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UNITED KINGDOM – Changes to Child Student visa rules.
March 18, 2025
By Sachini Gamage, Immigration Consultant
The Home Office issued a new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 733 on 12 March 2025, together with an Explanatory Memorandum and a ministerial statement.
Changes to Child Student visa rules.
The UKVI has introduced various safeguarding-related changes to Child Student rules, which includes new references for nominated guardians, new eligibility requirements and living arrangement categories. The changes will take effect from May 29, 2025.
What does this mean for Child Student visa applications?
Guardians nominated as part of a Child Student visa application must meet the definition of ‘nominated guardian’ as defined in the immigration rules.
Nominated guardians must meet the same requirements as intended carers for day students. The nominated guardian must be British/Settled and sign a letter of undertaking that forms part of the documentary requirements for the visa application. Newland Chase Education can provide a template letter to clients.
A Child Student application will be refused where the carer of the child in the U.K. has committed a relevant criminal offence, or where there are safeguarding issues concerning the child while they are in the U.K.
From May 29, 2025, applications will also need to meet the living arrangement requirement in addition to the financial requirement. The arrangements must be in line with the permitted living arrangements stated in the immigration rules. New living arrangement categories have been added to account for different types of living arrangements for children who will be residing at boarding school.
Newland Chase Education will soon be providing further information via a webinar. This will clarify the changes in more depth and discuss the practical requirements as a sponsor licence holder. Details on how to join the webinar will be available soon.
Please reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.
This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.
