From 1 December 2020, you will be allowed to study for up to six months at an accredited institution in the UK if you apply for a standard visitor visa. You are not limited to studying one course and you are not required to have a place on a course before you arrive.
European Economic Area and Swiss nationals who enter the UK on or the 31 December 2020 will be required to apply for this visa, if they are not eligible to apply under the EU settlement scheme.
As before, you cannot do any kind of work, work placement (except medical elective – see below) or work experience during your studies in the UK. You will also need to prove that you have enough money to cover all reasonable costs of your visit without working or accessing public funds, including the cost of the return or onward journey.
The advantage of this change from the short-term student route is that you do not have to see a border force officer on arrival if you are a national permitted to use automatic ePassport gates.
More information about the standard visitor route can be found on GOV.UK
Medical Electives
If you are at least 16 years old and studying a course equivalent to a UK degree in another country, you may enter the UK as a visitor and undertake a medical elective at St George’s provided the elective is relevant to your course of study abroad, unpaid and does not involve the treatment of patients.