'Visa nationals' are applicants who hold a passport issued by a country listed in the Visa Nationals list of the UK Immigration Rules.

Visa nationals must apply online for their visa and be issued their visa in advance of travelling to the UK.  

The current application fee for a Visitor visa is £100.  

If you are a national of a country that does not appear in Visa Nationals list, you are considered by UKVI to be a 'non-visa national'.  

Non-visa nationals can choose to apply for their Visitor Visa before travelling to the UK, at a cost of £100, or can apply free of charge upon arrival in the UK at a UK port of entry where the Immigration Officer will give you a visitor stamp in your passport. 

You can check on UKVI's website to confirm if you are a national who can apply to get a visitor stamp in your passport upon arrival in the UK. 

Please note: if you are studying for 6 months or less and UKVI’s website states that you do not need a visa – this really means that you do not need to have applied for a visa before you travel to the UK, instead you will receive your immigration permission on arrival to the UK. 

If you are a non-visa national applying for a visa stamp upon arrival, you will arrive into a UK port of entry, speak to a UK immigration official and present your passport and supporting documents in person, in order to obtain the appropriate visitor visa stamp in your passport.

If you are permitted to use an e-Passport gate you will not receive a stamp in your passport. Please see the next section for information about using an e-Passport gate. 

If you are permitted to use an ePassport gate it will be possible for you to use this gate on arrival into a UK airport and receive 6 months Visitor immigration permission.  Using an ePassport gate will mean that you do not receive a stamp in your passport.  Therefore, when you arrive at Queen’s University you will need to provide evidence (such as a flight boarding pass) that will allow us to confirm you used a UK airport ePassport gate on arrival. 

If you are a non-visa national studying at Queen’s for less than 6 months and you are considering arriving in the UK via the Republic of Ireland for example, through Dublin airport, and intending to apply for immigration permission on arrival, you will not have the opportunity to do this because there is no immigration control at your UK arrival point (i.e. between Dublin and Belfast). However, when you arrive into the Republic of Ireland you may be granted statutory immigration authorisation known as ‘deemed leave’. If applicable to you, deemed leave will permit study in the UK for up to 6 months, further information is available here. 

You are also advised to check before travelling whether you are a national who needs an Irish visa to enter the Republic of Ireland. You can check this on the Irish Immigration Service website.

To apply for a Visitor visa you will need the following documents:

• An acceptance letter from the University which is issued by the Global Opportunities team.
• A valid passport,
• Bank statements showing you have enough money to support yourself during your stay in the UK,
• Evidence of where you will be staying during your studies,
• Evidence you intend to return home at the end of your studies, for example, a return ticket

If you are applying for a Visitor visa in advance of travelling to the UK, you can apply online on UKVI's website.  You may be required to attend a Visa Application Centre to enrol your biometric details (your photograph and fingerprints). 

The visa application fee for the Visitor visa is £100 (or the equivalent in your local currency) 

The standard processing time for a Visitor visa application is three weeks.  

You can find further information about applying for a visitor visa on UKVI's website.