Care and accommodation: the part that decides it
A visa application for a child is assessed with the child's welfare in mind, and the Home Office wants to know precisely who is responsible for them in the UK.
Where the child will board at the school, this is generally straightforward — the school confirms the arrangement and takes responsibility during term. What needs equal attention is the holidays, which the school does not cover. Somebody must be responsible then, and the application should say who, where, and on what basis.
Where the child will not board, the arrangements need setting out in full: who they will live with, that person's relationship to the family, their immigration status, and their suitability. A private foster arrangement — where a child under 16 lives for more than 28 days with someone who is not a close relative — also carries separate legal duties to notify the local authority, which sits outside immigration law entirely and is regularly overlooked.
The underlying principle is simple. Nobody should read the application and be left wondering who is looking after this child.
Parental consent, and when it is difficult
Written consent is required from both parents, or from anyone with legal responsibility for the child, covering the application, the travel, the living arrangements and the care arrangements.
That is easy when both parents agree. It becomes the central issue when they do not, when one parent cannot be found, or when one has died.
These situations are dealt with regularly and they are not fatal, but they need handling properly rather than glossing over. Evidence of sole responsibility, a court order, a death certificate, or a documented account of genuine efforts to locate an absent parent all have their place. What does not work is submitting an application with one signature and hoping the question is not asked.
If the consent position is complicated, raise it at the first conversation. It shapes the whole application.
Money, and who holds it
The financial requirement covers school fees and maintenance, and for younger children the maintenance figures differ from the adult Student route depending on the care arrangements — a child in full boarding needs less shown than one living privately.
As with the adult route, funds must be held for the required period and evidenced in a prescribed way. Where a parent or guardian holds the money, that is expected rather than exceptional, but it needs the relationship evidenced and consent given in the prescribed form.
One thing worth planning around: many schools ask for a deposit or a term's fees before issuing a CAS. Money paid to the school is credited against the amount you must show, but only if it is evidenced properly — so keep the receipt and make sure the CAS records it.
What happens at 16 and 18
Two age points change things and both are worth planning for rather than discovering.
At 16, a child can either continue on the Child Student route or, in some circumstances, apply on the adult Student route — which carries different work rights and different conditions. Which is better depends on the course and the plan, and it is worth a conversation rather than a default.
At 18, the Child Student route ends. A student continuing their education needs to switch to the adult Student visa, with its own financial requirement, English requirement and conditions. That switch has to be applied for from inside the UK before existing leave expires.
Families who plan for this a term ahead find it routine. Families who discover it in the final weeks of a visa find it stressful and occasionally impossible.