Visa guide

The table below summarizes the visa regulations in various countries around the world. Please note that this information is intended as a guide only. As visa rules and regulations are often subject to change, Open Abroad cannot be held responsible for any mistakes or inaccuracies. We would advise you to visit the embassies’ websites or local visa application posts for the most up-to-date information.
 

Below you’ll find more details about the visa regulations in the following countries:

• USA
• UK
• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Schengen

You’ll find student visa guides on the links below:

• US student visa guide
• UK student visa guide

USA Visa Regulations

If you are going to the U.S. primarily for tourism, but want to take a short course of study of less than 18 hours per week, you may be able to do that on a visitor visa. If your course of study is more than 18 hours a week, you will need a student visa.
 

 
American schools provide an I-20 document. The I-20 is the document that schools issue to students who are going to study with the school full-time (i.e. more than 18 hours a week). It enables students to apply for a student visa at their local American Embassy.

Health Insurance is required for all visa students in the US. This can either be booked via personal overseas health insurance or via our services.

Detailed visa information from US Department of State website

UK Visa Regulations

If you are 18 years old or over, you want to come to the United Kingdom to do a course for up to 11 months, and you do not want to work while you are here, you may be able to do so on a student visitor visa. Otherwise, you will need an adult student visa. If you have a student visitor visa, you will not be able to switch and apply for an adult student visa while you are in the United Kingdom as a student visitor. If you want to apply for an adult student visa, you must apply from the country you live in.
 

 
List of countries that need a visa to the UK

Adult Student Visa

This student visa will cost £145 and the student will have the right to:

• Switch to another visa category and work in the UK,
• Work part time while in the UK (up to 20 hours per week),
• Extend their visa while in the UK,
• Bring in their dependents (such as partner or children) if they have a visa for more than 12 months.

To apply for this type of visa the student must:

• Be aged 18 or over – if younger, the student can apply for a Child Student Visa
• Have a letter of acceptance from an accredited institution, which is on the Register of sponsors
• Be enrolled on a course with a minimum of 15 hours organised study per week
• Have at least an Elementary (European Framework A2) level – we need to receive proof of level by way of a certificate or school report before we can send the letter of acceptance. We can accept an electronic copy but the visa office requires the original
• Be able to prove to the visa office that there are funds to pay for the course and living costs: these are considered to be £600 per month. We need you to confirm this to us before we can provide the letter of acceptance but the visa office will expect to see proof by way of a bank statement or a signed and dated letter from a financial institution

Student Visitor Visa

• This visa will cost £67 but will give none of the rights associated with the Adult Student visa (no right to work, nor to switch, extend or bring in dependents),
• This visa has a maximum duration of 6 months and is intended for those who simply wish to follow a short course and then return home,
• There is no need to give proof of level, only the reason why the student wishes to follow these studies.

Tourist Visa

You cannot study on a Tourist Visa. It is necessary to receive a Student visa.

Click here for Country listing for new visa regulations:

UK Border Agency

UK schools issue a Visa Letter, which is then submitted by the student to the UK consulate/embassy along with other documents.

Canadian Visa Regulations

You do not need a Study Permit if you enroll in a program that is six months or less and complete it within the authorized period. However, as an international student you must obtain a Study Permit to study in Canada if you intend to study for more than six months.

If you are going to need a Study Permit, it is recommended that you apply for one before traveling to Canada because applications can only be made from abroad. If you decide to extend your course or continue your studies for more than 6 months once you arrive in Canada, you will need to leave the country in order to apply for your Study Permit if you did not obtain one in advance.

Australia Visa Regulations

If you plan to study less than 12 weeks in total, you will need to apply for a Tourist Visa. If your length of study is over 12 weeks, you will need a Student Visa. For more information about obtaining an Australia visa, please visit the Australian Immigration Services website http://www.immi.gov.au/immigration/, or visit the Australian Embassy or Consulate in your region.

If the student is studying over 12 weeks, the school needs to provide an eCOE form to the student that the student can then bring to the embassy. Some schools charge to issue this form. ACE, for example, charges a $25 AUD fee for this.

To check how easy it is to get a visa to Australia, please check the assessment form issued by the Australian government. This information form contains a list of the current assessment levels for all passports and education sectors in Australia’s Student Visa Program (SVP). For example, from USA, all the numbers are 1, which means all visa types are easy for Americans to get. For Zimbabwe, on the other hand, things aren’t so simple, and you can see the numbers work their way up to 4. This is an easy guide for figuring out the likelihood of visa approval.

If you would like to go onto the OPUS Work and Study program in Australia you will require a Working Holiday Visa. If you are granted this visa you can:

• stay up to 12 months in Australia
• leave and re-enter Australia any number of times while the visa is valid
• work in Australia for up to 6 months with each employer
• study for up to 4 months.

Important: Applicants must enter Australia within 3 months of the grant of the visa

The table lists the countries and regions involved in the Working Holiday Program with Australia. If you hold a passport for one of these countries, you may be eligible to apply for the Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417).

*Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (includes British National Overseas passport holders).

NOTE: If you hold a passport from Chile, Thailand, Turkey and the USA, you can apply for a Working holiday visa (subclass 462), for eligibility and program details, please follow the link.

New Zealand Visa Regulations

If you plan to study less than 12 weeks in total and are from a “Visa Free Country", you do not need a student visa. If your length of study is over 12 weeks, you will need a Student Visa. For more information about obtaining a New Zealand visa, please visit the New Zealand Immigration Services website at http://www.immigration.govt.nz/, or visit the New Zealand Embassy in your region.

Schengen Visa Regulations

Usually, a short-term visa issued by one of the Schengen States is valid for the entire Schengen area. (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland are the present Schengen countries.

Schengen visas are issued only for stay(s) that do not exceed three months (90 days) within a six-month period. Visas for visits exceeding that period remain subject to national procedures and authorise the holder to stay on the national territory of the host Member State only. However, such visas entitle their holders to transit through Schengen territory on their way to the issuing Schengen State (subject to the usual conditions for entry into the Schengen area). In addition, such visas are (under certain conditions) valid as uniform short-stay visas for a period of not more than three months from their initial date of validity.

Types of visas issued:

• A: airport transit visa
• B: transit visa
• C: short-stay visa
• D: long-stay NATIONAL visa
• D+C: NATIONAL long-stay visa valid concurrently as a short-stay visa
• VTL: visa with limited territorial validity

The Schengen Convention stipulates that an alien who does not fulfill all the conditions for entry into the Schengen area must be refused entry, unless an issuing State considers it necessary to derogate from this principle on humanitarian grounds, on grounds of national interest or because of international obligations. In such cases authorisation to enter is restricted to the territory of the issuing State and a VTL visa is issued.

* ADS: visas issued for members of tourist groups from the People’s Republic of China

Designated travel agencies in China can act as authorised representatives of visa applicants from the People’s Republic of China who are travelling in a group. Such groups may be issued a Schengen visa, limited to a maximum of 30 days and bearing the reference “ADS".