Applying for a Student visa from inside the UK – FAQs

Please see our step-by-step guide on applying for a Student visa from inside the UK.

All Student visa applications should be submitted as promptly as possible once a CAS has been issued, although please note that applications cannot be submitted any earlier than three months before the course start date.

If you currently have a Graduate route visa, please note that you will not be permitted to start your course until your Student visa has been issued. As such, and mindful of UKVI’s visa processing times, it is important that you submit your Student visa application well in advance of the course start date. If your CAS is issued within two months of the course start date, you will be required to submit your application on a priority basis. Using the ‘priority service’ means you’ll usually get a decision within 5 working days.

If you currently have a Student visa issued for a course at another institution, please note that you will not be permitted to start your course until you have submitted a fresh visa application under University of Gloucestershire’s sponsorship.

The University does not issue CAS to students who have overstayed their visa. If you have become an overstayer, you will need to supply us with proof that you have left the UK before we can consider issuing you with a CAS.

No. You can only apply for a Student visa from inside the UK if your new course starts within 28 days of your current visa’s expiry date. If your new course starts more than 28 days after your current visa expires, you are not eligible, under relevant UKVI regulations, to apply from within the UK and you will instead need to leave the UK and apply from your home country. In this scenario, the University will delay issuance of a CAS until you have submitted proof that you have left the UK.

You are permitted to switch into the Student visa category provided you do not have a visa under any of the following categories:

• Visitor
• Short-term Student
• Parent of a Child Student
• Seasonal Worker
• Domestic Worker in a Private Household
• Leave Outside the (Immigration) Rules

If you have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you do not need to apply for a visa.

For the most up-to-date information on Student visa fees, please refer to the gov.uk website.

Please also note the requirement to pay an additional charge for healthcare, known as the immigration health surcharge (IHS). For further information about the IHS fee, please refer to the gov.uk website.

Payment must be made as part of the online visa application process, using a debit or credit card.

Since the University is designated a ‘Higher Education Provider with a Track Record’, most students do not need to upload any documents in support of their application. There are, however, some specific situations where supporting documents need to be uploaded.

If you do need to upload any documents, the documents required will be clearly stated when you reach the end of the online application process.

Some examples of documents you may need to upload, depending on the circumstances, are as follows:

• Evidence of required funds
• ATAS certificate
• Parental consent letter (under 18s only)
• School enrolment letter (for children in full-time education)

Provided your course is at undergraduate level (i.e. RQF level 6) or above, or if you are a national of an exempt country, you are not required to submit any academic certificates with your visa application.

Provided you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months as of the date of your visa application, you are not required to submit any evidence of funds with your application.

Additionally, if you are a national of an exempt country, you are not required to submit any evidence of funds with your application. However, please be aware that UKVI caseworkers are permitted to request evidence of funds from nationals of exempt countries as part of their processing. For this reason, we recommend that nationals of exempt countries prepare evidence of funds in exactly the same way as students from countries that are not exempt, such that it can then be provided to the caseworker in the event of a request.

If you have been in the UK for less than 12 months (as of the date of your visa application), you must evidence that you have sufficient funds to pay for:

• Any first year course fees that are outstanding on the date you submit your visa application; and
• Living costs, calculated at a rate of £1,171 for each month of the course, up to a maximum of nine months, i.e. if your application is for a course or period of study longer than nine months, you will therefore need to evidence £10,539 for living costs. Your course length will be rounded up if the duration includes part of a month, e.g. if your course lasts six months and two weeks, you must evidence living costs equating to seven months, i.e. £8,197.

If you have made a prepayment for University halls of residence accommodation, you are permitted to deduct this amount (up to a maximum of £1,529) from the funds required to evidence living costs.

If you have been in the UK for less than 12 months (as of the date of your visa application), you will need to supply evidence in one of the following formats:

• Cash funds in a bank or building society account
• A loan in your name
• Official financial sponsorship

For detailed guidance regarding what types of document are acceptable, please see our guide to Student Route Financial Requirements.

No. The university will not issue a CAS if you are unable to supply financial documentation that meets UKVI criteria.

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities), who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.

The subjects and research areas are those where knowledge could be used in programmes to develop Advanced Conventional Military Technology (ACMT), weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery. Researchers and students in these sensitive subjects must apply for an ATAS certificate before they can study or start research in the UK.

Very few courses at the University of Gloucestershire will require clearance under the ATAS scheme, but if you are required to obtain an ATAS certificate this will be flagged during the admissions process. As it can take several weeks to obtain an ATAS certificate, it is important that you apply well before submitting your Student visa application.

To learn more about applying for ATAS clearance, and for more detailed information about which types of study and subject areas are affected, please refer to the gov.uk website.

Yes. The letter needs to be signed by your parent(s), and must confirm:

• Your relationship to your parent(s); and
• That your parent(s) consent to your Student visa application; and
• That your parent(s) consent to you living independently in the UK; and
• That your parent(s) consent to you travelling independently to the UK

Yes. Where an original document (e.g. bank statement, birth certificate) is not in English, it must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. This translation must include details of the translator/translation company’s credentials, confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original document, and the translator/translation company’s contact details. It must also be dated and include the original signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.

Under the current UK immigration rules, your Student visa should be issued to reflect the length of your course, plus an additional period of up to four months (depending on your programme of study) at the end of your course, known as the ‘wrap-up period’. The length of the wrap-up period depends on the type and length of your course:

Your dependants can apply from within the UK provided:

• You will be studying a full-time research-based higher degree, a PhD, or other doctoral qualification of nine months or longer – this includes Master’s by Research programmes at level 7.
• You are in receipt of an award from a government and your course (of any level) will be full-time and at least six months.
• You will be studying or have studied on a full-time course lasting at least six months and all four points below apply:
  • Your Student permission is current or expired no more than three months before your visa application
  • Your new visa application is for a full-time course that is at least six months
  • Your dependant already has Student dependant immigration permission (or it expired no more than three months before this application), or your dependant is your child who was born since you were last granted your immigration permission
  • You are applying for immigration permission at the same time as your dependant

For the most part, your dependants will not need to upload any documents in support of their applications. There are, however, some specific situations where supporting documents will need to be uploaded. If your dependants do need to upload any documents, the documents required will be clearly stated when you reach the end of the online dependant application process.

Some examples of documents you may need to upload, depending on the circumstances, are as follows:

• Evidence of required living costs for any dependants who have been in the UK for less than 12 months only
• Evidence of dependant status, e.g. marriage certificate, birth certificate etc
• If born inside the UK, a full UK birth certificate
• If aged 16 or 17, an NHS registration document and a letter from school/college/university confirming their address (the letter must be on the relevant organisation’s official headed paper and must bear the organisation’s official stamp)

For the most up-to-date information on visa fees, please refer to the gov.uk website.

If your dependant has been in the UK for less than 12 months, they are required to evidence £680 for each month of immigration permission that you have been granted (if they are applying after you have received your Student visa) or will be granted (if they are applying at the same time as you), for up to nine months, i.e. up to a maximum of £6,120.

A baby born in the UK can remain in the UK without applying for a dependant visa. However, your baby will require a passport or travel document if they will be travelling outside the UK – they will subsequently need a dependant visa to re-enter the UK. Your baby will also not be covered for free hospital treatment after the age of three months if they have not paid the immigration healthcare surcharge as part of a visa application.

For your baby to apply as your dependant from inside the UK, both parents must be living together in the UK. Your baby can apply for a dependant visa from inside the UK or from your home country, but you must obtain a passport or travel document for them from your Embassy in the UK. Your baby can apply at the same time as you or your baby can apply on their own. You will need to submit their full birth certificate (which must include the names of both parents), along with documentation to evidence £680 for each month of immigration permission that you have been granted (if they are applying after you have received your Student visa) or will be granted (if they are applying at the same time as you), for up to nine months, i.e. up to a maximum of £6,120.

The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has produced a guide to making a Student visa application from inside the UK. The guide includes information about all aspects of the Student visa application process, including links to many other useful publications.