How to apply for a UK student visa

At a glance

The process

Secure an unconditional offer from a licensed student sponsor. Your university or college must appear on the Home Office register of licensed student sponsors — a place at any other institution cannot support a Student visa. You must meet all conditions of the offer (academic transcripts, English test, deposit) so the offer becomes unconditional before a CAS can be issued.

Meet the English language requirement. As published at gov.uk/student-visa/knowledge-of-english, you must prove English equivalent to CEFR level B2 for a course at degree level or above, and CEFR level B1 for courses below degree level. Indian students usually satisfy this with an approved Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as IELTS for UKVI, though some universities accept a degree taught in English (Ecctis-assessed) or, for degree-level courses, their own internal assessment.

Receive your CAS and check every detail on it. After you accept the offer and pay any required tuition deposit, the sponsor issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) — a reference number you enter on the visa form. You must apply within 6 months of the CAS being issued, and the fee figures on the CAS drive your proof-of-funds calculation, so correct any error (name, passport number, fees, deposit, scholarship) with the university before applying.

Hold and evidence your funds for 28 consecutive days. Because India is not on the GOV.UK exemption list, you must show first-year tuition (as stated on the CAS) plus £1,529 per month for London or £1,171 per month outside London, for up to 9 months. The money must sit in a qualifying account for at least 28 days in a row, with the closing balance dated within 31 days of your application date — start this clock well before you book the appointment.

Take the TB test at an approved clinic in India. India is on the TB-testing list, so applicants applying for more than 6 months must be tested at a UKVI-approved clinic (IOM/other approved centres in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and other cities). You are given a chest X-ray and, if the result is unclear, a sputum sample; the resulting certificate is valid for 6 months from the X-ray date and must be included with the application.

Apply online, pay the £558 fee plus the IHS, and book biometrics. You can apply from outside the UK no earlier than 6 months before the course start date. Complete the online Student visa form, pay the £558 fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (£776 per year) in the same session, then either book a biometric appointment at a VFS Global UK visa application centre in India or verify your identity on the UK Immigration: ID Check app if eligible. Upload your supporting documents before or at the appointment.

Attend biometrics / any credibility interview, then collect your decision and set up your eVisa. Give your fingerprints and photograph and submit your documents; be ready for a Home Office credibility interview by video or phone testing the genuine student requirement. A decision usually follows within 3 weeks (or 5 working days on the £500 priority service where available). On approval you create a UKVI account to access your eVisa, and you can normally enter the UK up to one week before a course of 6 months or less, or up to one month before a longer course.

Where the dependencies bite

• The offer comes before almost everything. Most routes cannot begin without an unconditional place.
• Financial evidence has a holding period, which starts before the application and cannot be compressed.
• A loan sanction letter, where you are using one, sits between the offer and the application.
• Biometrics and medicals are appointment-based, and appointment availability is the hidden constraint in peak season.

Before you submit

1. Read your own application back as an officer would, looking for anything unexplained.
2. Check every date and figure against the supporting document it comes from.
3. Confirm the fee and the route are the current ones on the official source below.
4. Keep a complete copy of everything you submitted, in the order you submitted it.

A refusal is far more expensive than a delay: it must be disclosed on future applications to several countries, and it is harder to explain than a late submission. If something is not ready, the cost of waiting a week is usually lower than it feels.