Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether international boarding school students wishing to study in the UK are required (1) to apply for visas to enrol in a school that is classed as a Highly Trusted Sponsor, and (2) to provide a birth certificate translated into English; if so, what is their estimate of the additional cost for each applicant to provide this information; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which this may act as a deterrent for international students.

The UK welcomes international students and places no limit on the number of international students who can study in the UK.

Our offer to students is competitive internationally and as part of the launch of the Student & Child Student route we have simplified and streamlined the route to make it simpler for students to meet the requirements.

To be able to study in the UK, international students must receive an unconditional offer of a place on a course of study from a licenced Student sponsor listed on the published register of Student sponsors.

A key safeguarding requirement for unaccompanied minors travelling to the UK is for Child Students, and Students under the age of 18, to provide proof of relationship (such as a birth certificate) and consent from their parent or legal guardian for their living and care arrangements during their study in the UK. Proof of relationship is also required where the student is relying on funds held in their parent’s name, to establish the parent has consented to their use.

All documents submitted with an application for permission on the Student or Child Student routes must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation of the document. The cost of translation may differ dependent on the certified translator used and the document being translated.

An impact assessment on the new points-based Student and Child Student routes was published and can be found alongside the Statement of Changes laid in Parliament on 10 September 2020.