Entry clearance is a document issued to travelers who have been granted leave to enter the UK.

It is in the form of a vignette or sticker placed in a passport at a visa-issuing post overseas. In the US, the visa-issuing posts are located at the British Consulates-General in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

The UK introduced entry clearance to align with the practice of other European member states as part of the effort to prevent certain travelers from entering and remaining in the country using forged documents.

All US citizens entering the UK as students must apply for Entry Clearance if they:

• are on courses of more than six months
  OR
• wish to work while in the UK (including unpaid internships for academic credit and volunteer work) regardless of the length of their course

US citizens who will be studying in the UK for programs of six months or less may be stamped as "Student Visitors" on arrival and do not need Entry Clearance.  Please note that Student Visitors are prohibited from working, including unpaid and volunteer work; are not eligible to apply for an extension of their stay; and may not switch into another immigration category.

For information regarding non-student visitors to the UK, please visit UK Visas.

If you are granted Entry Clearance to study in the UK, your spouse/civil partner/dependants can join you provided you can support them without needing help from public funds. He/she/they will need to apply for separate Entry Clearance.

The online application requires personal information, including passport, financial, and UK residency details.  You will also need to provide information regarding your course of study in the UK. You may save an incomplete application and return to it within a specified time if you do not have all of your details at hand.

Please note you will be required to send in original documents to support your application.  An Entry Clearance officer will base the decision to issue or refuse Entry Clearance on the documents you provide.  You should also note that the application fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome.  You should print and retain a copy of your online application for your records.

For a comprehensive list of supporting documents, please visit UK Visas.  Be prepared to send in the following:

• your current passport
• your old passport or a copy of it
• evidence of funds available to you in the form of bank statements covering at least the last three months
• letter of enrollment from a recognized UK university, college, or school giving the details about the proposed course - this should include the length of the course, number of hours of study each week, and an estimation of the costs of your studies
• your educational qualifications
• evidence of Government sponsorship if applicable

Please note that your educational institution must be registered on the Department for Education and Skills Register of Education Providers.

Entry Clearance permits employment under certain conditions. You may work up to 20 hours per week during term time and up to 40 hours per week during vacations or holidays.  Please note that ALL work, including unpaid or volunteer work, will be counted against your 20 or 40 hour allotment.  

The UK Government recently announced the launch of the International Graduates Scheme, effective May 1, 2007.  The scheme allows students who have graduated with full degrees from UK universities to stay in the UK to work for 12 months after the completion of their course, with the option of switching into another immigration category afterwards provided they meet the relevant criteria.  

Full-degree graduates from Scottish universities are eligible to apply to work for two years in Scotland following the completion of their course under the Fresh Talent Scotland scheme.  

For all other work permit inquiries, please visit Working in the UK.  Please note you cannot apply for a work permit on your own.  A UK-based employer must apply for one on your behalf.  

Your Entry Clearance sticker will have a “start date” which will generally be two weeks before the beginning of your course. This two week time period is meant to give you time to settle in. You will not be able to ask for a start date earlier than this, and will not be permitted to enter the UK under your entry clearance prior to this start date.

If you would like to travel before your course starts, you can enter the UK as a tourist, leave the UK before your course starts (not necessarily to the United States; you may go to Europe, etc) and re-enter the UK to “activate” your Entry Clearance.

Please remember that you are not able to apply for Entry Clearance prior to 90 days before your course begins.  Thus if you are planning extensive travels (months rather than weeks) before your studies, you will have to return to the US after your travels but before your course starts in order to apply for and obtain Entry Clearance.  US citizens and students cannot apply for Entry Clearance from outside the United States.