Key requirements:
You must have an offer to study from a licensed sponsor (a school or university)
To prove this, you sponsor will provide you with a reference number called CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies)
Once your CAS has been issued, you have 6 months to apply for your visa.
How much it costs & money you need:
The amount you need depends on your circumstances. You must have enough money to pay for 1 academic year (up to 9 months of studies). The exact amount will be inidicate on your CAS.
Unless you have been living in the UK with a valid visa for the past 12 months, you will also have to demonstrate you have enough money to support yourself in the UK (also called maintenance or financial requirement).
£1,334 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses in London
£1,023 per month (for up to 9 months) for courses outside London
For the Doctorate Extension Scheme: you need to prove you have a total of £2,668 for courses in London, or a total of £2,046 for courses outside London.
You 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 you apply for your visa.
If you have a student loan or a sponsorship (e.g. scholarship), you need to provide evidence of those.
If you are boarding at a school, you will have to pay the boarding fees instead.
If you are a British national overseas or from one of the following countries, the financial requirement doesn’t apply to you:
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Barbados
Belgium
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Chile
China
Croatia
Republic of Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
The Dominican Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kuwait
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macao
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Oman
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
United States of America
English knowledge:
You must show you can communicate in English before you apply. Usually you will need to pass a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider, which can be one of the following:
If you are in the UK
You can only take a SELT with one of the following providers:
IELTS SELT Consortium
LanguageCert
Pearson
Trinity College London
If you are outside of the UK
You can only take a SELT with one of the following providers:
IELTS SELT Consortium
LanguageCert
Pearson
PSI Services (UK) Ltd
If you completed a GCSE, A level, Scottish National Qualification level 4 or 5, Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher in English, you normally don’t need to take English test.
Level of English to apply for Student visa:
If you are applying to study at a degree level or above – you need to know English at level B2 or above
If you are applying to study below a degree level – you need to know English at level B1 or above.
Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English
You do not need to take English test if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of the following countries, or are from one of the following countries:
Antigua and Barbuda
Australia
the Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Ireland
Jamaica
Malta
New Zealand
St Kitts and Nevis
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad and Tobago
UK
USA
OR if one of the following applies:
you’re a national of Canada
you’re applying to come to the UK for a study abroad programme as part of a university degree course in the USA
you proved your level of English in a previous visa application
Nationals of certain countries must also provide a negative tuberculosis test from an approved clinic.
CONSULTATIONWe value your time. After the consultation, we will let you know what the next steps are. We will request the documents we need, and only call you when necessary. We are proactive, will update you on your case as soon as we have any news so that you don’t need to call, meaning you can rest assured that no actions are needed from your side.
We haven’t forgotten about you, but we believe you’d rather spend time doing something that really matters than on the phone with a lawyer.
Student migration constitutes a significant share of immigration to the UK. The number of international students relocating to the UK increased over the decade of the 1990s and 2000s, with a particularly sharp increase in 2009. Student visas issuing decreased from 2010 to 2016.
More informationIn September 2019, the UK Government announced the introduction of the graduate route to international students from 1 July 2021. This includes students who have already started their course, even if due to Covid-19, they have needed to undertake online learning.
More informationTier 5 visa is a temporary visa allowing applicants to enter the UK for a period of 6-24 months usually for the purpose of work, internship, or work experience.
More informationInternational students may need to extend their student visa in order to complete their program. This may be because they have made a change to their course, need to repeat a year, or wish to defer some of their assessment. Applications can be made from both within and outside the UK.
More informationIndividuals who want to study a short course in the United Kingdom can apply for a Short-term study visa. From 1 December 2020, this route is only for students who intend to study between 6 and 11 months. For courses up to 6 months, individuals can instead apply for a ‘Standard visitor’ visa.
More information