International Choice

The North West Regional College (NWRC) is a public funded Further and Higher Education College in the Northern Ireland with approximately 800 staff and 10,000 student enrolments. The College has been awarded a number of quality awards including Investors in People, The Skills for Health Quality Mark, STEM Assured and Matrix for our Careers Academy and SAAI for our Students’ Union.

Academically we offer a broad range of internationally recognised Ofqual qualifications e.g. Foundation Degrees, Higher National Diplomas (HND), Higher National Certificates (HNC’s), Higher Level Apprenticeships, Level 3, Professional Qualifications and Vocational courses. Our full time courses offer progression routes to many degree programmes at universities in Northern Ireland (Ulster University and Queens University, Belfast) and the United Kingdom.

At NWRC International Students have the opportunity to enjoy academic progression in a modern academic environment with quality teaching and support services. Our UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) ‘Tier 4' is assurance of our high standard of education and the rigour we apply to the international applicant process. Compliance with UKVI requirements is essential. Find out more about student visas.

Fees

It costs:

• £348 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK
• £475 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK

You must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you.

Money you need

You must have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself in the UK.

How much money you need depends on your circumstances and what you’re applying for.

Course fee

You need enough money to pay for your course for 1 academic year (up to 9 months). The amount you need to pay will be on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

If you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, you do not need to prove you have this money for your visa application.

Money to support yourself (‘financial requirement’)

You’ll need to show you have enough money to support yourself - unless you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date of your application.

How much money you need depends on where you will be studying. You’ll need:

• £1,023 per month (for up to 9 months)

If you’re boarding at a residential independent school, you’ll need to pay boarding fees instead. The amount you need to pay will be on your CAS.

The good news is that living costs in the City of Derry ~ Londonderry are less than other cities in Ireland and the UK.

You’ll need to prove you have extra money for each family member you bring with you.

National Health Service Surcharge

Current Charges

Tuition Fees for NWRC

Read the guidance on finances for student applications for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.

Please note that these fees are subject to change.

• Further Education Courses approximately £6000
• Higher Education Courses approximately £6,500

Accommodation costs

Student Pad is the preferred platform for you to access accommodation information although there may be slightly cheaper options available via our partnership with Foyle International and Property Pal.

When you do not need to prove you have money to support yourself

You do not need to prove the financial requirement if:

• You’ve had a UK visa for 12 months prior to the date of your Student visa application - you must currently be in the UK
• You’re applying as a student union sabbatical officer
• You’re applying as a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised foundation programme

If you’re from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’

You do not need to prove you have enough money to support yourself if you’re a British national overseas or from one of the following countries or territories.

However, you might be asked to provide this evidence before you get a decision on your application.

If you do need to provide it, you’ll be contacted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) after you’ve submitted your application.

Read the guidance on finances for student applications for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.

Apply

• You must apply online for a Student visa.

• Check which documents you’ll need to apply.

• Apply outside the UK

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

• Give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a visa application centre
• Use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document - you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Once you’ve started your application, you can save your form and complete it later.

Start now

How long it takes to get a decision?

You’ll usually get a decision within 3 weeks.

If you need to give your biometric information at a visa application centre, you may be able to pay to get a faster decision. Check if your visa application centre offers faster decisions and other services.

Apply inside the UK

You may be able to apply to:

extend your Student visa

switch to a Student visa from another type of visa

After you apply

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:

• Your supporting documents need to be verified
• You need to attend an interview
• Of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

After you get a decision

If your application is successful, you’ll get either:

• A biometric residence permit - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre
• A digital immigration status which you can view and prove online - if you used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app. Find out what happens after you get your decision.

How long you can stay depends on the length of your course and what study you’ve already completed in the UK.

If you’re 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If it’s below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years.

Read the guidance to find out exactly how long you can stay.

Staying longer in the UK

You may be able to:

• Extend your visa if you’re eligible, for example to continue your studies in the UK

• Switch to a Student visa from another visa if you’re already in the UK

• Switch to a Graduate visa to stay in the UK for at least 2 years after successfully completing your course

When you can travel to the UK

You can arrive in the UK before your course starts. This can be either:

• Up to 1 week before, if your course lasts 6 months or less

• Up to 1 month before, if your course lasts more than 6 months

Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

Once they’ve offered you a place on the course, your education provider will send you a reference number called a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies.

You must enter this reference number on your visa application.

You must apply for your visa within 6 months of receiving your CAS.

You must prove your knowledge of the English language when you apply.

You can prove your knowledge of English by:

• Passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider

• Having a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, gained through study at a UK school that you began when you were under 18

Level of English

You must prove you can read, write, speak and understand English to a certain level on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale.

What you’re studying

Level

Degree level or above

Equivalent to CEFR level B2

Below degree level

CEFR level B1

If you’re studying with a Higher Education Provider

If you’re studying at degree level or above, your Higher Education Provider (HEP) can assess your level of English themselves. This means they may ask you to do a different test.

This must still be equivalent to a CEFR level B2.

Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of the following countries, or are from one of the following countries:

You also do not need to prove your knowledge of English if one of the following applies:

• You’re a national of Canada

• You’re applying to come to the UK for a study abroad programme as part of a university degree course in the USA

• You proved your level of English in a previous visa application.

When you apply for your Student visa you must provide:

• A current passport or other valid travel documentation

• A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from your course provider

You may also need to provide:

• Proof you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course - this will vary depending on your circumstances

• A valid ATAS certificate if your course and nationality require it

• Proof of parental or other legal guardian consent if you’re under 18

• Proof of your relationship to your parent or guardian if you’re under 18

• Your tuberculosis test results

• Written consent for your application from your financial sponsor if you’ve received sponsorship for your course fees and living costs in the last 12 months

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your circumstances. Read the guidance for the full list of documents you’ll need to provide.

You need a blank page in your passport for your visa if you need to give your biometric information (fingerprints and a photograph) at a visa application centre. You’ll be told if you need to do this when you apply.

If you’re under 18

If you’re under 18 you’ll need written consent from both parents or legal guardians (or one parent if they have sole responsibility).

This must include their consent for:

• Your visa application

• Your living and care arrangements in the UK

• Your travel to the UK

You’ll also need to provide a copy of your birth certificate (or another government issued document) that shows the names of your parents.

You may be able to switch to a Student visa if you already have permission to be in the UK.

You cannot switch to this visa if you have one of the following visas:

• A visit visa

• A short-term student visa

• A Parent of a Child Student visa

• A seasonal worker visa

• A domestic worker in a private household visa

• Leave outside the immigration rules

If you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you do not need to apply for a visa.

Eligibility

To switch to a Student visa you must:

• Be in the UK

• Have an unconditional offer of a place on a course with a licensed student sponsor - shown by your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

If you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for less than 12 months, you’ll need to prove you have enough money to support yourself in the UK.

Apply to switch your dependants’ visas at the same time as you switch your own visa. If you cannot apply at the same time, your partner or child can switch their visas at a later date - this must be before their current visa expires.

When to apply

The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts.

You must apply before your current visa expires. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.

For example, if your visa expires on 1 December, you must apply for a new visa before 1 December. Your new course must begin by 29 December.

You must also apply within 6 months of getting a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

You can stay in the UK until you get your decision.

If you applied for an administrative review because your application was refused, you can stay in the UK until you get your review decision.

Fees

For each person, you’ll need to pay:

• £475 to extend this visa

• The healthcare surcharge - check how much you’ll have to pay

You may need to pay £19.20 to have your biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken.

Apply

You must apply online.

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity.

How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

• Give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point
• Use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document (you’ll also create or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account)

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

Start now

You must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until you get a decision. Your application will be withdrawn if you do.

How long it takes to get a decision

A decision will usually be made within 8 weeks.

You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

After you apply

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:

• Your supporting documents need to be verified
• You need to attend an interview
• Of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

If your application is successful

If your application is successful, you’ll get either:

• A biometric residence permit - if you gave your biometric information at a UKVCAS centre

• A digital immigration status which you can view and prove online - if you used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app.

Your partner and children (‘dependants’) may be able to apply to come to the UK or stay longer in the UK.

You must be one of the following:

• A full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts 9 months or longer

• A new government-sponsored student on a course that lasts longer than 6 months

• A Doctorate Extension Scheme student

Your relationship

A dependant partner or child is one of the following:

• Your husband, wife or civil partner

• Your unmarried partner

• Your child under 18 years old - including if they were born in the UK during your stay

You’ll need to provide evidence of your relationship when you apply, for example:

• A marriage or civil partnership certificate for your partner
• A birth certificate for your child

Find out what other documents you can use to prove your relationship.

If your child is 16 or 17

If your child is 16 or 17 on the date you apply you’ll need to prove they are not living an independent life, for example they’re not married or in a civil partnership.

You’ll need to prove:

• Where they live - if they do not live with you, you’ll need to explain why
• Any rent or upkeep they pay you each month
• That you support them financially if they do not live with you

If your child lives with you, you’ll need to provide 2 of the following documents confirming their address:

• A bank statement
• Credit card bills
• Driving licence
• NHS registration document
• An official letter from their university or college

Money they need to support themselves

Your partner and child must each have a certain amount of money available to them. This is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself.

How much money they need depends on where you will be studying. They must have either:

• £845 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London
• £680 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London

If you’re applying at the same time as your partner or child (you’re applying together as a family), you’ll need to prove you have both money to pay for your course and to support yourself and additional money for each of them.

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you (they’re applying separately) they only need to prove they have money to support themselves.

You (or your partner or child) must have this money for at least 28 consecutive days. The end date of the 28 day period must be within 31 days of the date they apply for their visa.

If you have a student loan or financial sponsorship, you’ll need to provide evidence of this from your loan or sponsorship company. If your loan does not cover your partner or child, you’ll need to prove you have money to support them instead.

When they do not need to prove they have money to support themselves

Your partner or child does not need to prove they have this money if they’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months.

If you and your partner or child are from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’ and you’re applying at the same time, they do not need to prove they have money to support themselves.

However, they might be asked to provide this evidence before they get a decision on their application.

If they do need to provide it, they’ll be contacted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) after they’ve submitted their application.

Apply outside the UK

Your partner and children must either:

• Apply online as your partner
• Apply online as your child

They’ll need your application number - you get it when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.

As part of their application, they’ll need to have their fingerprints and photograph taken at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit).

They’ll have to collect their biometric residence permit within 10 days of when they said they’d arrive in the UK.

They may be able to pay to get their visa faster or use other services depending on which country they’re in - check with the visa application centre.

How long they can stay

If their application is successful, their visa will end on the same date as yours.

Apply inside the UK to extend or switch

Apply for your partner or child’s visa at the same time as you extend or switch your own visa.

If you cannot apply at the same time, your partner or child can apply to extend or switch their visas at a later date - this must be before their current visa expires.

Your partner or child cannot apply to switch in the UK if they have one of the following visas:

• A visit visa
• A short-term student visa
• A Parent of a Child Student visa
• A seasonal worker visa
• A domestic worker in a private household visa

Fees

Each person will need to pay:

• £475 for the visa
• The healthcare surcharge - check how much they’ll have to pay

They may need to pay £19.20 to have their biometric information (fingerprints and a photo) taken.

How to apply

Your partner and child must apply online. They must either:

• Apply as a partner
• Apply as a child

They’ll need your application number - you get it when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.

As part of their application, they’ll be asked to make an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point to provide their biometric information (fingerprints and a photo).

They’ll also need to submit their supporting documents. They can:

• Upload them into the online service
• Have them scanned at their UKVCAS appointment

They must not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man until they get a decision. Their application will be withdrawn if they do.

Getting a faster decision

They may be able to pay to get a faster decision - they’ll be told if they can when they apply.

Children born in the UK

Apply online for any children you have while in the UK.

You’ll need to provide a full UK birth certificate for each child.

You may be able to apply to:

• Extend your Student visa
• Switch to a Student visa from another type of visa

After you apply

You’ll be contacted if your application is complex and will take longer, for example because:

• Your supporting documents need to be verified
• You need to attend an interview
• Of your personal circumstances (for example if you have a criminal conviction)

If you need to change something in your application after you’ve sent it contact UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

You can ask to withdraw your application by contacting UKVI. Your fee will only be refunded if UKVI has not started processing your application.

After you get a decision

If your application is successful, you’ll get either:

• A biometric residence permit - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre
• A digital immigration status which you can view and prove online - if you used the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app

Find out what happens after you get your decision.

For full and detailed information click here to visit the UKVI website.

Good luck with your application and we look forward to you becoming a NWRC student.