Child Student

What is the Child Student route?


The Child Student route enables EEA, Swiss and non-EEA nationals aged 4-17 years to study at licensed UK independent educational institutions.

Key features

  • Dependents: Child Students are not permitted to bring dependants to the UK during their course of study, however those under the age of 12 years may be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  • Work: once the Child Student is aged 16 or over, he/she may be permitted to work up to ten hours per week during term time or full-time during the school holidays (note exceptions and limitations may apply); and
  • Settlement: the Child Student route does not lead to settlement in the UK, but time spent under the category can count towards ten years lawful residence in the UK for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) purposes.

How we can help


Helping a child prepare for the beginning or continuation of an overseas education can be a daunting task. We guide clients through the process and help obtain all required immigration permission for the child to attend school in the UK.

Our legal fees


Fixed fees
We work on a fixed fee basis. Our fees for individual Child Student applications typically range between £4,000 – £15,000+ plus VAT and disbursements depending upon the issues, urgencies and complexities involved.

Disbursements
You can expect the main disbursements to include:

  • Home Office filing fees (click here for the government’s visa/entry clearance fee calculator and here for a list of all Home Office fees);
  • Immigration Health Surcharge fees, if applicable;
  • Optional premium service fees for in-country and out-of-country applications; and
  • Other ancillary disbursements such as UK National Recognition Information Centre (NARIC), biometric enrolment, translations, courier and postage charges, etc.

Latest Insights


Home Office publishes Statements of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 997 (1 July 2025) and HC 836 (24 June 2025)

The Home Office has today published a new Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (HC 997) in connection with details outlined in the Government’s…

Migration Advisory Committee advises against further increases to minimum income requirement under the family route

In its hotly anticipated report published on 10 June 2025, The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has recommended that the minimum income requirement…

Zeena Luchowa quoted in the Law Society Gazette

Zeena Luchowa (Partner) has been quoted by the Law Society Gazette in an article entitled ‘In depth: foreign lawyers in immigration limbo’.

Laura Devine Solicitors Limited trading as Laura Devine Immigration is registered in England and Wales as a limited company (8651204) at 100 Cannon Street, London EC4N 6EU. Partner is a term used by us to describe a director in the limited company. Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (648320).

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