My wife and I are both enrolled for a weekend (short), non-credit course at Cambridge University in Summer 2020. The weekend course is incidental to the main purpose of our trip, which is a 28-day holiday of travel in the UK. At the time we enrolled, we did not know of the UK requirement for a student (short course) visa to be presented at the time we arrived for our class. We are U.S. citizens traveling on our U.S. passports. Cambridge's ICE (continuing adult education) registrar apparently can't answer this question: if we enter the UK via e-gate at immigration at Heathrow, where we will use only our chip-embedded passports and not get an immigration stamp (either as general tourist or as short-study students), will our passports suffice to meet the UK requirement for a short course at Cambridge?
My question is that if we can legally enter the UK solely on the basis of a chip-embedded passport for purposes of a visit, is a student short-term visa actually required?
The advice offered by Cambridge is a letter to present to an immigration officer affirming that my wife and I are enrolled in a week-end non-credit course; and, the advice that if we failed to produce required documentation on our visitor status upon arrival (presumably a general visa or a short-term visa stamp in our passports), admission to the course would denied.
We would very much like avoid the long lines at Heathrow immigration to enter the UK, where on our previous four trips we have stood in line for up to 2 hours in drenching heat and humidity. The new e-gate option for US passports is very appealing as it promises much faster processing, especially desired for more senior-aged weary travelers as ourselves. The e-gate option has been available for some time to EEU passport holders. While standing in the non-EEU line, we have watched EU passport holders go through e-gate in about 10-15 minutes. If someone from the EU wanted to take a weekend non-credit course at Cambridge, would they also have to have a student visa stamp in the passport to take the class?
Any advice from recent travelers into the UK? Any travelers on U.S. passports into the UK who have taken short-term (week-end or week-long) short courses at Cambridge or Oxford as part of the trip?
Both local British consulates in the U.S. and the UK Border Force do not take personal questions from tourists by email or on the telephone and the Border Force's online FAQ does not seem to address my question.
In advance, many thanks for responding.
--John