UK student visa — step by step

£558 application fee, as published at gov.uk/student-visa — the same £558 applies whether you apply from outside the UK or extend/switch inside the UK, and £558 is also charged for each dependant. This is separate from the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), published at £776 per year for students and their dependants. Optional faster-decision services cost extra (see processing_time). Fees are set by the Home Office fees table and change periodically — always re-check gov.uk before paying.

As published at gov.uk: "You'll usually get a decision on your visa within 3 weeks" when applying from outside the UK (i.e. from India). If you are already in the UK and extending or switching, "a decision will usually be made within 8 weeks." The clock starts from your biometrics appointment or the day you complete your document upload via the UK Immigration: ID Check app, not the day you pay. Optional paid upgrades, as published at gov.uk/faster-decision-visa-settlement: Priority service £500 — usually a decision within 5 working days; Super priority service £1,000 — usually a decision by the end of the next working day. Availability of priority services varies by visa application centre and is not guaranteed.

Two parts, as published at gov.uk/student-visa/money. (1) Course fees: enough to cover your course for 1 academic year (up to 9 months) — the exact amount is the figure stated on your CAS, minus any deposit already paid or scholarship shown on the CAS. (2) Living costs (maintenance): £1,529 per month for up to 9 months if studying in London (up to £13,761), or £1,171 per month for up to 9 months if studying outside London (up to £10,539). The money must have been held for "at least 28 days in a row", and the end date of that 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you apply. IMPORTANT FOR INDIAN STUDENTS: India is NOT on the GOV.UK list of countries exempt from proving funds (that list includes Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, USA and others, but not India), so Indian applicants must submit financial evidence with the application. Boarding-school students pay published boarding fees instead of the standard living-cost figure. These amounts were increased by the Home Office and are reviewed periodically — verify at the source before showing bank balances.

Work permission depends on your course level and is stated on your visa/eVisa. As published in the Immigration Rules Appendix Student and GOV.UK guidance: students on a course at degree level or above with a higher education provider may work up to 20 hours per week during term time; students on a course below degree level may work up to 10 hours per week during term time. Outside term time (official vacations, after your course has finished, and during a full-time work placement that is part of the course) you can normally work full time. GOV.UK states you cannot: "work in certain jobs, for example as a professional sportsperson or sports coach", "be self-employed", take a permanent full-time job, or claim public funds/benefits. Some students — for example those sponsored by a provider that is not a higher education provider — are not permitted to work at all. Always read the work condition printed on your own eVisa; it overrides any general summary.

There is no compulsory face-to-face "visa interview" for every applicant, but two things are effectively standard. (1) Biometrics are required: GOV.UK states "you'll need to prove your identity as part of your application" — in India this normally means booking an appointment at a UK visa application centre (VFS Global) to give your fingerprints and a digital photograph and to submit/scan your documents. Some applicants are instead eligible to verify identity remotely using the free UK Immigration: ID Check app. There is no separate fee for the biometric enrolment itself, though the centre may charge for optional add-on services. (2) A credibility interview is possible and is common for Indian applicants: under the Home Office Student and Child Student caseworker guidance, applicants may be interviewed to test the genuine student requirement. The guidance states that "in all cases the caseworker must refuse the application if they are not satisfied on the balance of probability that the applicant is a genuine student", and that where an applicant "is found not credible at interview, the case will be passed to the caseworker". Interviews are usually conducted by video/telephone in English and cover your course and modules, why you chose that university and the UK, your academic and English-test background, who is funding you and how, and your post-study intentions. Answer in your own words — reciting an agent's script is a recognised credibility red flag. A TB chest X-ray at an approved clinic is also required for Indian applicants (see documents).