of the vignette. The start date and end date as it appears on the vignette.