Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 03/03/11
Once you have sent an application and it has been accepted then you will be able to move to the UK before your course starts. How soon you can move depends on the course you are taking. If you are taking a course that is longer than 6 months or is a pre-sessional course (for example an English language course before you start university) then you will be able to enter the UK up to 1 month before the start date. However, if your course is less than 6 months long then can only enter the UK up to 1 week before the start.
After your course has finished, if it was longer than 12 months then you can stay in the UK for a further 4 months with the same visa, a further 2 months if the course was 6-12 months long, and just one week if the course was less than 6 months long.
Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 03/03/11
When applying for a visa, you need to be able to prove that you can financially support yourself whilst staying in the UK and not have to claim benefits from the government. This means you need the following:
Length of Course Study Location Money Needed
9 months or less Inner London Full course fees and £800 for each
calendar month of the course
9 months or less Outside Inner Full course fees and £600 for each
London calendar month of the course
More than 9 months Inner London First year of course fees and £7,200
to cover living costs for 9 months
More than 9 months Outside Inner First year of course fees and £5,400
London to cover living costs for 9 months
Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 03/03/11
When applying for a visa you will need the following:
- Your CAS reference number
- Your passport or travel document
- The application fee (which you can find here)
- Your biometric details
- A recent passport sized (45mm x 35mm) photograph which should be:
- In colour against a white background
- Good quality, clear and not framed
- Printed on normal photographic paper
- Show your full face without sunglasses, a hat or head covering (unless it is worn for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be covered).
Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 03/03/11
Once you have your CAS, you are ready to apply for your visa. Depending on where you live, you may be able to do it online and by post, or completely by post.
You can find if your country is supported by online applications here. However, even if you can apply online, you will still also need to send off part of the application to your local visa application centre or the British mission in your country. Check here to see where you need to apply, and then fill out this form.
Submitted by Foreign Students on Thu 03/03/11
CAS stands for 'Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies'. It is basically proof that you have been accepted onto a course at a trustworthy institution in the UK. Your institution should provide it for you online, and you will get your own unique reference number. You will need this when applying for a visa.
