UK Student Visa Application - 2026 Comprehensive guidance

What is the UK Student visa?

The Student route allows a person aged 16 or over to study an eligible course with an education provider holding a valid student sponsor licence.

It covers courses of further or higher education, recognised foundation programmes, pre-sessional English courses and certain Student Union sabbatical officer positions. It is distinct from the Child Student route, and the Short-term Student route for English-language courses.

The Student route does not lead to settlement. Time spent in the UK as a Student may nevertheless be relevant to an application under the long residence route, subject to the requirements in force when that application is made.

Who can apply for a UK Student visa?

An applicant must be at least 16 on the application date and must have an unconditional offer for an eligible course from a licensed sponsor. The sponsor must assign a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, commonly called a CAS.

A 16- or 17-year-old studying at an independent school at the required level may be able to use either the Student or Child Student route, depending on the course and circumstances. A person studying for no more than six months may instead fall within the Visitor route. A person undertaking an English-language course lasting more than six but no more than 11 months may need the Short-term Student route.

Choosing the wrong route can result in an invalid or refused application and may also affect permitted work, dependants and the ability to extend from within the UK.

At the date of this article, Appendix Student ST 3.3 also prevents nationals or citizens of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan from applying for Student entry clearance. This is part of the visa-brake measures introduced on 26 March 2026. Because such measures can change, affected applicants should check the current text of Appendix Student before applying.

What are the validity requirements for a Student visa?

Validity determines whether the Home Office will consider an application substantively. Under ST 1.1–ST 1.6, an applicant must normally:

• use the correct online form;
• pay the application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge;
• provide biometrics when required;
• provide a passport or other acceptable travel document;
• provide a CAS reference assigned no more than six months before the application;
• be at least 16; and
• if applying for permission to stay, be physically present in the UK.

Where the applicant received government or international-agency sponsorship covering both fees and living costs for UK study completed during the previous 12 months, written consent from that sponsor may also be required.

An in-country applicant cannot normally switch to the Student route if their current or most recent permission was as a Visitor, Short-term Student, Parent of a Child Student, Seasonal Worker or Domestic Worker in a Private Household, or was granted outside the Rules.

Failure to meet a validity requirement may mean that the application is rejected as invalid rather than refused.

What suitability issues can cause a Student visa refusal?

ST 2.1 incorporates Part Suitability. Depending on the facts, relevant issues can include criminality, deception, false representations, non-disclosure of material facts, previous immigration breaches, unpaid NHS charges or litigation debts, exclusion and failure to comply with an interview or information request.

For an application made inside the UK, the applicant must not ordinarily be in breach of immigration law or on immigration bail. Part Suitability contains limited provisions under which certain periods of overstaying may be disregarded, but these should not be treated as a general grace period.

An inaccurate answer can be serious even if the underlying event would not itself have caused refusal. Previous refusals, overstaying, criminal matters and use of different names or identities should be addressed accurately and consistently.

How many points are required for a Student visa?

ST 6.1 requires all 70 points:

• 50 points for meeting the study requirements, including the CAS, course, qualification, study level and place of study;
• 10 points for meeting the financial requirement; and
• 10 points for meeting the English language requirement.

These are mandatory requirements. A strong academic profile does not compensate for defective financial evidence, and sufficient funds will not cure an invalid CAS.

What is a CAS, and what should be checked before applying?

A CAS is an electronic record assigned by a licensed student sponsor. It is not the visa and does not guarantee a successful application.

Under ST 7, the sponsor’s licence must remain valid when the application is decided. The CAS must not normally have been used in an application that was granted or refused, and the sponsor must not have withdrawn the offer.

Before submission, the applicant should compare the CAS against their passport, course offer and supporting evidence. Particular attention should be paid to:

• name, date of birth and nationality;
• course title, level and dates;
• tuition fees and payments already made;
• sponsor-provided accommodation payments;
• the basis on which English language ability was assessed;
• documents used to obtain the offer;
• ATAS requirements; and
• academic progression, where an in-country extension is proposed.

An error should normally be corrected by the sponsor before the application is submitted.

How much money must a Student visa applicant show?

Unless an exemption applies, ST 12 requires enough money for the outstanding course fees shown on the CAS and living costs of:

– £1,529 per month in London; or
– £1,171 per month outside London,

for up to nine months. A partial month is rounded up to a full month.

The required funds must ordinarily have been held for a continuous 28-day period in accordance with Appendix Finance. The closing date of the evidence must fall within the period permitted by that Appendix. Different evidential provisions apply where the applicant relies on an eligible student loan or official financial sponsorship.

An applicant applying for permission to stay who has been living in the UK with permission for at least 12 months on the application date meets the financial requirement without showing funds. This does not excuse the applicant from answering the form accurately or supplying evidence if the Home Office requests it.

Tuition fees already paid can be deducted if recorded on the CAS or evidenced by a receipt. A deposit for accommodation arranged by the sponsor may be offset only within the limited circumstances.

What English-language level is required?

The usual minimum is:

• CEFR B2 in reading, writing, speaking and listening for study at UK bachelor’s degree level or above; or
• CEFR B1 in all four components for a pre-sessional course or study below degree level.

Appendix English Language sets out the permitted ways of meeting the requirement. These can include an approved Secure English Language Test, an eligible UK school qualification, a qualifying degree taught in English or, in certain degree-level cases, an assessment made by a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.

The correct method depends on the course, sponsor and applicant’s qualifications. A general English certificate is not necessarily acceptable for UK immigration purposes.

Does every Student visa applicant need an ATAS certificate?

No. ATAS applies only to certain sensitive subjects and qualifications and to applicants of relevant nationalities.

Where Appendix ATAS applies, ST 8.4 requires a valid certificate to be provided with the application. Applicants should establish this early: a CAS or university offer does not remove the immigration requirement, and a late ATAS application may disrupt the visa timetable.

What does the “genuine student” requirement mean?

A caseworker considers the application and any interview on the balance of probabilities. Relevant matters can include:

• the applicant’s education and immigration history;
• knowledge of the course and institution;
• reasons for studying the subject in the UK;
• the relationship between the course and future plans;
• significant study gaps or changes of direction;
• proposed accommodation and realistic living costs;
• the source and credibility of funding;
• English-language ability; and
• whether benefits for accompanying dependants appear to be the main reason for the application.

A caseworker should not normally refuse on genuine-student grounds without an interview, subject to limited exceptions. It also requires credibility refusals to explain the allegations and reasoning clearly.

What documents are normally required?

The precise evidence depends on the applicant. It commonly includes:

• a valid passport or travel document;
• the CAS reference;
• financial evidence, if required;
• evidence of qualifications or references used to obtain the offe;
• an ATAS certificate, where applicable;
• a tuberculosis certificate, where Appendix Tuberculosis applies;
• evidence meeting Appendix English Language, if the CAS does not establish the requirement;
• sponsor consent following recent government or international-agency sponsorship; and
• parental consent, proof of relationship and care arrangements for an applicant under 18.

Documents not in English or Welsh should be accompanied by translations meeting the applicable Home Office requirements.

How and when should a Student visa application be made?

The application is made online, followed by identity verification and biometrics through the method specified by UKVI.

An entry-clearance application may be made no more than six months before the CAS course start date. An application for permission to stay may be made no more than three months before that date.

For an in-country application, it generally requires the new course to begin no more than 28 days after the expiry of the applicant’s previous permission. The application must also be submitted before existing permission expires unless a specific provision lawfully excuses the delay.

Applicants should allow time for the CAS, financial holding period, ATAS clearance, TB testing and correction of documentary errors. Travel should not be booked on the assumption that a decision will arrive within an estimated service time.

The decisions are usually made within three weeks for applications outside the UK and eight weeks for applications inside the UK. These are service estimates, not guarantees.

Can a Student visa be extended from inside the UK?

An extension is possible where the applicant meets the validity, suitability and eligibility requirements and is permitted to apply from within the UK.

An applicant who has previously held Student permission will usually need to meet the academic progression requirement. This commonly requires successful completion of the previous course and progression to a higher academic level. The Rules permit certain same-level courses and contain defined exceptions.

Time limits also matter. Subject to specified exceptions, it generally limits study from age 18 to two years below degree level and five years at degree level. Certain courses, including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and science, architecture and specified legal or music courses, are treated differently.

Can Student visa holders work in the UK?

Work rights depend on the course, sponsor and conditions attached to the grant.

Appendix Student currently permits up to 20 hours’ work per week during term time for qualifying full-time degree-level study with an appropriate sponsor, and up to 10 hours for certain full-time courses below degree level. Some students, including those on part-time courses, have no general permission to work.

Even where work is permitted, restrictions generally prohibit self-employment, business activity, work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer, and filling a permanent full-time vacancy except in certain circumstances. 

Can a Student bring a partner or children to the UK?

The dependant provisions are now restricted. Dependants may qualify where the Student is:

• government-sponsored for a full-time course lasting at least six months; or
• studying a full-time postgraduate course lasting at least nine months with a higher education provider that has a track record of compliance and, for courses starting on or after 1 January 2024, the course is a PhD, other doctorate or research-based higher degree.

There are additional provisions for existing dependants continuing with a Student and for children born during relevant periods of Student permission.

A partner must meet Appendix Relationship with Partner. A child must meet the relationship, care, age and independent-life requirements in Appendix Children. Separate maintenance funds are normally required for each dependant unless an applicable exemption applies.

A taught master’s degree beginning after 1 January 2024 will not normally permit a new partner or child to accompany the Student because it is at postgraduate level.

Does a Student visa lead to Settlement?

No. Appendix Student expressly states that the route is not a route to settlement.

After completing an eligible course, a Student may be able to apply under Appendix Graduate. Non-doctoral Graduate permission is granted for two years where the application is made on or before 31 December 2026 and 18 months where it is made on or after 1 January 2027. Doctoral graduates continue to be granted three years under the current provisions.

Other possible routes may include Skilled Worker, Global Talent, Scale-up or a family route, depending on the facts. Each has independent requirements. Time lawfully spent as a Student can count towards qualifying residence under Appendix Long Residence, but that is different from the Student route itself leading to settlement.

What happens if a Student visa is refused?

A refusal will be made if the decision-maker is not satisfied that all applicable suitability and eligibility requirements are met.

A Student refusal will normally carry a right to request an administrative review rather than a right of appeal. Administrative review considers whether the decision contains a caseworking error; it is not an opportunity to remake a defective application with evidence that should have been supplied initially.

How can Angelov Solicitors assist with a Student visa application?

Angelov Solicitors can advise on the route appropriate to the proposed study and assess the application against Appendix Student and the linked appendices.

Assistance may include:

• reviewing the CAS and sponsor information;
• calculating the financial requirement and checking the evidence against Appendix Finance;
• assessing English-language, ATAS, TB and parental-consent requirements;
• advising on academic progression and maximum-study periods;
• preparing applications involving previous refusals or immigration-history issues;
• reviewing dependant eligibility and relationship evidence;
• helping applicants prepare responsibly for a genuine-student interview;
• checking the application form and supporting documents before submission; and
• advising after refusal on administrative review, a fresh application or any other legally available remedy.

Early advice is particularly useful where the evidence contains an irregularity, the applicant is changing academic direction, funds have recently moved between accounts, or the proposed course does not fit an obvious progression pattern.