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If you are applying for a Student visa from outside the UK, this page answers some of the most common questions about preparing and submitting your application, including your CAS, supporting documents, financial requirements, dependants, visa processing, eVisas, and travelling to the UK. You should read this guidance alongside the official gov.uk Student visa information and the advice provided by UKCISA, as immigration requirements can change and your individual circumstances may affect what you need to do.
Jump to:
Before you apply
Documents and evidence
Financial requirements
Making your application
Dependants
After you apply
Your visa and eVisa
Travelling to the UK and starting your course
Working in the UK
You should read the official gov.uk Student visa guidance before submitting your application. This explains the eligibility requirements, documents you may need, application fee and how to apply.
The UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) also provides detailed independent guidance for international students applying for a Student visa from outside the UK.
Immigration requirements can change, so you should always check the latest guidance before submitting your application.
If you are applying for a Student visa from outside the UK, you should normally apply in the country where you are living legally for a reason other than a short-term visit.
You can also apply in a country of which you are a national.
If there is no suitable Visa Application Centre in the country where you live, you may be directed to a Visa Application Centre in another country.
You may be asked to provide evidence that you are legally resident in the country from which you are applying.
UKCISA provides further guidance on where you can make a Student visa application from outside the UK.
The earliest you can apply for a Student visa from outside the UK is six months before the course start date shown on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
You cannot submit your application until you have received your CAS.
Your CAS can normally be used for a visa application for up to six months from the date it was assigned, provided you are also within six months of your course start date.
We recommend applying as soon as reasonably possible once you have received your CAS and have all of the documents you need.
UKVI currently advises that Student visa applications made outside the UK are usually decided within three weeks, although some applications can take longer.
Your CAS can normally be used to make a Student visa application for up to six months from the date it was assigned.
You must also make your application no more than six months before your course start date.
A CAS can only be used for one visa application. Once it has been used, it cannot normally be used again.
If your visa application is refused, contact International Student Services before making another application. We will need to review your refusal before deciding whether a new CAS can be issued.
Check your CAS carefully as soon as you receive it.
In particular, check your:
If any information appears to be incorrect, contact us before submitting your Student visa application.
Do not submit an application using information that you know is incorrect and assume that it can be corrected afterwards.
No. If you make an additional advance tuition fee payment after your CAS has been issued, do not assume that your CAS will automatically show the new payment.
Contact the University using the contact details provided with your CAS so that we can check that your payment has been received and update your CAS where appropriate.
Tuition fees you have already paid can normally be deducted from the amount you need to demonstrate for your visa application, where the payment is recorded on your CAS or otherwise evidenced in a way permitted by UKVI.
You should therefore check the financial information on your CAS before submitting your application.
You will need a TB test if all of the following are true:
If a test is required, it must normally be completed at a clinic approved by the Home Office.
If your test confirms that you do not have TB, you will receive a certificate to use with your Student visa application.
Check the gov.uk tuberculosis testing guidance for the current list of countries and approved clinics.
We recommend arranging your test early, as appointments may not always be immediately available.
Some students studying or researching particular subjects at postgraduate level require an ATAS certificate. If ATAS is required for your course, this will be identified in your Unconditional offer letter, as in the example below.
“Please note, it has been identified that you will require an ATAS certificate to study this programme. Please see this webpage for more information. ATAS can take over 4 weeks to complete, so please apply for this as soon as possible.
The Common Aggregate Hierarchy (CAH3) code you will need for your ATAS application is: CAHxx-xx-xx”
To apply for an ATAS certificate, you will need to know the CAH3 code that has been identified in your offer letter.
You must receive your ATAS certificate before submitting your Student visa application.
The course information in your ATAS application should match the information provided by the University.
ATAS applications can take several weeks and there is no priority service, so you should apply as early as possible.
You can check whether ATAS applies to you on gov.uk.
No. Your passport does not normally need to remain valid for the entire length of your course.
However, it must be valid when you make your Student visa application.
If you obtain a new passport after your CAS has been issued, contact us before submitting your visa application so that we can check whether your CAS information needs to be updated.
You should also make sure that the passport you intend to use to travel to the UK is linked to your UKVI account where required.
Exactly what you need will depend on your individual circumstances. You should check the current gov.uk Student visa guidance before submitting your application.
You will normally need:
Depending on your circumstances, you may also need:
Your online application will provide a document checklist.
Documents used for your visa application must be in English.
If an original document is in another language, you must normally provide the original document together with a fully certified translation.
The translation should confirm that it is an accurate translation of the original document and should include:
You should not translate documents yourself.
The University of Gloucestershire is a ‘Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance’. As such, students applying to study a degree-level course or above will normally not need to submit their academic qualification certificates or English language evidence with their Student visa application.
The University will confirm on your CAS how your academic suitability and English language ability were assessed. You should still keep these documents available, as UKVI can ask you to provide additional evidence during the visa application process.
You will normally need enough money to cover:
1. Your outstanding course fees
You must have enough money to pay any course fees due for the first academic year of your course, or the whole course if it lasts less than one year.
The amount will be shown on your CAS.
Advance tuition fees you have already paid to the University can normally be deducted where they are recorded on your CAS or otherwise evidenced as permitted by UKVI.
2. Your living costs
As the University of Gloucestershire is outside London, for Student visa applications made before 30 November 2026 you must normally show £1,171 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of nine months.
This means the maximum living-cost requirement is currently £10,539.
For Student visa applications made on or after 30 November 2026, this requirement will increase to £1,203 per month for up to nine months.
The maximum will therefore become £10,827.
Always check the current gov.uk financial requirement before submitting your application.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
The Student visa rules allow several ways of meeting the financial requirement.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to use:
If you are relying on money in a bank or building society account, the required amount must normally have been held for at least 28 consecutive days.
The final date of that 28-day period must normally be no more than 31 days before the date you submit your visa application.
The money must be immediately accessible to you.
Some types of funds cannot be used, including shares, bonds, credit cards, overdrafts and cryptocurrency.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
Yes. You can normally use money held by your parent or legal guardian to meet the Student visa financial requirement.
The financial evidence must meet the normal Student visa requirements, including the 28-day requirement where applicable.
You must also normally provide:
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
Potentially. A certificate of deposit can be acceptable provided it meets the Home Office requirements, including evidence that the required money has been held for the necessary 28-day period and that you can access the funds.
You should check the exact wording of your document carefully before relying on it.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
Most applicants who are required to meet the Student visa financial requirement should provide appropriate financial evidence.
However, nationals of certain countries and territories benefit from the Student visa differential evidence arrangements. If this applies to you, you may not normally need to submit financial evidence with your application. This does not mean that you are exempt from the financial requirement. You must still meet the requirement on the date you apply, and UKVI can ask you to provide the evidence while your application is being considered.
We therefore recommend preparing compliant financial evidence before you apply, even where you are not required to submit it initially.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
Potentially, but only in limited circumstances.
There is a limited concession if you have already paid money to the University for accommodation in halls of residence.
You cannot normally deduct payments made for private rented accommodation, private halls, a hotel, Airbnb or other accommodation that is not provided by the University.
For applications made before 30 November 2026, the maximum permitted accommodation deduction is currently £1,529. From 30 November 2026, this amount will increase to £1,570.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
If your money is held in a currency other than British pounds (GBP), UKVI will normally convert the funds into GBP using the OANDA exchange rate on the date of your visa application.
Exchange rates can change from day to day.
You should therefore avoid holding exactly the minimum amount required.
We strongly recommend maintaining a reasonable financial buffer so that a change in the exchange rate does not cause your funds to fall below the amount required when you submit your application.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
The current Student visa application fee for an application made outside the UK is £558.
You will normally also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS).
The current discounted IHS rate for students is £776 per year of immigration permission. The amount you actually pay depends on the total period of immigration permission you will receive, rather than simply the length of your course.
For example, Student permission normally includes additional time before and after your course.
Visa application fees and IHS rates can change, so check gov.uk immediately before submitting your application.
You must apply online through gov.uk.
As part of the application you will normally:
Follow the instructions provided during the online application process carefully.
You should make sure that all of the information you provide is accurate and consistent with your CAS and supporting documents.
How you prove your identity will depend on your nationality, passport and individual circumstances.
You will normally either:
Your online application will tell you which process you need to follow.
If you need to attend a Visa Application Centre, you may need to travel to another city or, in some circumstances, another country.
Possibly. UKVI can ask Student visa applicants to attend an interview before making a decision.
A credibility interview may include questions about:
You should answer questions naturally, honestly and in your own words.
The purpose is not to test whether you have memorised prepared answers. UKVI will consider whether you are a genuine student and whether the information you have provided is credible. Your ability to communicate in English may also be considered.
If UKVI asks you to attend an interview, you should follow the instructions carefully. Failure to attend without a satisfactory explanation may affect your application.
It is important to take your UKVI credibility interview seriously and prepare carefully. An unsuccessful credibility interview is one of the most common reasons for a Student visa application to be refused. If UKVI is not satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that you are a genuine student, your visa application must be refused. You should therefore make sure that you understand your course and university, can clearly explain your reasons for choosing to study in the UK, and answer all questions honestly and in your own words.
UKVI currently advises that Student visa applications made outside the UK are usually decided within three weeks.
The time starts on the day you verify your identity, either:
It does not start on the day you submit or pay for your online application.
However, some applications can take longer.
For example, UKVI may need additional time if:
Priority services may be available in some countries for an additional fee, but availability is not guaranteed.
If you’re eligible, you can choose the Priority service when you apply. You’ll need to pay £500 in addition to the application fee. Using the Priority service means you’ll usually get a decision within five working days.
Alternatively, if you’re eligible, you can choose the Super Priority service when you apply. You’ll need to pay £1,000 in addition to the application fee. How quickly you get a decision depends on when you prove your identity, but you’ll normally get a decision by the end of the next working day, or two working days if your identity is proved on a weekend or bank holiday.
Do not leave your visa application until close to the start of your course. Due to potential UKVI delays, particularly at peak periods of high demand, you should submit your application as soon as you have received your CAS.
Only certain Student visa holders can bring dependants under the Student route.
For courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, you can normally bring Student dependants if you are:
Most students studying taught undergraduate or taught Master’s courses cannot bring family members under the Student dependant route.
Eligible dependants normally include your:
Check your eligibility carefully before making dependant applications.
Please refer to our ‘Dependants‘ webpage for further information.
For University of Gloucestershire students, each dependant currently needs £680 for each month of Student immigration permission, up to a maximum of nine months.
This gives a current maximum of £6,120 for each dependant.
This is required in addition to the money you need for your own course fees and living costs.
Where financial evidence is required, the funds must normally have been held for at least 28 consecutive days. The final date of that period must normally be no more than 31 days before the dependant visa application is submitted.
Please refer to our ‘Student route financial requirements‘ webpage for further information.
The exact documents required will depend on their circumstances.
A dependant will normally need:
Examples of relationship evidence include marriage certificates, civil partnership certificates and birth certificates.
UKVI may request additional evidence where necessary to establish that a relationship is genuine and continuing.
Each dependant should follow the document checklist generated as part of their own application.
Each dependant must make their own online visa application.
They can normally apply at the same time as the main Student applicant or, where eligible, make a later application to join the Student in the UK.
They’ll need your application number – you get it when you apply. This number is called a Global Web Form (GWF) or a Unique Application Number (UAN). You’ll find it on emails and letters from the Home Office about your application.
The application should identify you correctly as the main Student visa holder or applicant.
Your dependants will also need to prove their identity, either digitally where eligible or by attending a Visa Application Centre.
Each dependant must pay a separate visa application fee.
The current Student dependant application fee for applications made outside the UK is £558 per applicant.
Dependants will also normally need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge. The discounted dependant IHS rate is currently £776 per year of immigration permission.
The exact IHS amount depends on the length of immigration permission being granted.
Visa application fees and IHS rates can change, so check gov.uk immediately before submitting your application.
You do not need to contact UKVI to track your application if you’ve already made a visa application and it is still within the current processing times. UKVI will not be able to provide information on the status of your application.
If UKVI contacts you to request additional information, documents or an interview, respond within the timeframe they provide.
If your application takes longer than the normal UKVI processing time, follow any instructions provided by UKVI. Do not submit a second visa application simply because your first application is taking longer than expected.
If your application has taken longer than the current processing times and you haven’t been contacted by UKVI about your visa application, you should contact UKVI.
You should contact International Student Services if the delay may affect your ability to arrive and enrol by the University’s latest permitted start date.
In the first instance, please contact International Student Services to advise us of the refusal. It’s important to also upload a copy of your visa refusal notification to CAS Shield, so that we can review the reason for refusal and provide appropriate guidance.
Administrative Review
Your refusal notification will tell you whether you can request an Administrative Review. An Administrative Review allows UKVI to reconsider certain immigration decisions where a caseworking error may have occurred.
While it is not an opportunity to submit a completely new application or simply disagree with the UKVI decision, the review focuses on whether UKVI made a specific caseworking error when applying the Immigration Rules or assessing the evidence originally submitted with your application.
It is important to note, even where an Administrative Review succeeds, there is no guarantee that the visa will ultimately be granted.
Once International Student Services have reviewed your visa refusal notification, we will advise whether we believe you have reasonable grounds to submit an Administrative Review and whether there is a strong prospect of the decision being overturned.
A refusal does not automatically mean that the University will issue another CAS.
We will need to consider:
You cannot continue with an Administrative Review and make a new visa application at the same time. If you submit another visa application while your Administrative Review is pending, the Administrative Review will be treated as withdrawn.
If you have applied for Student entry clearance from outside the UK, you should wait until your application has been decided and your Student permission has been granted before travelling to the UK to begin your studies.
You cannot enter the UK as a visitor and then simply begin studying while waiting for your overseas Student visa application to be decided.
You must also not travel to the UK before the start date of your Student immigration permission.
An eVisa is the digital record of your UK immigration status and the conditions attached to your permission. Successful Student visa applicants now receive their immigration status digitally, rather than relying on a physical Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card.
Your visa decision will tell you how to access your eVisa through your UKVI account.
Before travelling to the UK, you should:
You can also use your UKVI account to prove your immigration status where required.
Please refer to our ‘Online immigration status (eVisa)‘ webpage for further information.
Check your eVisa as soon as your Student visa is granted.
You should check:
If you believe any information is incorrect, contact International Student Services and follow the appropriate gov.uk process for reporting an eVisa error.
Where possible, resolve any error before travelling to the UK.
Please refer to our ‘Online immigration status (eVisa)‘ webpage for further information.
For most courses lasting six months or longer, your Student immigration permission will start from a maximum of one month before the start date of your course, or seven days before your intended date of travel as specified in your application, whichever is later.
You must not travel to the UK before the start date of your Student immigration permission.
Always check the start date shown on your eVisa before making travel arrangements.
Your Student immigration permission normally includes additional time before and after your course.
The end date of your Student visa will depend on the length of the course. It will include a ‘wrap-up period’ after the completion of your course, during which you can remain in the UK for travel, work, leisure, to attend your graduation, or to make a new visa application.
| Type and length of course | Period granted before course start date | Period granted after course end date |
|---|---|---|
| Course lasts 12 months or more | One month | Four months |
| Course lasts between six and 12 months | One month | Two months |
| Pre-sessional course of less than 6 months | One month | One month |
| Course is less than 6 months long and is not a pre-sessional course | Seven days | Seven days |
Check the dates shown on your eVisa as soon as your visa is granted.
If you believe the length of permission you have been granted is incorrect, contact International Student Services and follow the appropriate gov.uk process for reporting an eVisa error.
Where possible, resolve any error before travelling to the UK.
Please refer to our ‘Online immigration status (eVisa)‘ webpage for further information.
You can travel to the UK once:
For a course lasting six months or longer, permission can normally begin up to one month before the course start date.
Your actual immigration start date is the date shown on your eVisa. Do not book travel that requires you to enter the UK before that date.
Contact International Student Services as soon as possible.
A visa or travel delay does not automatically mean that you will be permitted to arrive late.
Your CAS will include a ‘Latest date a student can be accepted on to the course’, which identifies the latest date by which you should have arrived in the UK, completed your enrolment, and started your course.
For any delay, the University will need to consider whether it still remains academically and practically possible for you to start your course. If you cannot arrive by the University’s latest permitted start date, we may advise you defer your studies to a later intake.
Do not travel to the UK after the latest permitted start date unless the University has confirmed that you can still enrol.
Your right to work depends on the conditions attached to your Student visa and the course you are studying.
Students studying a full-time course at degree level or above are normally permitted to work:
The weekly limit applies across all jobs combined, not separately to each employer.
There are also restrictions on the type of work you can undertake. Student visa holders must not normally:
You are responsible for complying with the work conditions attached to your visa. Your employer is also responsible for carrying out an appropriate right-to-work check.
Postgraduate students should be particularly careful when considering whether they are in term-time. A dissertation or research period, or an absence of taught classes, is not automatically a University vacation.
Please refer to our ‘Working in the UK‘ webpage for further information.