Apply for a Student visa

• When to apply

  You can only apply for a Student visa once you have been issued with your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number.

  Once you have obtained your CAS number, the earliest you can apply for a Student visa is six months before the start date of your course, unless you are applying from inside the UK then it is three months.

  You should apply as early as you can to account for any delays in processing times.

  Do not book non-refundable flights until you have received your decision. Do not travel to the UK until you have received your visa. 

• How to apply

  You need to:

  Apply Online 

  Applications must be made online, from the country you have legal residency in.

  Specify BRP collection address

  Unless you are allowed to use the mobile app to submit biometrics (which means you'll receive a digital visa), you must choose where you will collect your biometric residence permit card from when you arrive.

  Enter Alternative Collection Code: 2HE357 in the alternative location number field at the end of the application form. You can collect the card from the University after you arrive. 

  Anyone who will be given digital permission will not have to enter a collection address, because you will not be receiving a physical visa. 

  Pay Immigration Healthcare Surcharge

  You must pay an immigration healthcare surcharge. You are charged for the whole duration of the visa granted (you automatically receive 4 additional months at the end of your course). This surcharge must be paid in full at point of application.  

  Submit Biometrics

  Everyone needs to submit biometrics. Only specific nationalities will be allowed to confirm their biometrics via a mobile app.  Everyone else will be required to make an appointment to have their biometrics (fingerprints and photograph) taken at a visa application centre. After your biometrics have been recorded, you will be required to submit your biometric receipt (obtained at your biometric appointment) along with your supporting documents. 

   

• After you apply - UKVI decision

  The UKVI will consider your application, and make a decision, usually within 15 working days. However decisions may take longer during busy periods (June-October). You may be able to get your visa application fast tracked using the Priority Service. Visit VFS Global to find out if this service is available in your country.

  DO NOT book non-refundable flights until you get your decision from the UKVI

  DO NOT travel to the UK until you have received your visa

  If your application is successful

  You’ll receive a letter/email confirming the decision , and will be given either:

  • instructions to view your immigration status online - if you used the smartphone app to prove your identity
  • an 90 day entry visa (a vignette) in your passport - if you gave your biometric information at a visa application centre

  View status online (digital visa)

  If you use the mobile app (IDV app) to confirm your ID, you will get digital immigration status. You will not receive a BRP or entry visa in your passport.  You will be able to view and prove your immigration status online and request a share code to share this with employers and our Registry team.

  Visa Vignette/BRP

  If you attend a visa application centre, you will receive a visa vignette in your passport.

  Depending on your country you may have to post your application, documents and passport to a central hub, with a return envelope so it can be posted back to you.

  Or if the visa application centre keeps your passport, they’ll either: 

  • send it to you with the vignette inside - if you paid for this service when you applied
  • ask you to collect the passport and vignette from them (do not try to collect until they contact you).

  Check that all the details are correct on your vignette and your UKVI decision letter (name, valid from/expiry dates, sponsor licence number: V63Q719H2 etc). If you notice an error in your vignette, you should contact your visa application centre immediately to correct it before you come to the UK.

  The vignette allows you to enter the UK within 90 days of your specified travel date, so you can collect your BRP.  Please ensure you arrive in the UK when this visa is valid, and by the latest start date of your course. You must aim to collect your biometric residence permit (BRP) within 10 days of arrival in the UK.

   

  If your application is refused

  You’ll get a letter or an email explaining why your application was refused.

  Your passport will be returned, if it was kept as part of your application.

  Contact International Advice immediately for help on submitting an admin review or reapplying.

  Email advint@st-andrews.ac.uk with:

  • your name  

  • your student number   

  • your visa application reference number (GWF number)

  • where you made your application

  • an attachment with your refusal notice (include all pages)  

   

   

   

   

• Low risk nationals (meets the differential evidence requirement)

  If you are a national of a country/territory listed in Appendix ST, para 22.1, you don't need to provide proof of finances or qualifications with your application because you are covered by the differential evidence requirement.

  You only need to submit the following supporting documents as part of your application:

  • passport
  • biometric residence permit (if applicable)
  • ATAS certificate (if applicable)
  • TB certificate (if applicable)

  UKVI reserve the right to request these documents at any time, so you should still meet the requirements for finances and educational certificates.

  Do not send any documents that are not required. If you apply under the differentiation arrangement but submit evidence which isn’t mandatory, the caseworker must check that the documents provided meet the requirements. 

• All other nationals

  If you are not covered by the differential evidence requirement (Appendix ST, para 22.1), you must supply the following supporting documents as part of your application:

  • passport or other valid travel identification
  • the academic certificates and transcripts the University used to assess you suitable for entry (this will be noted on the preliminary CAS email sent to you)
  • financial evidence (see below)
  • ATAS certificate (if applicable)
  • tuberculosis (TB) test results (if applicable)
  • If you are undertaking a course under degree level (such as a Foundation programme or pre-sessional course) you will need to provide evidence of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) at CEFR Level B1 (Level 4 in all four components).
  • If you are under the age of 18 at the time of your application, you must supply a letter from your parent or guardian confirming their relationship with you, that they give consent to the visa application, and that they consent to you living in and travelling to the UK independently. You must also provide evidence of your relationship to your parent or guardian, such as a birth certificate, certificate of adoption, or a court document naming them your legal guardian.

  Financial evidence

  You will also need to provide financial evidence that you can support yourself during your studies. You will need to submit a bank statement showing the specified amount of money has been held in your account consistently for 28 days before the application dates. It must also contain the account holder’s name and account number.

  The amount of money you must demonstrate will depend on the length of the course you are undertaking:

  • More than nine months: tuition fees for the year (as stated in the CAS) plus £9,207.
  • Less than nine months: tuition fees for the year (as stated in the CAS) plus £1,023 per month for the duration of the course.

  You can also use the following as evidence of your finances:

  • money that has been paid in advance to the University (shown in the CAS)
  • a maximum of £1,334 that is paid to the University for accommodation (shown in the CAS)
  • University of St Andrews sponsorship, scholarship, bursary or discount (shown in the CAS)
  • official financial sponsorship (you must provide an original letter from the organisation which details the funding).

  If you are relying on a parent or legal guardian for financial support, you must provide their bank statement along with proof of their relationship to you (birth certificate, adoption certificate, or legal guardian document) and a letter from your guardian confirming that they are financially responsible for you.

  If the money in your account is not held in pounds sterling (GBP), you must provide a printed-out conversion of the closing balance from your home currency to pounds sterling from OANDA.