In order to be able to study in another country, you will often need a student visa. Despite this, student visas and all of the terms and policies around them can be incredibly complicated and difficult to understand. This can make the whole process even more difficult and let’s face it, it’s hard enough. That’s why this article will help decode student visas and the often overly complicated terms surrounding them.
Continue reading to gain a better understanding about student visas and how they work. This article will explain what student visas are, their conditions and their requirements in the UK.
Table of Contents
What is a student visa in the UK?
Before you can gain a better understanding of what the conditions and requirements of a student visa are, it is important that you first understand what one actually is. To put it simply, a student visa is what enables international students to study in a certain country.
It allows you to stay in the country for the duration of your course, which you wouldn’t otherwise be able to without a student visa or something similar. To learn more about student visas, check out this guide by the British Council.
What are the requirements for a student visa in the UK?
Regardless of the kind, every visa has its own requirements that the applicant will need to meet before their application is accepted and they’re allowed to stay in the country for whatever purpose they have applied for. This is no different for a student visa and due to its nature, the requirements are arguably more specific.
For a student visa, students need to be at least 16 years old before they can apply. They will also need to have been offered a place on a course, where the course provider is also a licensed sponsor, they will need to have enough money, which will be explained in more detail in the following section, and they will need to be able to read, write and speak English.
If the student is 16 or 17, they will need to have permission from their parents and they will need evidence of this. To learn more about this information, check out this guide by the government.
How much bank balance is required for UK student visa?
In order to meet the requirements to get a student visa for the UK, you will need to have a certain amount in your bank account. This is because you will need to have enough money to pay for your course and to support yourself while you’re in the UK.
First of all, you will need enough money to pay for one academic year of your course. Then, you will also need to show that you have enough money to be able to support yourself, the amount you will need depends on where your course is.
If you will be staying in London, you will need £1,334 per month for up to 9 months, depending on the length of your course. For other parts of the UK, you will need £1,023 per month, once again for up to 9 months depending on the course.
As you will need to show this as proof in order to get your student visa, you will need to have this money within your account for at least 28 consecutive days. The end of this 28-day period will need to be within 31 days of you applying for your student visa. Alternatively, if you’re receiving a student loan or some other form of financial aid or sponsorship, you will still need to show evidence of this.
Also, if you meet certain requirements then you won’t have to prove that you have enough money to support yourself at all. This includes people who’ve had a UK visa for 12 months before applying for their student visa and are in the UK when applying, people applying as a student union sabbatical officer, students applying as a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised foundation programme.
You will also not need to prove that you have enough money if you are a British national overseas or if you’re applying from one of 63 countries. However, you may still be asked for evidence when you apply.
To learn more about this, check out this guide by the government.
Why would you need a student visa in the UK?
As mentioned above, in order to be eligible for a student visa in the UK, students need to receive an unconditional offer from a licensed sponsor. However, on top of this, in order to be able to get a student visa, students need to be taking specific types of courses.
Students could take a full-time course below graduate level as long as it is at level 3, 4 or 5 in the UK and they spend 15 hours per week studying towards it. Alternatively, students could take a full-time degree-level course at level 6, 7 or 8. Students could also do a full-time degree-level course that is a part of a longer course overseas.
Students can do a part-time course if it is at postgraduate level of level 7 or 8. You can also get a student visa for a recognised foundation programme for postgraduate doctors or dentists. Alternatively, they can do a course in English language of level B2 or above.
To learn more about the courses you can get a student visa for in the UK, check out this page on the government website.
How do you apply for a visa in the UK?
In order to apply for your student visa, you will need to first apply for your course and receive an unconditional offer. Once you accept this offer, your university or alternative course provider will give you a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS).
With this, you can start your application for a student visa, this must be done online on the UK government website. You will also need to pay the fee, which will be talked more about in the respective section below, and you’ll need to have a current passport.
As part of your application, you will need to prove your identity, which can either be done through giving your fingerprints and a photograph at a visa application centre or by using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity documents. You will then also need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, which will give you access to the NHS.
Depending on where you are from, you may need to prove that you can speak, read, write and understand English. This may also vary depending on where you have applied to as different universities or alternative course providers may require different language tests.
For more information about applying for a student visa in the UK, check out this guide by the government. Check out this guide by the British Council to learn more about the different steps involved with a student visa application.
Are there any fees for a student visa in the UK?
In the UK, there are 2 main fees involved when applying for a student visa. These are the cost of the student visa itself as well as the healthcare surcharge.
In the UK, the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is what gives you access to the public healthcare services, the NHS, in the UK. You will need to pay it as part of your student visa application if your course lasts more than 6 months and you’re applying from outside of the UK or if you’re apply for your student visa from inside the UK, regardless of your course length.
With your student visa, you may be able to get a full or partial refund of the IHS, if you are from an EU country or Switzerland and have a European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC). To learn more about the IHS and if you need to pay for it, check out this page on the government website. For more on how much these actually cost, check out the following section.
How much does a student visa cost in the UK?
In the UK, how much a student visa will cost depends on where you are applying from. If you are applying from inside the UK, you will need to pay £490 in order to extend your pre-existing student visa or switch to a student visa from a different kind. However, if you’re applying from outside the UK, you will only need to pay a fee of £363 to apply for your student visa.
As mentioned above, you will also need to pay the Insurance Health Surcharge as part of your student visa application. The exact amount that you will have to pay will depend on your circumstances. For example, factors such as if you’re applying alone or coming to the UK with dependants, as well as where you are applying from and your age, can all affect how much you will have to pay for the IHS.
To learn more about the fees involved with a student visa, check out this page on the government’s website. If you would like to see how much you would have to pay based on your circumstances for the IHS, check out this calculator on the government website.
What are the conditions of a student visa in the UK?
In the UK, there are certain things that you can do and certain things that you can’t do with a student visa. These conditions are incredibly important as if you don’t stick to them, you will be breaching your student visa.
This could make it more difficult or even prevent you from getting another visa in the future or even from completing your course. To learn more about this, check out this guide by the University of Liverpool.
Due to the severity of this, it is important to know the conditions of your student visa. Arguably, the most important things to know are about what you can’t do and the more complicated conditions, such as if you can work. For more information about these, check out the following sections.
What are the student visa working hours in the UK?
As well as requirements that students need to meet in order to be eligible for a student visa, there are also conditions in place for while they have it and stay in the country. In the UK, one of these requirements is to do with how much students can work with this type of visa.
If you’re able to work with your student visa will depend on your course provider, how much you’re studying and whether it is in term time. For more on this, check out this governmental guide.
If your sponsor has a track record of compliance, then you will be able to work for up to 20 hours per week in term time if you are studying for a degree level course. If you’re studying for a course that is below degree level, but your course provider still has a track record of compliance, then you will only be able to work for up to 10 hours per week in term time. Regardless of if you’re studying a degree-level course or below degree-level course, as long as your sponsor has a track record, you will be able to work full-time outside of term time.
If your sponsor doesn’t have a track record, you won’t be able to work, regardless of whether this is in term time or not and regardless of what level your course is. However, you might be able to take on a work placement as part of your course.
To be able to check if your sponsor, which is your course provider, has a track record, you will need to look through the Register of Student Sponsors and see if it has the words “track record” underneath the “status” column. To see this, check out this page on the government website.
To learn more about working hours with a student visa, check out this guide by UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA).
What are things that students cannot do with a student visa in the UK?
There are certain things that students cannot do with a student visa and as mentioned above, it is important to know what these are to avoid doing them.
With your student visa, you won’t be able to claim “public funds” (benefits) or pensions. You will also not be able to study at an academy or a state-funded school. To learn more about this, check out this governmental guide.
As mentioned above, there are particular conditions on your working hours with a student visa depending on your sponsor and your course. However, what wasn’t mentioned in the section above is that there are also restrictions of what types of job you can have.
First of all, with a student visa, you can’t be self-employed, this includes working on a freelance or contractor basis. This also means that you can’t start your own business.
You can also not be an entertainer, as in an actor, dancer or singer, or a professional sportsperson. This is unless you are on a work placement as a part of your degree. In this case, your degree will need to be level 6 or above and related to this profession.
Unless you are on a postgraduate doctor or dentist foundation program, you will not be able to work as a doctor or dentist trainee on your student visa. If you applied for this before December 2020, this condition wouldn’t apply.
You can also not work in a permanent full-time job on your student visa. To learn more about the types of work you can’t do with a student visa, check out this guide by UKCISA.
How long is a student visa in the UK?
In the UK, how long a student visa will last, depends on what course you’re studying and how long this course is. If the course is 12 months or lasts longer than that, students will be allowed to stay in the UK for the duration of their course as well as a month before their course starts and 4 months after it ends.
If the course lasts more than 6 months but is less than 12 months, students will be able to stay in the UK for the duration of their course as well as a month before it starts and 2 months after it ends. If the course lasts less than 6 months and is pre-sessional, students are allowed to stay in the UK for the duration of their course as well as a month after and a month before this. However, if it is not pre-sessional and lasts less than 6 months, students will only be able to stay in the UK for 7 days before it starts and 7 days after it ends.
If the course is for postgraduate doctors or dentists, students will be able to have a month before and a month on top of the duration of their course in the UK. To learn more about this, check out this page on the government website.
How long can you stay in the UK after your student visa expires?
As mentioned above, a student visa will last the duration of your course and a bit longer depending on what the course is. However, you might be wondering if there a sort of grace period or certain length of time that you are able to stay in the UK after your student visa expires.
In the UK, you cannot stay in the UK after your student visa expires, this is classed as overstaying, which is a criminal offence in the UK. To learn more about this and how it can negatively affect you, check out the section below.
However, you will be able to stay in the UK after your student visa would expire, if you extend your student visa. To extend your student visa, you will need to apply and receive an unconditional offer, similarly to how you would apply for your original student visa, you will also need to get a CAS from the course provider.
You will most likely also need to show that your new course is either at a higher level to your original course, at the same level but also related to your previous course as long as it is at least at degree-level, or that your new course is an intercalated year for a Medicine, Dentistry or Medical Sciences degree that you’ve already started. To learn more about this, check out this governmental guide.
Instead of extending your student visa, you can also stay longer in the UK if you instead switch it to a graduate visa. By switching to this, you will be able to stay in the UK for another 2 years or 3 if you have a PhD or doctorate degree.
In order to be eligible for a graduate visa, students will need to still be in the UK, currently have a student visa or Tier 4 student visa and to have completed their course successfully. To learn more about graduate visas, check out this page on the government website.
What happens if you overstay your student visa in the UK?
If you overstay your student visa, it can have serious consequences, particularly for the future. First of all, overstaying with any kind of visa, including a student visa, is classed as a criminal offence. Due to this, the response is quite serious.
If you make a new student application after having overstayed, your sponsor may not give you a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). As mentioned above, the CAS is important for you to be able to start your student visa application as you won’t be able to without having one.
Overstaying can also affect you in the long run as it can damage any future visa or other immigration application that you make. If you overstay your student visa by 30 days or more, you will generally be banned from re-entering the UK for at least a year, but it may even be longer. To learn more about this and the consequences of overstaying your student visa, check out this guide by UKCISA.