UK Student visa

Who it is for

Anyone 16 or over with an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor

Fee

£524 plus £776 a year health surcharge

Work

Up to 20 hours a week in term time at degree level; full time in holidays

Dependants

Only for postgraduate research students and government-sponsored students since January 2024

The Student visa is the route for anyone coming to study a course in the UK that lasts more than six months. It is granted for the length of the course plus a short period at the end: four months for a course of a year or more, which gives you time to apply for the Graduate visa or switch to a work route.

Who qualifies

• A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a university or college on the register of licensed student sponsors. The CAS is a reference number your institution issues once you have an unconditional offer and have paid any deposit it requires. It is valid for six months and you must apply within that time.
• Enough money. You must show the first year's course fees (or the whole course fee if the course is under a year) plus living costs: £1,483 a month for up to nine months in London (£13,347) and £1,136 a month elsewhere (£10,224). The money must have been in your account, or your parents' with their written consent, for 28 consecutive days ending no more than 31 days before you apply. Students from the listed low-risk countries are usually not asked for the evidence, but must still hold it.
• English. Degree-level courses need B2; below degree level, B1. Universities assess this themselves for degree courses, so your offer letter usually settles it.
• Age and consent. You must be 16 or over; under-18s need parental consent and arranged care.
• ATAS certificate if you will study certain science, engineering or technology subjects at postgraduate level.

Fees and the health surcharge

The application fee is £524 wherever you apply from. The Immigration Health Surcharge for students is the discounted rate of £776 a year, charged for the whole visa including the period at the end, so a three-year degree with the four-month wrap-up costs £2,716 in surcharge. Decisions normally take three weeks from outside the UK and eight weeks inside.

Working while you study

Students on a degree-level course at a university can work up to 20 hours a week during term and full time in official vacations and after the course ends. Below degree level, and at colleges that are not higher education providers, the limit is 10 hours. You cannot be self-employed, work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, or take a permanent full-time job. Breaching the hours is treated seriously: it is a ground for cancelling the visa and for refusing a later one. Your university's term dates, not your own timetable, define term time.

Dependants

Since 1 January 2024 only students on postgraduate research courses (PhDs and research masters) and government-sponsored students can bring a partner or children. Taught masters students cannot. Dependants who do qualify can work in any job.

Changing course or university

You can change course at the same institution without a new visa if the new course is at the same level or higher and the institution confirms it. Moving to a different sponsor means a new CAS and a new application from inside the UK, and you cannot start the new course until the new visa is granted.

After your course

Three options are common. The Graduate visa gives two years (18 months for later applicants) of unsponsored work. Switching to a Skilled Worker visa is cheaper from the Student route, because new entrants under 26 or within two years of graduating qualify for the reduced salary threshold. Or you can leave; your visa expires at the end of the wrap-up period and there is no penalty for leaving early. Time on a Student visa does not count towards the five-year settlement period on work routes, but it does count towards the ten-year long residence route.