Visa Applications

If you want to study at one of our centres in the UK, USA or Canada, you may need to apply for a visa. We will provide you with all the support you need if you require a visa.

• Our UK Centres are licensed by UKBA to issue documents to assist your application
• Our San Francisco Centre is authorised under Federal Law to enrol international students
• As a member of Languages Canada, St Giles Vancouver is able to provide documents to support your Canadian visa application

UK Visas

If you are coming to study in the UK and are a visa national, you will need to apply for a student visa. There are three main types of student visas available:

• Student Visitor Visa (SVV) - Courses under 6 months
• Extended Student Visitor Visa (SVV) - Courses of 6-11 months
• General Student Visa (GSV) - Courses of 11 or more months

You can find out more about these visas on the UKBA website.

Level Requirement and Documents for General Student Visas

Normally the GSV will only be available to students studying for 11 or more months.

If you are applying for a General Student Visa your level of English must be at or above the level required by the UKBA. When you apply to study with us and request GSV sponsorship, you will therefore need to submit evidence of your English level. Evidence of English level must be in the form of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) certificate. Please visit the UKBA's website to view the current list of approved SELTs.

You will also need to submit a Declaration of Intent with your enrolment form to St Giles. This form can be downloaded here

• Declaration of Intent

If you are aged under 18, you will also need to complete a Parental Consent Form. This can also be downloaded below, for your college of choice:

• Brighton Parental Consent Form
• Eastbourne Parental Consent Form
• London Central Parental Consent Form
• London Highgate Parental Consent Form

All St Giles UK Colleges are listed by UKBA as Highly Trusted Sponsors (HTS).

USA Visas

St Giles San Francisco and St Giles New York City are authorised under federal law to enrol non-immigrant alien students.

If you are coming to study at our adult centres in San Francisco or New York, you may need to apply for an F-1 Student Visa.

To do this, you will need to obtain an I-20 form from St Giles, which will confirm that you have been offered a place with us and that you have enough funds to study with us. We are pleased to provide this for students after they enrol with us.

You can download our guide to the US Student Visa for more information about this. You can also visit the US Department of State Website to check if you will need a Visa - it will depend on the course you take at St Giles and your nationality.

If you need a visa, you are advised to contact your nearest US consulate or embassy at least 90 days before your course start date to allow time for the application process.

The minimum age to apply for an F-1 student visa is 16. Students studying at one of our US Junior Summer Centres will not be eligible for a student visa, as the courses have less than 18 hours of tuition per week (16.7 hours over 20 lessons) and are less than 90 days in length.

Canadian Visas

St Giles Vancouver is a member of Languages Canada. Languages Canada is recognised by Canadian Immigration and as such St Giles Vancouver can issue documents to support visa applications. You can download our Guide to Canadian Visas to help if you want to study at St Giles Vancouver.

If you have any questions about visa applications, please do not hesitate to contact us.