A visa national is a national of a country that is required to apply in advance of travelling for a visa to come to the UK to study at Queen’s University Belfast. You can check if you require a visa to travel to the UK here on UKVI’s website. Students are responsible for obtaining a valid visa prior to the program start date.

If you are a U.S. citizen or hold a passport from a non-visa national country and plan to study in the UK for up to six months for the N.U.in Program at Queen’s University Belfast, you can enter the UK as a Standard Visitor without needing a visa. However, you must meet certain requirements, including preparing supporting documents and obtaining Electronic Travel Authorization. This is relevant for U.S. students who intend to request Visitor immigration permission upon arriving in the UK.

All non-visa nationals will need to apply for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling to the UK if they are studying for less than 6 months and planning to apply for Visitor immigration permission at the UK border (e.g., airport or ferry terminal) on arrival. ETA is permission to travel to the UK, which is linked to your passport. The ETA application costs £16 and normally takes 3 working days to be processed. Once the ETA has been granted, it will last for 2 years. If you renew or replace your passport, you will require a new ETA. You can check if you will require an ETA and how to apply on the UKVI website: ETA Guidance.

You do not need to apply for ETA if you have been issued with a visa, for example a Student visa, before travelling to the UK.

If you plan to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor Visa student, then you may need to declare that study is the main purpose of your visit to the Immigration Officer at the UK border. Please make sure to keep your original passport and copies of all other necessary documents before you travel to the UK. You may be asked to produce the supporting documents again to the Immigration Officer at the port of entry. All students should confirm supporting documentation requirements directly with the UK consular authority responsible for their country of residence.

When applying for a Visitor study visa, you must ensure that you submit the required supporting documents with your application:

• Visitor Study visa letter issued from Queen’s Study Abroad Office
• A valid passport
• Several months’ bank statements showing that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay in the UK. We recommend showing evidence of around £1,136 per month of your visit.
• Evidence of where you will be staying in Belfast for your studies (QUB Accommodation will email you details of your room allocation in August)
• Evidence that you intend to return home at the end of your studies, i.e. return ticket (or enough money to buy a plane ticket.

If applying for a Visitor Study Visa in advance of travelling to the UK, you must complete and pay for the online application and submit the above supporting documents. You will either need to attend a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to have your fingerprints and photograph taken as part of your application or alternatively, you may be directed to apply using the UK Immigration: ID Check App.

Cost

The application fee for the Visitor Study Visa is £127 (or equivalent in your local currency) when you apply for the visa in advance. There is no charge if you are a non-visa national and you apply at a UK airport.

Processing Time

The standard application processing time is three weeks; however, we recommend that you do not book your flights to the UK until your visa has been granted. If you have any further questions about your visa, please contact the Immigration Support team at immigration@qub.ac.uk, where the immigration advisers will be happy to help. You can also find further information about applying for a visitor visa on UKVI's website.