International students
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World-famous training and outstanding international career opportunities await you
Norland offers a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive community in the heart of historic Bath in south west England. Each year, we’re delighted to welcome a small number of international students who benefit from our world-famous high-quality early years training and the outstanding career opportunities and lifelong career support we offer.
As an international student, you’ll receive tailored support through the application process and throughout your studies. If you require a Student visa to study in the UK, you’ll also have access to your own dedicated Visa Manager to guide you through the visa application and immigration process and to provide specific support during your time at Norland. If you are unsure if this applies to you, check if you need a visa on GOV.UK or contact our Visa Manager.
Once you graduate as a fully-qualified Norlander, you’ll receive lifelong career support and your pick of jobs around the world through your very own dedicated employment agency. Established in parallel with Norland over 130 years ago, the Norland Agency continues to offer many more jobs than there are Norlanders seeking them in locations all around the world. With your Norland qualifications behind you, the world really will be your oyster.
As an international student, you will need to provide additional information once you have received an offer to study at Norland. This page provides information on our admissions process and aspects of student life that are relevant to international students.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
If you require a Student visa with Norland as your sponsor, you must have a valid Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) reference number before you can begin the visa application process. Your CAS is a unique reference number that Norland will send you by email. It is not a paper document. You’ll need to enter your CAS number on your visa application form.
To issue you with a CAS, Norland must create a CAS statement. This will include information about your course and personal information we will request from you during the application process. To help us do this, you’ll need to complete the CAS questionnaire which Norland will give you. Your CAS will be issued when you meet the conditions attached to your offer of study. You must apply for your visa within six months of receiving your CAS from Norland.
After you’re issued your CAS, please carefully check the document to make sure all the details are correct. If there are any problems with your CAS please inform the Visa Manager.
Visas and immigration
Once you have your CAS, you must apply for your visa online via the government website at the button below. The cost to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK is currently £490. If you are coming to the UK to study on a Student visa for the first time, then you must apply for your visa from your home country before you travel. You may be able to switch to a Student visa if you already have permission to be in the UK.
You cannot switch to this visa if you have one of the following visas:
- a visit visa
- a short-term Student visa
- a Parent of a Child Student visa
- a seasonal worker visa
- a domestic worker in a private household visa
- leave outside the immigration rules
If you do not meet the conditions of switching your visa from within the UK, you’ll need to return to your home country to make the application.
Documents you will need to apply
Before starting the visa application process, it is important you understand and prepare the required documents.
You must have:
- a passport that will be valid for the duration of your course
- a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from Norland. This includes your SELT (Secure English Language Test) if applicable, please check with the Visa Manager to check you have the correct SELT
- proof you have enough money to support yourself and pay for your course – this will vary depending on your circumstances
- original qualifications and English language documents as listed in the ‘evidence provided’ section of your CAS
- certified translations of any of the required documents used that are not in English
- if you’re a resident of any of the countries listed here you will need a copy of your tuberculosis test results
Biometric Residence Permit
EU and EEA nationals who have used the UK Immigration: ID check app receive their visa in the form of an online digital status. Along with the online digital status, you will also receive an accompanying letter from the Home Office to confirm the grant of your immigration permission. This letter also contains instructions on what you should do if you notice any errors with your digital status. The Visa Manager will ask to see your digital status and can help you if you do notice any errors.
EU and EEA Nationals will not receive a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP).
For other Student visa holders, you will receive a BRP. A BRP is an identification card that you will be issued with upon successful completion of your visa application. It can be used to confirm your identity, right to study in the UK, and right to any public services or benefits you are entitled to. Your BRP will include the following information:
- your name, date and place of birth
- your fingerprints and a photo of your face (this is your biometric information)
- your immigration status and any conditions of your stay
- whether you can access public funds, for example benefits and health services
You will be asked to provide your fingerprints and photo for your BRP as part of your visa application. If you apply for your visa from outside the UK, you will need to collect your BRP once you arrive in the UK. You will be issued with a vignette sticker in your passport to allow you to travel into the UK to collect your BRP, and you must collect you BRP before the vignette expires (which is usually after 30 days of issue) or within 10 days of arriving in the UK, whichever is later. Your visa decision letter will tell you where to collect your BRP from, either:
- a named Post Office branch
- your sponsor (Norland) if you chose this option when you applied
We would advise you choose to collect your BRP from Bath Post Office at 6-7 Union Street, Bath, BA1 1RT. The Post Office will keep you BRP for 90 days. When you go to collect your BRP, be sure to bring your passport or travel documents with your vignette sticker in. Please be sure to carefully check your BRP when you collect it for any mistakes or damage, as you must report any problems within 10 days.
If you notice any issues, please contact Norland’s Visa Manager who will help you report this. If your BRP is lost or stolen during your time at Norland, please inform the Visa Manager immediately who will then be able to guide you through the process of replacing your BRP.
You can be fined up to £100 and made to leave the UK if you do not apply for a replacement within three months of losing your BRP. You will also need to bring your BRP to Norland for us to take and store a copy as part of our sponsor record keeping duties for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The Visa Manager will contact you to request this.
Please note that UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) are currently in the process of developing a digital immigration system. This means that physical immigration documents are being replaced with online records of immigration status.
If you already have a BRP
From December 2024, physical Biometric Residence Permits will be discontinued. From April 2024, BRP holders are being emailed directly with instructions on how to create a UKVI account to access their eVisa. These email invitations are being sent out in phases, before the service will be made available to all BRP holders in the summer. BRP holders who have not yet received an email should not worry, as the process will soon be opened to all without an invitation. For the latest information, BRP holders should visit www.gov.uk/evisa. In the meantime, you should continue to keep your BRP safe and with you when you travel until it expires, even if you get your eVisa before this.
If you are due to apply for a Student visa before October 2024
UKVI will be issuing BRPs for visa recipients up until October 2024. So, if you are due to join us before this date with a Student visa, you will still get a physical BRP and should follow the guidance on the Norland website here https://www.norland.ac.uk/international-students/ and from the Visa Manager.
Useful documents and links
For the latest updates regarding this process, we’d recommend subscribing to updates on the government’s eVisa page
The Graduate visa and your Newly Qualified Nanny (NQN) year
The Student visa will cover your leave during the three years you complete the BA degree (and the associated Diploma elements). To stay in the UK to complete your NQN year, you will need to apply for a Graduate visa.
A Graduate visa gives you permission to stay in the UK to work for at least two years after successfully completing a course in the UK with a Student visa. When you successfully complete your BA degree at Norland, we will inform the Home Office of this. You will then be able to apply for the Graduate visa. You must apply before your Student visa expires. The cost of the visa is currently £822, which you will need to pay when you apply. You will also need to pay the health surcharge – this is usually £1,035 for each year you’ll be in the UK. The Student Visa Manager will be on hand to support you during this process. You can find more information about the Graduate visa on the government website.
Policies for international students
Student Visa Essential Information
Download documentVisa Students Record Keeping Policy and Procedure
Download documentMeet Maggie from Germany
