Covid-19: Applying for a Tier 4 from within the UK?

I entered the UK on a standard visitor visa in January to meet with academic colleagues, with the original plan to return to the United States to apply for a tier 4 visa to wrap up an ongoing PhD in the UK.

With the Covid-19 changes and being stuck in the UK, is it possible to apply for a Tier 4 visa prior to May 31 from within the UK?

Many thanks for guidance,

Patrick

PatrickMMC wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:32 pm

With the Covid-19 changes and being stuck in the UK, is it possible to apply for a Tier 4 visa prior to May 31 from within the UK?

The only specific provision is for short-term students to switch to Tier 4, not Standard Visitors. See https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... m-students

Separately, the general guidance from UKVI says that other people who cannot normally switch to Tier 4 in the UK can currently do so under a concession. They must still meet all other requirements for a Tier 4 leave to remain application, which includes that the course starts no more than 28 days after your current leave ends. In this case that would be 28 June 2020.

See https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus ... -residents > "If you're applying to stay in the UK long-term"

See also UKCISA's detailed guide for students on all aspects of the current pandemic:
https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information-- ... layer-6726 > "Applying in the UK when this is not normally possible".

Above all, you need to get advice from the university that is sponsoring your Tier 4 visa.