Information about Student visas

International students coming to the UK for a study period of six months or more may be required to apply for a Student visa. Find out if you need a visa.

The immigration healthcare surcharge is a fee international students must pay if they are coming to the UK for more than six months. The fee contributes directly to the National Health Service (NHS) and gives migrants the same access to the NHS as UK citizens.

The surcharge is not a visa fee, but you have to pay it as part of your online visa application. It must be paid in full.

You are charged per year of visa granted ie. Undergraduate students studying a 4 year course will be charged for 4.5 years (4 year course and 4 months additional visa time given at the end). IHS charges are reviewed each year by the UK Home Office and are subject to increases, oftentimes at short notice. Check out the UK Home Office webpage for current charges. Use the UKVI website to calculate how much you’ll have to pay before you apply.

EU Citizens with an EHIC card

If you are an EU citizen studying full time in the UK, you may be entitled to a full or partial refund of your immigration health surcharge payment if all of the following are true:
- your Student visa started on or after 1 January 2021
- you have an European Healthcare Insurance Card (EHIC) issued in an EU country or Switzerland
- you do not work while you are in the UK.
The amount refunded will depend on when your EHIC expires.

If you work your EHIC will no longer be valid and therefore you would not be entitled to a refund.

If you get a reimbursement you will not get as much free healthcare while in the UK, you'll only be entitled to 'medically necessary' treatment. Each healthcare provider can determine what 'medically necessary' means.

If you change your mind you cannot repay IHS charges - so think carefully before applying for a refund.

Find out more about the healthcare surcharge.
A Biometric Residence Permit (BRP card) is a physical visa, but not everyone receives this.

Some nationalities will receive a Digital visa where your immigration status can be viewed and proven online. If you had to input a ACL code at the end of your application, you will receive a physical visa in the form of a BRP card.

Anyone receiving a physical visa will need to collect their biometric residence permit (BRP) as soon as you can after arrival in the UK. You will receive a letter from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) with your passport providing the location at which you should collect your BRP card.

Find out more about collecting your biometric residence permit.

Responsibilities

The University of St Andrews will be your sponsor during your studies, and will issue you a Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS). Under your visa, both you and the University of St Andrews have specific responsibilities.

Your responsibilities

You must adhere to the immigration rules; not doing so risks your student and immigration status, and also the University’s Sponsor Licence and the ability of all international students to study here.

Your responsibilities are to:

Make sure your passport and visa are valid.
Respond to all requests to present in person your passport, visa and other documents for scanning.
Keep the University updated with any changes to your documents (send email to: visas@st-andrews.ac.uk). For example:
- you get a new passport
- you get a new BRP card
- you extend your visa (not through the University)
- you change your immigration status.
If you change any details/documents, update UKVI immediately. How you inform UKVI depends on what visa you have: BRP card holders | Digital visa holders
Maintain up-to-date contact details, including your term-time address and telephone number, via MySaint. If any of your contact details change, tell the University immediately.
Register for your programme of study within the matriculation period at the start of the academic year (or in January for certain programmes).
Attend lectures, seminars, laboratory sessions and tutorials and complete all compulsory elements of your course on time. The University Academic Alert policy is used to monitor student attendance and engagement.
Self-certificate for any absences (online via the student portal, MySaint) and keep your School or Department up to date with any issues that impact on your studies.
Follow University procedures if you are planning to take a leave of absence, changing your programme of studies, applying for a change in location of studies or are intending to withdraw from your studies.
Leave the UK within 60 days of reporting to the UKVI if you take a leave of absence or withdraw from your studies.
If you are permitted to work, you must keep within the restrictions of your working hours which apply to both paid and unpaid work. Your maximum weekly (defined as Monday to Sunday) working hours during term time are:
- 20 hours a week if you are studying at degree level or above
- 20 hours a week if you are on a study abroad programme at an 'overseas higher education institution' in the UK
- 10 hours a week if you are studying a course that is below degree level.
Keep to the restrictions of your working hours which do not permit you to work within the following areas:
- start a business, undertake business-related activity or be self-employed (even if your business is registered abroad).
- work as a professional sportsperson including as a sports coach
- entertainer
- Further clarification can be found on the blog 'A working definition' by UKCISA.
Keep up to date with tuition fees and other payments
Stay up to date with and abide by the immigration rules
If you are planning a change to your programme and this will result in a change to the length of your programme, you must seek advice from the International Student Advisers (advint@st-andrews.ac.uk) as you may have to leave the UK and get a new visa.

The University's responsibilities

As a Student visa sponsor, the University of St Andrews is expected to ensure that we and our students are compliant with the points-based system policy guidance and the immigration rules. If we fail to comply, we are at risk of losing our Student visa sponsor licence and will not be able to register international students, and those that are currently studying with us will need to find another university or return to their home country. We take our duties under this legislation very seriously. The University's approach to managing its compliance duties is set out in our UK Visas and Immigration Student Visa Compliance Statement. Our approach to student engagement management is set out in our policy on Monitoring Student Visas for UKVI Compliance Purposes: Principles of Engagement Management.

Our responsibilities are to:

Retain copies of all documents pertinent to your immigration status in the UK, such as passports, visas, biometric ID cards, police registration certificates and ATAS certificates.
Ensure that entry into new courses represents academic progression.
Keep up-to-date contact details for you.
Make sure that we only admit you to study with us if you hold the correct visa to study at the University of St Andrews.
Report to the UKVI should you fail to enrol when expected.
Monitor your attendance and report any unauthorised absences to the UKVI.
Report any changes in your student status such as:
- leave of absence (suspending your studies)
- termination of studies
- withdrawal from studies
- changes in course length
- changes of course title
- periods of study abroad or placements away from the University
- late submission of coursework or dissertation
- resubmission of coursework or dissertation
- unauthorised absences
- deferring your course
- transferring to another course or university.
Report to the UKVI if we become aware of any breaches of the immigration rules made by you.
If you suspend your studies for personal or academic reasons (e.g. illness, pregnancy, maternity or paternity leave, financial reasons) then UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will normally expect you to leave the UK within 60 days unless you are not medically able to do so. In the case of pregnancy, you may not be able to return home if you are in the late stages of pregnancy. Suspension of studies at St Andrews is normally recorded by Registry as a leave of absence.
If you hold a Student visa issued using a CAS number, the University is obliged to report any leave of absence to UKVI, who may cancel your visa.

Information about Student visas

Apply for a Student visa

Healthcare surcharge

Biometric residence permits

ATAS certificate

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities

The University's responsibilities