Travel after Tier 4 expires, extend/switch to travel visa?

I'm doing a 4 week course in the UK at the end of October for which I'm required to have a Tier 4 visa, but I would like to travel for 14 days after having completed my course. I am required to leave the UK after 7 days because my course is <6 months in duration.
Would I be able to apply for a tourist visa that is valid for the 7 days extra that I'd like to travel for at the same time that I apply for my Tier 4 visa? I was referred to the following document but am still unsure as to whether or not I can apply for these two different visas at the same time from outside of the UK. Thank you in advance for any help!

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... eave-ecb22

"I'm doing a 4 week course in the UK" and "my course is <6 months in duration." Which is correct?

Casa wrote:"I'm doing a 4 week course in the UK" and "my course is <6 months in duration." Which is correct?

Well both, sorry I just included the less than 6 months because if your course is longer than that you qualify to stay 8 weeks after it ends rather than a single week.

chelsea16 wrote:I'm doing a 4 week course in the UK at the end of October for which I'm required to have a Tier 4 visa,

Can you clarify why you are "required" to have a Tier 4 visa, as opposed to say a Short Term Student visa? Is it because the course has a work placement?

It's due to the nature of the course - I am a medical student that will be working in a hospital

When you say you want to "travel" for a further 7 days, do you mean you want to stay in the UK for another 7 days? Or that you want to travel outside the UK for 7 days then re-enter?

I would like to stay in the UK for a further 7 days

What nationality are you?

South African with a South African Passport - I require a visa for most countries excluding some in Africa.

Applying for a visitor visa to back onto your Tier4 visa might be difficult.

Any particular places you wanted to travel to in the UK?

You don't need a pre-applied for visa to visit Rep of Ireland for example, hence my question above.

I advise asking the entry post about applying for two visas at the same time. If you get both, you would still need to leave the UK once your course has finished, then re-enter on the Visitor visa.

You may want to consider simply overstaying for 7 days. It is against the law, but it would not have any specific effect on a future immigration application for the UK.

I'm going to be in Edinburgh for the course so the idea was to go to the highlands for a week or so and then down to London from where I'd fly out. It seems as though I might need to change my plans, working around this is far trickier than I'd hoped for.
Surely overstaying would have consequences when I try leave?

You may want to consider simply overstaying for 7 days. It is against the law, but it would not have any specific effect on a future immigration application for the UK.

It might considering checks are being made on departure now.

chelsea16 wrote:Surely overstaying would have consequences when I try leave?

Like what? The consequences are that you would need to declare the overstay on any future immigration application.

CR001 wrote:It might considering checks are being made on departure now.

The immigration rules have not changed in that regard. There are no fines or further penalties associated with an exit check.

It is never good advice to recommend someone to "consider simply overstaying for 7 days".

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oper ... xit-checks

CR001 wrote:It is never good advice to recommend someone to "consider simply overstaying for 7 days".

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oper ... xit-checks

Exit checks have not been introduced to "catch" overstayers. An overstayer who is leaving the country is not stopped and held. That would be absurd. It is the overstay itself that is an offence, not being caught overstaying. In some cases (not this one) an overstay would have an impact on a future immigration application. Being "caught" overstaying as you exit has no additional consequences.

An immigration adviser cannot recommend overstaying as an option, quite rightly because it is against the law and they would be colluding in an immigration fraud. However, in informal discussion of someone's options, outside of professional regulated advice, it would be illogical to not mention it as a possible option, given the minimal consequences of a short overstay.

I did not say the OP would be arrested and charged did I.

We don't know what the OPs future plans are and might wish to return to the UK at some point. Having a period of overstay on your record is not really good is it, in any circumstance and I did say 'it might......'.

@chelsea16- as a fellow SA citizen, I would suggest you please plan carefully what you would like to do and proceed appropriately. If you are based in Johannesburg, contact the VFS centre in Sandton to ask them if you can submit both. Remember that you will need to provide strong evidence of your ties to SA and your intent to return. Alternatively, look at spending a break in Rep of Ireland or a Schengen visa to visit a European country.

I would prefer not to have anything like an overstay history tied to me seeing as how many hoops I already have to jump through to get a visa so I'm not really considering that as an option. I'm unfortunately based in Cape Town but will see if I can find a similar body here to help me. Luckily I'm half way through an MBChB degree so the chances of me dropping and leaving it are highly unlikely, furthermore internship ties me to SA for another 2 years on top of that so I should be able to get enough proof of my intent to return.

There is a VFS office in Cape Town too. There is also a very good consultancy based in Cape Town but they do charge a fee to help you.

Your ties to 'back home' appear to be good and you would have the documents to prove it. To travel in the UK, you would need proof of accommodation, funds particularly for London as it is very expensive, etc. and has has been said, a visit visa would need to be activated on arrival, so you would need to leave and return.

There was a similar post from another user some time ago, I will try dig it out and see what advice they received or what they eventually decided.