Student Visa

Follow this step-by-step guide to applying for your student visa: 

Apply for a course with a licensed student sponsor  (higher education provider/university) with your educational qualifications and work experience (if any) and receive an unconditional offer. The university may request you to provide bank statements as evidence to prove that you have sufficient funds to pay for your first-year course fees and living expenses. 

Once you have received your unconditional offer, and you have accepted it, your university will send you a document called a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS).

Once you have your CAS, you can begin the visa application process. You can apply for your student visa well before your course starts.

When applying for visa you must provide all educational qualifications (and experience) that the university considered when assigning the CAS to you together with the bank statements showing adequate funds to cover the first year course fee (or the balance course fee) and living expenses for up to 9 months. 

The funds must be maintained for more than 28 consecutive days in the bank account. The end date of the 28 day period  must be within 31 days of making your student visa application.

The funds  can be shown either by the student or their parents.   

 The living expenses would cost you either:

· £1,483 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London

· £1,136 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London

As part of your application, you will need to pay the visa application fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).   

As part of your student visa application, you may need to prove your knowledge of the English language. 

Different universities have different eligibility requirements, so make sure you check what form of English language evidence you will need with your university. 

You can prove your knowledge of English by passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider.

 It costs:

• £490 to apply for a Student visa from outside the UK
• £490 to extend or switch to a Student visa from inside the UK

You must pay the visa fee for each person that joins you.

Immigration Health Surcharge Fee

You’ll also have to pay the healthcare surcharge as part of your application.

How much you pay depends on how long your visa lasts. The current fee £776 per year for students and their dependants.

Your partner and children under 18 years of age (‘dependants’) may be able to apply to come to the UK or stay longer in the UK.

You must be one of the following:

· a government-sponsored student starting a course that lasts longer than 6 months.

· a full-time student on a postgraduate level course (RQF level 7 or above) that lasts 9 months or longer.

The postgraduate level course must be either:

· a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8)

· a research-based higher degree

Money they need to support themselves

Your partner and child must each have a certain amount of money available to them. This is in addition to the money you must have to support yourself.

They must have either:

· £1,483 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London

· £1,136 a month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London

If you’re applying at the same time as your partner or child (you’re applying together as a family), you’ll need to prove you have both money to pay for your course and to support yourself and additional money for each of them.

If your partner or child is applying at a different time to you (they’re applying separately) they only need to prove they have money to support themselves.

You (or your partner or child) must have this money for at least 28 consecutive days. The end date of the 28 day period must be within 31 days of the date they apply for their visa.

www.gov.uk/student-visa

UK Immigration Rules

www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/appendix-student