Non-visa national students arriving in the UK without entry clearance will be given a visa stamp on arrival at the port.

All visitors coming for the UK mainly to study should be given a 'short term study' stamp, even if the course is for less than six weeks. The advice from UKVI is that students with the wrong stamp, i.e a general visit stamp, should not be allowed to enrol until they have the correct stamp.

Whilst the official advice from the Border Force is that a stamp cannot be corrected, some members have been successful at securing a correction for their students. Should

Should you have students arriving with the wrong stamp despite their having showed their visa letter/ course booking letter, or just stating their intention to study to the Border Force Officer, it may be worth contacting the Immigration desk at the port of entry.

The Home Office are keen to know when the wrong stamps are being issued.  Please send the following information to Naadiya Rawat whenever a student appears with the wrong stamp – a copy of the stamp; or alternatively the port of arrival (e.g Heathrow T3), date of arrival and the Immigration Officer's number.

Short term study visa stamp:

Visitor visa stamp: