STUDENT VISA GUIDE - APPLYING VISA

Use the following information to help you apply for your student visa (formerly known as Tier
4) from outside the UK. Before you apply for your visa, make sure you are confident that you
can travel and only book your flight when your visa has been granted.

For the latest information about Student visas, please check the UK Government website -
UK Student Visa

STEP 1 – Accept your offer

• Firmly accept your unconditional offer.

STEP 2 – Pay any tuition fee deposit required

• Only taught postgraduate students are required to pay a fee deposit of or provide
evidence of full funding before a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) can be
issued. This includes students taking a summer pre-sessional English language course
at the University Language Centre before their taught postgraduate degree.
• Find out how to pay a tuition fee deposit with your university if you are a taught
postgraduate student.

STEP 3 – Check your CAS details

• Your CAS will be emailed to you after you have accepted your offer. If you are a taught
postgraduate student, it will be emailed to you after you have also paid your fee
deposit or provided acceptable evidence of full funding. You do not need to contact
the university in most cases to request a CAS.
• You will receive an electronic version of your CAS – an original version is not required
for your visa application.
• Check all the information on your CAS to confirm it is correct. Please ensure that your
passport number is for the passport you will use to travel to the UK.
• If any details are incorrect, please inform your university by emailing the CAS enquiries
team.
• Any tuition fees (including fee deposits) that you have paid prior to the CAS being
issued will be shown on the CAS you receive. If you make any further payments
towards your tuition fees before using your CAS to apply for a visa, universities should
usually email you an updated CAS summary automatically once the payment has been
processed – you do not need to contact them to request this, and your CAS number
will not change. If you do not receive an updated CAS before you apply for your visa
you can submit receipts for your payments with your visa application as well.

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 • Your email provider may not display the CAS fee data correctly if they are not used to
rendering the British pound sterling symbol. However, please be assured that UK Visas
and Immigration (UKVI) will receive the correct information in the electronic version
of your CAS.
• Updates to your CAS cannot be made once it has been used for a visa application.

Step 4 – Prepare your visa application documents

Depending on your situation, you will need some, or all, of the following documents:

• Your current passport and any other passports that you hold.
• Sponsor/scholarship/bursary letter dated no more than six months old (if you are
financially sponsored). Confirmation of sponsorships/scholarships/bursaries is not
listed on your CAS therefore the original sponsor letter is required.
• Financial documents – including bank statements, bank letters and savings books. You
need to hold the required funds for a minimum of 28 days and your bank statement
must be no more than 31 days old on the date you submit your application online. For
more information, please read our financial document checklist before you make your
visa application.
• If you are relying on money held in your parents’ bank accounts you will need proof of
your relationship to your parents, your parents’ bank statements and a letter in English
from your parents confirming they are supporting you.
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
• Previous qualifications if mentioned in your CAS.
• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if applicable. These are valid
for six months.
• Check whether you need a tuberculosis test certificate. These are valid for six months.
TB tests only allowed from approved medical institutions by UKVI - Link
• Supporting letter about gaps in study – this is not a mandatory document but if there
are gaps in your previous study history, we recommend that you submit a letter
explaining your circumstances, for example (but not limited to) if you have had
domestic responsibilities, or if you have been working in a field related to your
intended course.
• If you are below the age of 18, you will need to provide a letter from your parents/legal
guardian confirming their consent to the application and evidence of your relationship
to your parents/guardian (such as a copy of your birth certificate).
• Please note that under the student visa guidance, only personal bank statements in
your name or your parents’ names can be submitted. You are not able to use company
statements, even if the company is owned by your parent nor can you use a bank
statement from another relative such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle.

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 • UKVI has confirmed it will accept funds in a certificate of deposit if the certificate
confirms that the money has been held for the required 28-day period and that the
account holder can access the funds at any time.
• All documents must translate into English by a certified translator if they are not in
English. If you are uploading copies of your documents, please make sure that the
copies are in colour, that the entire document is visible, and that all the text is legible.

STEP 5 – Check your finances

• In addition to demonstrating that you have enough money to pay your outstanding
tuition fees for the first year of your course, you will also need to show that you have
enough funds to meet the maintenance requirement (money for your living expenses):
• If you apply for your student visa on or after 2 January 2025, you will need £1,136 for
each month of your course for universities outside London, up to a maximum of 9
months (a total of £10,224 if your course is 9 months or longer).
• If you apply for your student visa on or after 2 January 2025, for London, you will need
£1,483 for each month of your course for universities outside London, up to a
maximum of 9 months (a total of £13,347 if your course is 9 months or longer).
• If you will receive official financial sponsorship, a scholarship or a bursary please
ensure that this funding meets the above requirements. If not, you are required to
submit a bank statement to supplement your funding.

STEP 6 – Complete your student visa application online

• Complete your application on the UKVI website. The earliest date you can submit your
application is six months before your course start date.
• Please make sure that you are applying using the correct Student visa application form.
Do not apply using the Child Student or Short-term student application forms.
• The application should be made in your home country, or the country where you are
normally resident.
• Most of the universities in the UK are a Higher Education Provider with a track record
of compliance.
• Please note that your visa application will be decided by UKVI based on the
information and documents you provide to them. The issue of a CAS does not
guarantee a successful application.

STEP 7 – Pay Immigration Health Surcharge and Visa Application Fee

• You will be required to make two payments to submit your visa application. You will
need to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge and a Visa Application Fee.

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 • The amounts listed below are in British pounds, but if you are applying from outside
the UK you will be required to make the payments in your local currency or, in some
countries, US dollars. This means that the true cost may vary based on the currency
exchange rate.

Immigration Health Surcharge

• If your visa will be valid for more than six months, you will be required to pay the
Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
• Payment of the IHS will allow you to use the NHS free of charge while you have your
visa.
• The annual IHS rate for students is £776 per year, and £388 for any additional period
that is less than 6 months.
• The total amount you will need to pay will depend on the length of the visa you are
applying for. If you are studying a course that is longer than 12 months your visa will
be granted with an additional 4 months after your course end date, and these
additional 4 months are included in the IHS calculation.
• Calculate how much you will need to pay for the IHS using the calculator on Gov.uk.
Use the course start and end dates that are on your CAS to get an accurate answer. For
example:
• The IHS for three-year undergraduate course will normally be £2,716.
• The IHS for a one-year master’s course will normally be £1,164.
• The IHS for a three-year PhD with additional overtime year will normally be £3,492.
• The full amount for the IHS must be paid up-front. It cannot be paid in instalments.
The IHS must also be paid for any dependant that is applying to join you in the UK.
• You will receive an IHS refund if your visa application is refused or if you withdraw your
visa application before UKVI makes a decision. You will not receive a refund if you
decide not to come to the UK after your visa is granted, or if you leave the UK early
(including if this is to take a suspension from your studies). Find more information
about IHS refunds on Gov.uk.
• If your visa covers a duration of less than six months, you should buy health insurance
in advance of your travel to cover you for using medical services while you are in the
UK. In particular this advice is relevant to students who have a visa that just covers the
ten week or six-week pre-sessional course in the first instance.

After you have paid the IHS you will need to pay the visa application fee.
• The standard visa application fee is currently £524 for applications submitted after 9
April 2025.
• UKVI aim to process standard applications within 15 working days. (But can take up to
a month)

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 • In many countries applicants are given the option of also purchasing the Priority Visa
Service which costs an additional £500 for a decision within 5 working days, or the
Super Priority Visa Service which costs an additional £1000 for a decision by the end
of the next working day.
• These processing times are not guaranteed, and it can take longer to get a decision if,
for example, UKVI needs to ask you for more documents or check your details with
other government departments or third parties.

STEP 8 – Submit your documents

• Once you have paid the visa application fee and IHS your application will be submitted.
You will then need to you will need to book an appointment to attend in person to
submit your documents and give your biometrics. Some visa application centres have
additional charges when booking the appointment. There are options available as well
for submitting documents online while applying for the visa (get in touch with
university or an agent regarding this).
• Find a visa application centre. Link

STEP 9 – Credibility interviews

• Anyone applying for a student visa from outside the UK can be interviewed as part of
their visa application. The purpose of the interview is to check if you are a genuine
student and that your English ability is at the correct level.
• If UKVI decide to interview you they will contact you after you have submitted your
application and ask you to be available for a telephone interview on a particular date
and time, or they may ask you to attend an interview in-person at a designated time
and location. You must make sure that you check your email regularly, including your
junk folder, in case you are contacted with an interview invitation or a request for
further evidence. At your interview a UKVI caseworker may ask you about the
information in your application form, your course, why you want to study in the UK
and at the University of your choice, your education and employment history, your
future and any other relevant information.

What will happen next?

• If your course duration is less than six months, an entry clearance vignette (visa sticker)
will be added to your passport covering the full length of your course.
• If your course is more than six months, an entry clearance vignette (visa sticker) will
be added to your passport. This visa will be valid for 90 days only. When your visa is
granted, you will also receive instructions from UKVI telling you how to create a UKVI

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 account to view your eVisa (your online immigration status). The eVisa will be valid for
the full length of your stay in the UK.
• If you are granted your visa after 1 November 2024, you will not receive a Biometric
Residence Permit (BRP). UKVI stopped issuing new BRPs on 31 October 2024 and have
replaced them with eVisas, an online record of your immigration status.
• You must make sure that you travel to the UK after the start date of your student visa.
During registration, the University is required to check the date you enter the UK and
confirm that you entered within the dates of your visa. If you enter the UK via an
electronic ePassport gate or the Republic of Ireland, you will not pass through UK
immigration control and you will not receive an entry stamp in your passport. Please
retain your boarding pass and/or flight details as evidence of your date of entry to the
UK.

Booking flights
• Please do not book your flight to the UK until you have received your visa. Most visa
applications are decided within 15 working days of your visa appointment; however,
on occasion, there can be delays and we advise against booking a flight in advance that
may need to be cancelled or rescheduled.

Vignette transfer / Visa error

• If there is an error on your vignette, please contact the Visa Application Centre where
you made your application to correct it before you travel.
• Find out more about identifying and correcting visa errors.
• If the passport containing your vignette has been lost or stolen, you should apply
online for a vignette transfer at a cost of £189 after you receive your new passport.
When making the application select, the following route – Reason for visit: Other; Visa
Type: Others; Visa sub-type: Vignette transfer.
• You can also apply for a vignette transfer if you will be starting your course later than
expected. However, if you are a PhD student, please check with your academic school
first if your course end date will remain the same otherwise you may not be able to
apply to transfer your visa. Please email the Student Visa Advice team of your
university if you require any further guidance.

What if my visa application is refused?

• If your application is refused or rejected, please email a copy of the refusal letter to
the Student Visa Advice team at your university. Please wait for our advice before
making a new visa application.
Note: The information provided is based on the University of Leeds website. Please check information on official UKVI site or your university.

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DOCUMENT CHECKLIST
Print this page to use it as a document checklist before arranging your documents for the
application of your student visa. Make sure all documents are ready and cross checked either
by your agent or by the university visa support team (if any).

List of documents required for Tier 4 visa application (order of documents

given below):

o VAF 9+ Visa Application checklist + Student declaration

o Pay Online Health Surcharges - Link
o Tuberculosis Test Report - Link
o Passport
o Biometric details (will be taken on the spot at VFS Centre)
o Visa Fees payment of 524 GBP
o Unconditional letter from university
o Scholarship letter from university (if any)– original and photocopy
o Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) for studies from Tier 4 Registered Sponsor
(Institution)
o Original transcripts / mark sheets (from Secondary school till the last degree obtained)
o IELTS/TOEFL (In original)
o Work experience certificate (If relevant – in Original)
o ATAS certificate (If required)
o Receipt of fee payment towards accommodation & tuition (Not required if information
is recorded on CAS)
o Latest One month Bank statement – original (minimum 28 days old funds) -
(Self/Parents) with a covering letter from the Bank Manager (Not older than 1 month)
o Affidavit of support to be given by the sponsor (Only Parents) with a relationship proof
(Birth Certificate)
o Fixed deposit receipts (if necessary) minimum 28 days old – (Self/Parents) with a
covering letter from the bank (Not older than 1 month)
o Bank loan sanction letter – Original (if any)
o Birth Certificate
o Name Change affidavit
o NOC if funds are in joint account

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