Visa

If you have been accepted to a programme at ESCP London Campus and you have confirmed your place with us, you must check whether you require a visa before you travel to the UK.

• EU/EEA/Non-Visa and Swiss nationals do not require a visa to study in the UK for 6 months or less but an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)
• EU/EEA/Non-Visa and Swiss nationals do require a student visa to study in the UK for more than 6 months
• Visa Nationals will require a visa to study in the UK

You can check whether you require a visa at the Home Office website:

1. Enter your nationality.
2. Question: What are you coming to the UK to do? Answer: Study.
3. Question: How long are you planning to study in the UK for? Answer: "6 months or less" or "Longer than six months" (please choose depending on your situation).

The Standard Visitor visa is granted for six months and allows for multiple entries during its validity time.

On a Standard Visitor Visa:

• You can’t extend the Visa.
• You cannot switch to any other visa category.
• You would be required to return to your Home Country to apply for another country’s visa.
• You will not be allowed to work during term time or after visa.
• You can’t do an Internship while on the Standard Visitor Visa.
• You will not be eligible to apply for the Graduate Immigration Route.

You can find more information on the official government website.

Applying for Standard visitor visa

You must apply online before you come to the UK. As part of your application, you’ll need to book an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity and provide your documents.

The visa application centre may keep your passport and documents while processing your application.

To apply please visit https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor

A Standard Visitor visa costs £127 for up to 6 months. 
You can apply for a Standard Visitor visa up to three months before you plan to arrive in the UK.
Processing time is approximately three weeks after submitting an application.

Who should apply?

Students who are not from EU/EEA/Switzerland and students on the following programmes:

• MBA in International Management
• MSc in Finance
• MSc in International Business Law & Management
• MSc in Digital Transformation Management & Leadership
• MSc in Energy Management
• MSc in Marketing & Creativity
• MSc in Real Estate
• MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management
• MSc in Marketing & Digital Media
• Master in Management (one Term): Students on this programme are strongly advised to decide before they apply for a visa whether they intend to stay in the UK for one semester or two. If you intend to stay for two semesters, you must apply for the Student visa. If you intend to stay for one semester, you should apply for a Standard Visitor Visa.

Who needs to apply for ETA?

Non-Visa Nationals please check if you need Electronic Travel Authorisation(ETA) before entering the UK at Check if you require ETA

When to apply and other points to note:

• Non-visa and EU national can start the application for ETA.

• The ETA is valid for two years or until the individual's passport expires, if sooner. The application can be made online apply online or on a mobile device using the UK ETA app using the UK ETA app

• An ETA costs £16 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time.

• You’ll usually get a decision within 3 working days, but you may get a quicker decision.

• After you apply, you’ll get an email confirming you’ve got an ETA. It will be link to your passport you applied with. If you get your new passport, you’ll need to apply for new ETA.

• An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK. You still have to see a Border Force Officer to enter.

You can find more information on the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)

The Student Visa is a points-based visa system for all international students, including EU, EEA, and Swiss students, who want to study in the UK for more than 6 months and take work placement/internships in the UK.

Student visas can only be issued for certain courses. If your course is eligible, your education provider (Student sponsor) will give you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Letter which you use to apply for a Student visa. The course details will be on the CAS Letter.

Before you consider making a Student Visa application, we recommend that you look at the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) website.

Applying for Student visa

Students who want to study in the UK longer than 6 months and consider doing an internship or work placement in the UK will be eligible to apply for a Student Visa.
Students on this visa are also allowed to work 20 hours per week during term time and unlimited during vacations.

Documents required for applications:

• Passport
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Letter
• Academics/Transcripts
• English Proficiency Test (e.g. UKVI IELTS/PTE)
• Photos: Recent passport-sized photographs
• Medical/TB Certificate (Please verify if you need this here: https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa)
• Living Funds/Maintenance Funds (This applies to certain nationalities only. If your nationality is considered under the evidence exemption, you do not need this. Please verify this here: https://www.gov.uk/student-visa/money)

Costs

• Application Fee (outside the UK): £524
• Application Fee (inside the UK): £524
• Immigration Health Surcharge: £776 per year. (Please Note: The IHS charges may vary with the course duration and length of your stay in the UK)

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) Letter

A CAS number is a unique reference number that ESCP will send you to support your visa application. ESCP will issue a CAS number to you when you are ready to make a successful Student Visa application. You will be required to show the documents mentioned above and meet the criteria before we can issue a CAS letter.

NOTE: THE DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR A CAS LETTER WILL BE ONE MONTH PRIOR TO THE COURSE COMMENCEMENT DATE.

After graduation in the UK, you may have the opportunity to apply for a Graduate Visa if you meet the requirements. This visa allows graduates to remain in the UK for up to two years to work or look for work without requiring a sponsor.

To qualify to apply for a Graduate Visa, you must:

• Hold a student visa at the time of Graduate Visa application.
• Successfully complete a course at degree level or above. You must have studied the course in the UK on a Student Visa for 12 months.
• Apply for the Graduate Visa from inside the UK before your Student Visa expires.
• Pay the application fee of £880
• Pay the Immigration Health Surcharge of £2070, which is the fee for two years.
• Provide the CAS Number you received for your course at ESCP. You can request this from the visa support team.

The Graduate Visa is non-extendable. However, you will have the option to switch to the Skilled Worker Visa which will allow you to work in the UK with an eligible sponsor. Further details on the Skilled Worker Visa can be found here.

For more information on the Graduate Visa route and how to apply, please visit https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa.

An eVisa is a digital record of a person’s immigration status and their visa conditions of their permission to enter or stay in the UK.

How to Access your eVisa?

• Once you have successfully received the UK Visa. You need to create UKVI account to access your eVisa.

• You can create UKVI account using this link: https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa.
• You can use your valid passport and your visa application reference number in order to create your UKVI account.

• Once you’ve created your UKVI account you will be able to sign in to the View and Prove service to access your eVisa using this link: https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status.

What is a share code?

A share code is a temporary alphanumeric code which gives visa holders the ability to share and prove their immigration status.

To generate a share code:

• To prove your immigration status please click this link:  https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status and follow the instructions below to generate your share code.

• Scroll down the bottom of the page and select "Start Now" which is in green.

• You will need to select either Passport, National identity card or Biometric residence card or permit depending on which identity document did you use when you created your account.

• Then you will be required to provide your Date of Birth.

• Click to ‘Get a share code’ to prove your immigration status.