PLS HELP - SQE & Visa

[Poppypops124]

Hi all, just for a bit of context I’m Swiss and was, until about a week ago, on a student visa in the UK. I deferred an exam which means I can’t get the graduate visa, but I wanted to ask a question regarding sitting 2 short SQE courses next year.

SQE 1 with my provider starts in Sep and teaching ends in December, and SQE 2 is from Feb 2nd until early March. However, the course also included the several revision weeks and holidays, which take up around 4-5 weeks. In summary, however, I calculated it by planning out when I would fly in and out, and I would only be in the UK for 5.5 months in total.

I just wanted to ask if anyone has experience with this.

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hiya @Poppypops124

Thanks for sharing this. Can I just check who your course provider is? If it's ULaw or BPP, then, it’s worth noting that both typically require students to be on a valid student visa once you've enrolled in their full-time SQE programmes. There are usually conditions attached, including in-person attendance and sitting certain assessments in the UK. Even if the total time you’re physically present is under six months, the course itself might still be classed as a longer-term programme for visa purposes, so it’s really important to clarify this with the provider directly.

That said, the timeline you’ve outlined (Sep–Dec for SQE1 and Feb–Mar for SQE2, including revision breaks) is more or less standard for full-time SQE courses. I'd recommend checking in with your course provider’s admissions or compliance team sooner rather than later, since they’ll be best placed to advise on the visa requirements for your specific situation.

Do let us know if you have any questions!

 

[Poppypops124]

Hiya @Poppypops124

Thanks for sharing this. Can I just check who your course provider is? If it's ULaw or BPP, then, it’s worth noting that both typically require students to be on a valid student visa once you've enrolled in their full-time SQE programmes. There are usually conditions attached, including in-person attendance and sitting certain assessments in the UK. Even if the total time you’re physically present is under six months, the course itself might still be classed as a longer-term programme for visa purposes, so it’s really important to clarify this with the provider directly.

That said, the timeline you’ve outlined (Sep–Dec for SQE1 and Feb–Mar for SQE2, including revision breaks) is more or less standard for full-time SQE courses. I'd recommend checking in with your course provider’s admissions or compliance team sooner rather than later, since they’ll be best placed to advise on the visa requirements for your specific situation.

Do let us know if you have any questions!

Hi! My provider is ULaw. It's actually two separate short courses; my firm is allowing me to choose what I want to do, and I decided it would probably be best to pick the option that is shortest, because they just need me to pass the SQE, as well as cheapest for them.