Visa information for adults
Do I need a visa?
If you hold a passport from an EU country or Switzerland, Iceland, Lichtenstein or Norway, you should not need a visa. Otherwise you should check with your nearest British Embassy or Consulate or look at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at: www.ukvisas.gov.uk.
If you need a visa, you must book a course with a minimum of 15 hours (20 lesson hours @ 45 minutes) per week.
- Students aged 18 and over on courses of less than six months need a Student Visitor visa.
- Students under 18 on courses of less than six months need a Child Visitor visa.
- Students aged 18 and over booking courses of more than six months will normally need a General Student visa.
Beginners must apply for a Student Visitor visa. These visas are valid for a maximum of six months. If you want to continue studying in the UK after this, you will have to return home and apply for a General Student visa there.
You are not allowed to change schools when you are in England.
Once we have received the booking form and other papers listed below we will issue a Certificate of Enrolment, which you will need in order to get a visa.
You can find more information about which type of visa you need online.
You can find visa application forms at www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/vafs
You can apply online for a visa by following this link.
If I need a visa, what do I need from the school?
You will only get a visa if you book a course with a school which is on the UK Border Agency's register of sponsors. Cicero is on the register and our licence number is on the papers we send you. You will find a list of licensed schools on the UK Border Agency's website.
When you book a course you must also send the deposit.
If you are booking a course longer than 6 months and you are not a beginner in English, you also need to send us a document to show that you have already learnt English and it should show your level of English. This might be a school report, an English examination certificate or something similar. You should send an English translation if the document is not in English. A copy is enough for us but you will need the original of the document when you apply for your visa.
We will then send you a Certificate of Enrolment and an invoice showing the total fees due. You will need these when you apply for your visa.
What happens if my visa application is refused?
If your visa is refused, we will refund the money you have paid us minus an administrative fee of £50, provided we receive the original letter of refusal from the British Embassy at least one week before your course is due to start.
