Applying as a visitor

Citizens of some countries are designated as visa nationals (if your country is on the list, then you are a visa national) by the Home Office. Anyone who is a visa national must make an application for Entry Clearance as a Standard Visitor from outside the UK. The visa will be issued as a sticker in your passport. Please refer to the GOV.UK website for the Standard Visitor visa application. In addition to the application you will need some supporting documents. These include:

• An original letter from Imperial College stating your personal details (name and CID number) and confirming the date(s) of your course / resit exams / viva. New students will get this letter automatically when they accept an unconditional offer of a place on a course.
• Re-sit and viva students will need to request this letter by emailing Student Records. The Student Records Team will need confirmation in writing from your department of your resit / viva dates before they can prepare the letter.
• Bank statements covering a period of at least 6 months which prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your time in the UK (we recommend at least £1350 per month that you intend to be in the country, in addition to any outstanding course fees). If you have had any recent large deposits into your account you will need to provide evidence of where that money has come from.
• It needs to be clear from your application that you do not intend to remain in the UK for longer than 6 months. So include evidence of return travel or a covering letter stating your travel plans.
• If sponsorship of your Student Visa has been withdrawn by Imperial (because you are resitting without attendance, for example) you can include a copy of the confirmation email from the Visa Compliance Team.

We highly recommend that in addition to submitting these supporting documents with your visa application you also carry them with you when you travel to the UK, so that you can present them if asked to do so by an Immigration Officer at the UK Border.

Citizens of some countries are designated as non-visa nationals (if your country is NOT on the list, then you are a non-visa national) and are able to enter the UK as a Standard Visitor without first applying for Entry Clearance before you travel. Instead, you can be stamped in on arrival at the UK border, or enter the UK through eGates. If you enter the UK as a Standard Visitor you can remain for a maximum period of 6 months.

When uploading evidence to your My Imperial, we do not need a copy of the ETA but we need a copy of your boarding pass or travel ticket to evidence your date of entry to the UK.

What is an ETA?

An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a digital permission to travel that is part of the plans to transform and digitise the UK border.

An ETA is a requirement for non-visa nationals who are entering the UK for less than 6 months. This will include some international (and EU) students and staff entering the UK as a Visitor to study and undertake research at UK universities. British and Irish nationals will not require an ETA.

Who needs to apply for the ETA scheme?

The GOV.UK website lists the nationalities that are required to apply for an ETA before travelling to the UK, please check to see if your nationality is listed.

How to apply?

Individuals should apply for an ETA before booking travel to the UK through the ‘UK ETA app’ or by applying online. 

To apply for an ETA, individuals will need to:

• Pay a fee
• Provide contact and passport details
• Provide a valid photo, complying with the rules for digital photos on GOV.UK
• Answer a set of questions

Cost and Validity:

An ETA will cost £16 per applicant.

The ETA permits multiple journeys and will be valid for two years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.

If you are refused an ETA, you will need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa.

Further information

For official updates regarding the UK ETA scheme, please visit GOV.UK.