Immigration Rules Appendix Child Student
Immigration Rules for Child Students
The Child Student route is for a person aged between 4 and 17 who wants to study at an independent school in the UK, which is a student sponsor.
A person aged 16 or 17 who wants to study a course at or above Regulated Qualifications Framework level 3 or Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework level 6, can choose either to apply as a Child Student at an independent school or as a Student under Appendix Student.
- CS 1.1. A person applying for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Child Student must apply on the specified form on gov.uk as follows:
- (a) for applicants outside the UK applying for entry clearance, form “Child Student visa”; or
- (b) or applicants in the UK applying for permission to stay, form “Child Student”.
- CS 1.2. An application for entry clearance or permission to stay as a Child Student must meet all the following requirements:
- (a) any fee and Immigration Health Charge must have been paid; and
- (b) the applicant must have provided biometrics when required; and
- (c) the applicant must have provided a passport or other travel document which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality; and
- (d) the applicant must on the date of application have a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies reference number that was issued to the applicant no more than 6 months before the date of application.
- CS 1.3. The applicant must be between 4 and 17 years old at the date of application.
- CS 1.4. If the applicant has, in the last 12 months before the date of application, completed a course of studies in the UK for which they have been awarded a scholarship or sponsorship by a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs for study in the UK, they must provide written consent in relation to the application from that Government or agency.
- CS 1.5. If applying for permission to stay, the applicant must be in the UK on the date of application.
- CS 1.5A. If applying for permission to stay, the applicant must not have, or have last been granted, permission:
- (a) as a Visitor; or
- (b) as a Short-term Student; or
- (c) outside the Immigration Rules.
- CS 1.6. An application which does not meet all the validity requirements for a Child Student may be rejected as invalid and not considered.
- CS2.1. The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part 9: grounds for refusal.
- CS2.2. A person applying for permission to stay must not be:
- (a) in the UK in breach of immigration laws, except that where paragraph 39E applies, that period of overstaying will be disregarded; or
- (b) on immigration bail.
Entry requirements for a Child Student
- CS 3.1. A person seeking to come to the UK as a Child Student must apply for and obtain entry clearance as a Child Student before they arrive in the UK.
- CS 3.2. A person applying for entry clearance as a Child Student must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming that they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.
Date of application requirement for a Child Student
- CS 4.1. An application for entry clearance as a Child Student must be made no more than 6 months before the start date of the course as stated on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
- CS 4.2. An application for permission to stay must be made no more than 3 months before the start date of the course on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
- CS 4.3. An application for permission to stay must be for a course with a start date no more than 28 days after the expiry date of the previous permission to stay.
Genuine Child Student Requirement
- CS 5.1. An applicant aged 16 or 17 years old must be a genuine student.
Points Requirement for a Child Student
- CS 6.1. The applicant must be awarded all 70 points in the table below
| Points type | Relevant requirements to be met | Number of points |
|---|---|---|
| Study | • Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies requirement • Course requirement • Study at an independent school • Aged between 4 and 17 when applying • Parental consent |
50 |
| Financial | • Financial requirement | 20 |
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies requirement for a Child Student
- CS 7.1. The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must have been issued by a student sponsor which is an independent school whose sponsor licence is still valid on the date on which the application is decided.
- CS 7.2. The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must not have been used in a previous application which was either granted or refused (but could have been relied upon in a previous application which was rejected as invalid, made void or withdrawn).
- CS 7.3. The student sponsor must not have withdrawn the offer since the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was issued.
- CS 7.4. The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must contain the necessary information to confirm that the course requirement is met.
- CS 7.5. The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies must state the cost of accommodation and fees (and any payment already made) so that the financial requirement can be assessed.
Course requirement for a Child Student
- CS 8.1. The application must be for a single course of study that meets the requirements at CS 8.2, unless it is for a combined pre-sessional course that meets the requirement at CS 11.1.
- CS 8.2. The course for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has been assigned must be one of the following:
- (a) taught in accordance with the National Curriculum; or
- (b) taught in accordance with the Recognised Qualification Framework (RQF), and is not a foundation course intended to prepare the Child Student for entry to a course provided by a higher education provider; or
- (c) accepted as being of equivalent academic status to (a) or (b) above by Ofsted (England), the Education and Training Inspectorate (Northern Ireland), Education Scotland (Scotland) or Estyn (Wales); or
- (d) provided in accordance with prevailing Independent School education inspection standards.
Parental consent requirement for a Child Student
- CS 9.1. The applicant must meet the parental consent requirement for applicant not applying as a dependent child in Appendix Children.
- CS 9.2. DELETED
- CS 9.3. If the applicant will be living with a close relative or private foster carer, that close relative or foster carer must be:
- (a) a British citizen; or
- (b) settled in the UK.
- CS 9.4. The close relative or private foster carer (the intended carer) must provide a letter of undertaking which contains the following information:
- (a) the name, current address and contact details of the intended carer; and
- (b) the address where the intended carer and the applicant will be living in the UK, if different from the intended carer’s current address; and
- (c) confirmation that the accommodation offered to the applicant is a private address, and not operated as a commercial enterprise, such as a hotel or a youth hostel; and
- (d) the nature of the relationship between the applicant’s parent(s) or legal guardian and the intended carer; and
- (e) that the intended carer agrees to the care arrangements for the applicant; and
- (f) that the intended carer has at least £570 per month available to look after and accommodate the applicant, for each month of the course up to a maximum of 9 months; and
- (g) a list of any other people that the intended carer has offered to support; and
- (h) the intended carer’s signature and date of the letter of undertaking.
- CS 9.5. If the applicant is staying in a private foster care arrangement and is aged under 16 years, the applicant must also provide:
- (a) a copy of the letter of notification from their parent, legal guardian or intended carer to the UK local authority, confirming that the applicant will be in the care of a private foster carer while in the UK; and
- (b) the UK local authority’s confirmation of receipt, confirming that the local authority has received notification of the private foster care arrangement and have given permission to the arrangement.
Financial requirement for a Child Student
- CS 10.1. If the applicant is applying for permission to stay and has been in the UK with permission for 12 months or longer on the date of application, they will meet the financial requirement and do not need to show funds.
- CS 10.2. If the applicant is applying for entry clearance, or permission to stay where they have been in the UK for less than 12 months on the date of application, the applicant must show the following funds:
| Living arrangements | Funds required |
|---|---|
| Boarding at a residential independent school | Sufficient funds to pay the outstanding course fees and boarding fees for one academic year |
| Living during term-time with a private foster carer or close relative who is a British Citizen or settled in the UK | Sufficient funds to pay the outstanding course fees for one academic year. The private foster carer or close relative must have funds of at least £570 per month for each month of the course up to the maximum of 9 months. |
| Living with a parent or legal guardian who has permission as a Parent of a Child Student. | Sufficient funds to pay the outstanding course fees for one academic year and: a. if no other children are or will be under the parent’s care in the UK at the same time as the applicant, £1,560 per month for each month of the course up to maximum of 9 months; and b. if there are other children who are or will be under the parent’s care in the UK at the same time as the applicant, £625 per month for each month of the course up to a maximum of 9 months for each child, other than the applicant, being cared for by the parent. |
| Aged 16 or 17 and living independently | Sufficient funds to pay the outstanding course fees for one academic year and either: a. £1334 for each month of the course up to a maximum of 9 months where studying in London; or b. £1023 for each month of the course up to a maximum of 9 months where studying outside London. |
If the length of the applicant’s course includes a part of a month, the period of time will be rounded up to the next full month.
- CS 10.3. Unless the applicant is relying on a student loan or an award from a Government or international scholarship agency, they must show that they have held the required level of funds for a 28-day period and as specified in Appendix Finance.
- CS 10.4. The applicant must not be financially responsible for anyone else.
Combined pre-sessional course requirement for a Child Student
- CS 11.1. A single Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies can be assigned by an independent school for a combined pre-sessional course and a main course if:
- (a) the applicant has an unconditional offer of a place at the independent school; and
- (b) the duration of the pre-sessional course and period of study at the independent school does not exceed the maximum period of permission granted as set out at CS 15.2.
Evidence of qualifications requirement for a Child Student
- CS 12.1. The applicant must provide evidence of the qualifications they used to obtain the offer of a place on the course from the student sponsor.
- CS 12.2. The evidence of each qualification must be one of the following:
- (a) the certificate(s) of qualification; or
- (b) the transcript of results; or
- (c) a print out of the qualification or transcript results from the awarding body’s online checking service.
- CS 12.3. Where the applicant has provided a print out of qualifications or transcript results from the awarding body’s online checking service, the decision maker may require the applicant to provide the certificate of qualification or transcript of results.
Differential evidence requirement for a Child Student
- CS 13.1. Evidence to show that the applicant meets the financial requirement and
the requirement to provide evidence of qualifications does not need to be provided with the application (but may be required by the decision maker) if the applicant is applying from the country or territory where they are living, or from in the UK, and the applicant either:
- (a) holds a valid passport which shows they are registered as a British National (Overseas), or which was issued by the competent authorities of Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR or Taiwan (that includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan); or
- (b) is a national of any of the following:
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Croatia
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- The Dominican Republic
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Oman
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Serbia
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Thailand
- Tunisia
- United Arab Emirates
- United States of America
- CS 14.1. If the decision maker is satisfied that all the suitability and eligibility requirements for a Child Student are met, the application will be granted, otherwise the application will be refused.
- CS 14.2. If the application is refused, the person can apply for an Administrative Review under Appendix AR: Administrative Review.
- CS 15.1. The grant will subject to the following conditions:
- (a) no access to public funds; and
- (b) no work until the Child Student is aged over 16 years, then work allowed as specified in CS 16.1; and
- (c) no study except as specified in CS 17.
- (d) DELETED
- CS 15.2. The period of grant before the start of the course for an applicant applying for entry clearance will be:
- (a) the relevant period of permission granted before the course date which is set out in the table below, if entry clearance is granted 1 month or more before the start date of the course or; or
- (b) 7 days before the intended date of travel, if entry clearance is granted less than 1 month before the start date of the course; or
- (c) with immediate effect, if entry clearance is granted less than 7 days before the intended date of travel and less than 1 month before the start date of the course.
- The applicant will be granted permission for the duration of the course as specified on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies and the relevant additional periods dependant on their age as specified in the table below:
| Ages | Period of granted before course start date | Period granted for study | Period granted after course end date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16 years | 1 month | The shortest of: • the period requested by the applicant; or • the duration of the course of study; or • 6 years |
4 months |
| 16 or 17 years | 1 month | The shortest of: • the period requested by the applicant; or • the duration of the course of study; or • 3 years |
4 months |
- CS 16.1. A Child Student who is aged 16 or over may work:
- (a) for no more than 10 hours per week during term time; and
- (b) for any duration during vacation (including before the course starts); and
- (c) on a course-related work placement which forms an assessed part of the Child Student’s course; provided that any period that the Child Student spends on that placement does not exceed half of the total length of the course undertaken in the UK, unless it is a UK statutory requirement that the placement should exceed half the total length of the course.
- CS 16.2. A Child Student will not be allowed to do any of the following work:
- (a) be self-employed or engage in business activity; or
- (b) work as a professional sportsperson (including as a sports coach); or
- (c) work as an entertainer, or
- (d) work in a position which would fill a permanent full-time vacancy.
- CS 17.1. A Child Student must study on the course or courses for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned, unless:
- (a) they have yet to complete the course for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned; and
- (b) they begin study on a new course at the student sponsor institution and the new course is at a higher or the same level as the course for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned and is not a foundation course intended to prepare the student for entry to a higher education provider.
- CS 17.2. A Child Student must study with the student sponsor which issued their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, unless:
- (a) they are studying at an institution which is a partner institution of their student sponsor; or
- (b) they have made an application for permission to stay while they have permission as a Child Student which is supported by a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies assigned by a student sponsor, the application has not yet been decided, or any Administrative Review against refusal of that decision has not been determined, and the Child Student will be studying at the student sponsor that assigned the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.
- CS 17.3. Supplementary study is permitted.
- CS 17.4. A Child Student must not study at a state school or academy except for:
- (a) a voluntary grammar school with boarding in Northern Ireland: or
- (b) if the Child Student has been granted permission to study at a student sponsor which becomes a state school or academy during that period of permission, in which case the Child Student may complete the course for which the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies was assigned.