# From General Visitor to Student Visitor Visa?



## Tina26 (Jun 11, 2013)

Hello, I hope someone can help me.

I am planning on sitting for an examination for obtaining equivalency of my degree next year (Late April and then June,as it is a 2 part test). As part of the preparation I am allowed to what is called "seeing practice" (which does not require any specific visa as it is not working, nor studying ). I have arranged some places to visit in the UK which would be for 6 months (September-February).

As a non-visa national I could go just as a General Visitor for those 6 months. But, what can I do in order to stay afterwards until the date of the test? I am planning on taking maybe 2 short preparation courses (that last 2-3 days each) in March and April. I believe a Student Visitor visa would be needed for those courses, but I think that would still count as visitor and therefore would be over 6 months in a year. Is it possible to do that? What other options do I have?

I would appreciate your help, thank you, and sorry for the length of my story!


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## nyclon (Apr 3, 2011)

You can't change from a visitor visa to any other visa and visits should be limited to 6 months out of 12.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Just keep your seeing practice and your test within 6 months, so you only need to get one student visitor leave to enter when you arrive in UK (no prior visa needed as a Chilean national).


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## Tina26 (Jun 11, 2013)

Hello, 

Thank you for your responses. I was hoping there would be a way to make it work, but I guess there isn't. I will just have to go for 6 months then.

Thank you again.


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

True. There isn't a way to stay in UK as a visitor longer than 6 months, except for archaeological digs, private medical treatment or exceptionally for compassionate reasons like tending a sick relative.


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