Student Visa for England

We will send you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number to verify your enrollment. Then, you will complete the Student Visa application, submit biometric data, and mail your application to the British visa processing center in New York.

IMPORTANT: Before booking your biometrics appointment date, please verify that you will be available on the designated date and time for your appointment . Rescheduling appointments is not easy! Therefore, only cancel and reschedule your biometrics appointment if absolutely necessary. During this process, please feel free to reach out to your advisor for any questions as they can advise on next steps in this process. 

We recommend submitting the online Student Visa application at least six weeks before your program start date, and mailing everything in four weeks before you leave.

The UK Student Visa fee for U.S. citizens is approximately $490, but this price changes regularly depending on the current conversion rate. The visa fee is determined by the consulate and paid directly to the consulate. There is an additional fee if you choose to expedite your visa.

First you will submit your application to BUNAC, which is authorized by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor student interns. Once BUNAC has received the proper documents from yourself and IES Internships, you will receive your Certificate of Sponsorship.

Then, you will complete the Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange Visa application, submit biometric data, and mail your application to the British visa processing center in New York.

The BUNAC sponsorship and Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange Visa applications are lengthy processes that could take 2-3 months.

Carefully read through the detailed instructions in your MyIESabroad account to understand the timeline for applying.

We recommend you purchase a flexible ticket for your flight to London as many students have faced unforeseen delays in receiving their visa from British visa processing centers.

The BUNAC sponsorship fee costs 975 USD and will be processed in 10-20 days. Priority processing is available during some steps of the visa process. However, even with priority processing, you are not guaranteed to have your visa on-time if you submit the application fee. These are recommended as standard expectations. 

Priority Processing Fees:

• £500 for priority decision in ~ 5 working days 
• £1000 for super priority decision in ~ 2 working days 

The Temporary Worker - Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) Visa fee changes depending on the current conversion rate and is between 550-700 USD.