Introduction
Sable International is a trusted partner for all Child Student and UK immigration applications.
We have been providing immigration services for over 30 years and are regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA).
This booklet provides information for parents and legal guardians of overseas children regarding visas and related travel and reception arrangements.
Please take the time to read through this information which is designed to provide a helpful overview of the process for obtaining a visa, if required, and to introduce the documentation which will need to be provided in
Should any aspect of the processes outlined in the following pages be unclear, or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
Visa requirements
NEW STUDENTS
A Child Student visa is required for children aged four to 17 who want to study at an independent (private) school in the UK that holds a Child Student sponsor licence.
A child should apply:
• Up to six months before the course start date if applying from outside the UK.
• The child can travel to the UK up to one month before their course starts.
• The child must obtain their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from their school.
• The visa length typically covers the course duration plus extra time (up to four months, depending on the course), but cannot extend past their 18th birthday under this route.
RETURNING STUDENTS
A child should apply if they are:
• In the UK and currently on a Child Student visa.
• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed Child Student sponsor - shown by your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
• Up to three months before the course start date.
• You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.
Required documents
Please upload clear copies of the following documents using this link: Upload Documents
• Signed Client Care Letter with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) consent
• Signed Home Office verification consent form
• Completed and signed visa questionnaire
• The applicant’s Passport ID page
• Birth certificate
• Certified English translation of birth certificate (if applicable Find a translator
• Parental consent letter - signed by both parents
• Letter of Undertaking (Guardian arrangement)
• Tuberculosis certificate - countries where you need a TB test can be found here
• Financial evidence - nationalities that do not need to provide financial evidence at the point of application can be found here Depending on your circumstances, we may request additional documents.
Home office veri cation form
Needs to be completed and signed by the applicant.
Are the funds required for this visa application in a joint account? (A bank account you share with another person). If yes, the owner of the account should sign. If there is no joint account, then please leave Part 2 blank.
The person/s responsible for the applicant's financial sponsorship (including but not limited to their
Original birth certificate and certified English translation
A properly certified translation must include:
• A statement that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document.
• The translator’s (or translation agency’s) full name and signature.
• The date the translation was completed.
• Translator’s (or agency’s) contact details.
• All parts of the original document must be translated - not just selected fields. That includes stamps, seals, margins, official marks, and handwritten notes where present.
• Find a translator
Parental consent letter
When the application for the visa is made, it must be accom panied by the express written consent of both parents (or one parent if they have sole responsibility) or the legal guardian of the child.
This must confirm they consent to:
• The visa application
• The living arrangements and care in the UK
• The child’s travel to the UK
• The nomination of the educational guardian/carer
Educational guardian
All children under the age of 18 coming to study must have a UK-based education guardian. This is not the same as a legal guardian, and arrangements for this must be in place before the submission of the visa application.
• The education guardian must reside in the UK and within a reasonable distance from the school.
• The education guardian will be responsible for travel and accommodation arrangements for the child during exeats, half-terms, holidays and in times of emergency.
• If you do not have an education guardian, please contact Sable Guardians and they will assist with visa paperwork and a Letter of Undertaking, ensuring compliance with UKVI regulations.
Guardianship agreement and Letter of Undertaking
An educational guardian Letter of Undertaking is a key document for Child Student visa applications. UKVI expects it to clearly demonstrate that suitable care, accommodation, and welfare arrangements are in place for the child while in the UK.
Clearly identify the educational guardian:
• Full name of guardian/organisation
• UK residential address
• Telephone number and email address
• Passport number (or company registration number if an organisation)
• Relationship to the child (if applicable)
• If a guardianship company, state:
• That the organisation is legally registered in the UK
• Confirmation of safeguarding and child protection policies
• Signed by the guardians and dated
Supported documentation for educational guardians
For a Child Student visa, UKVI expects the educational guardian Letter of Undertaking to be supported by clear documentary evidence showing that the guardian is genuine, suitable, and UK-based:
• Copy of guardian’s passport bio page
• Proof of UK immigration status (if not a British citizen): eVisa, BRP or share code
• Proof of address: a recent utility bill (electricity, water or council tax)
• Passports of all individuals 10 years or older who regularly live at the address
• Relationship evidence if the guardian is a relative: birth certificates showing the relationship chain or legal documents confirming the family link
• Guardianship organisation: confirmation the organisation is UK-registered and operating, and a copy of the caseworker’s passport
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
Your school is an approved education provider licensed by UKVI to be able to sponsor Child Student visa applications. Having made an offer of an unconditional place, we will create a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
A CAS is a document created by Sable International, on behalf of an education provider, via the UKVI website.
As part of issuing a CAS, we will confirm to UKVI that the child has received an unconditional offer of a place at the school and will provide information about the course, the school’s offer, the fees payable, paid, and passport details. The CAS will be reviewed by UKVI staff when processing the visa application.
The CAS that is issued must show a valid passport number on the date the visa application is made. It is for this reason that you should renew the passport now if it is due to expire before travel.
Difference between a UKVI Identity Check and biometric appointment
When applying for a UK visa, applicants may be asked to complete either a UKVI Identity Check using the UK Immigration: ID Check app or attend an in-person biometric appointment at an authorised Visa Application Centre (VAC) in the country where the The process required depends on the applicant’s location, nationality, age,
The UKVI Identity Check is a digital identity verification process completed using the official UKVI mobile
A biometric appointment requires the applicant to attend a VAC in person.
• The applicant’s passport is scanned and verified at the biometric appointment which forms part of the identity verification required by UKVI.
• The appointment takes approximately 60 minutes.
• The VAC now returns passports rather than holding them until a decision is made.
• The UK Government has transitioned from physical visa documents (vignettes and other printed immigration proofs) to a fully digital system called an eVisa. This change is part of an ongoing digitalisation programme to make immigration processes faster, more secure, and paperless.
Visa application processing times
• UKVI currently suggests that a decision on a visa application will be given within 15 working days.
• Expedited services may be available from UKVI at an additional cost of £500 for priority service.
• Priority service reduces the processing time to five working days.
• This service is subject to availability.
Visa application fees
• UKVI currently charges a fee of £524 to apply for a Child Student visa.
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees
• Visa nationals coming to the UK for periods of six months or more are required to pay for healthcare via the Immigration Health Surcharge.
• This fee is payable in advance regardless of whether the applicant is likely to use the healthcare services in the UK.
• The current annual charge is £776 a year, payable in local currency. However, the Home Office calculates the IHS in six-month periods.
• Where the total immigration permission applied for includes part of a year, the IHS payable is rounded up to the next six-month period.
• For Child-Student visas, the Home Office issues the visa one month before the course start date and adds approximately four months onto the end of their visa.
• Example: The course starts in February and ends in August. The visa will be valid from January to December. As such, the Home Office will charge for one year’s IHS for a seven-month course.
Electronic Travel Authorisation is a digital permission to travel to short visits only. It applies to nationals who do not require a visit visa.
An ETA allows travel to the UK for:
Tourism or visiting family/friends
Short-term study only (up to 6 months)
Child Student visa.
A child may enter the UK on an ETA only if:
• The study period is 6 months or less, and
• The course is not a full-time long-term school placement, and
• The child will leave the UK at the end of the visit.
Switching from ETA to Child Student visa
• A child cannot switch from an ETA to a Child Student visa from within the UK.
• The Child Student visa must be applied for from outside the UK.
• Entering the UK on an ETA with the intention to study long-term may result in refusal of a future visa.
