Student Visas

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Visas for Pre-sessional Students

Visa advice for pre-sessional students

10-week pre-sessional course

Students taking the 10-week pre-sessional course will have a choice between taking it in person and online. Please visit pre-sessional course information webpages for further information about that. The expectation is that you will only have a UK visa if you study in person.

If you decide to take the course in person, you will need to apply for and obtain a Student visa before coming to the UK. Please allow sufficient time for this as you will need to be in the UK by the time the course starts.

If you are already in the UK, please contact Student Visa Advisers for guidance on your specific situation. You would be issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that would allow you to apply for a Student visa. Please read about the requirements of a Student visa on our 'Student Visa' webpage. 

If you are taking the course in person, you will be issued a CAS for the main programme once you have satisfied all the conditions of your offer and you should be able to make that visa application from the UK. You will not need to wait until the visa is granted to start the new course.

If you are taking the course online from your home country, a CAS for the main programme will be issued a bit earlier to allow you to obtain a Student visa and arrive before the start of the academic course. We expect this will be done after 17 August, but you may still need to use Priority service to apply for this visa as Standard service applications tend to take longer in August and September. 

6-week pre-sessional course

Students taking the 6-week pre-sessional course will have a choice between taking it in person and online. Please visit pre-sessional course information webpages for further information about that. The expectation is that you will only have a UK visa if you study in person.

If you decide to take the course in person, you will need to apply for and obtain a Student visa before coming to the UK. Please allow sufficient time for this as you will need to be in the UK by the time the course starts.

If you are already in the UK, please contact Student Visa Advisers for guidance on your specific situation. You would be issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) that would allow you to apply for a Student visa. Please read about the requirements of a Student visa here.

Combined CAS vs single CAS 

Those students who have met all the academic conditions of their offer for the main course of study by the point in time when CAS is issued will receive a combined CAS. This will allow them to apply for a visa that would cover both the pre-sessional course and the main course of study.

While combined CAS is the most convenient option for many students, there are some additional considerations associated with it listed in the dropdowns below – please read them before making a decision. 

Students who want a CAS for the 6 week pre-sessional only must also have an accepted Secure English Language Test (SELT).Those students who have not met the academic conditions of their offer by the point a CAS is issued and who have an accepted SELT, will receive a single CAS to cover just the pre-sessional course in the first instance. You would need to meet the financial requirements for the pre-sessional course only when you apply using a single CAS; these would be any outstanding tuition fees for the pre-sessional course plus £2046 (to cover the living expenses) held for 28 days. You would then need to apply for a visa to cover the rest of your studies once you have passed the language course and have met all the conditions of your offer.

A combined CAS has its advantages and disadvantages. You can read about them below. Only you can decide if a Combined CAS is right for your situation. Please consider your options carefully before applying for a Student visa. You are welcome to contact Student Visa Services for further advice on these options.

If you are eligible for a combined CAS but wish to opt out it, please email presessional-admissions@bristol.ac.uk  and indicate that you would like to receive a single CAS just for the pre-sessional course. 

 

Benefits of a combined CAS

  • You make only one visa application and secure a visa for the entire duration of your studies. There is no need to extend your visa when you complete the pre-sessional course in September 
  • You pay only one visa application fee  
  • As you do not need to go through the visa application process in the autumn, you are free to travel outside the UK during that time if your academic schedule permits 
  • If you have dependants and your main course of study makes you eligible to bring them to the UK, they can join you in the UK straight away instead of needing to wait until you have a CAS/visa for your main course of study 
  • If you are currently studying a degree-level course in the UK, you may be able to apply for the Bristol visa from the UK instead of having to return to your home country to apply for the visa that only covers the pre-sessional course. This is because of the academic progression requirements 
  • You  can have access to the National Health Service in the UK as soon as you arrive as you will have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge fee as part of your application.  

You are allowed to work up to 20 hours a week instead of 10 hours a week while you are on the Pre-sessional course. We would not recommend this 

Possible issues with a combined CAS

  • You will need to meet the visa requirements for the entire duration of your stay in the UK when you apply for the combined visa. This involves holding the amount necessary to cover the tuition fees for both courses (unless paid upfront), as well as £9207 for living expenses in a bank account for 28 days before you apply for the visa. This is considerably higher than financial requirements for the visa that covers the pre-sessional course only.
  • If you are sponsored, the sponsor would need to issue a letter saying they will sponsor both programmes. 
  • Although you only pay one visa application fee, you will be required to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge fee at the time of your application. You are not required to pay this fee for shorter visas that are under 6 months in duration  
  • If you leave your studies early or decide not to proceed with the main course of study, your visa will be cancelled. The Immigration Health Surcharge fee and the visa application fee will not be refunded 
  • If you do not pass the pre-sessional course and are unable to progress to your expected main course of study, you visa will be cancelled. The Immigration Health Surcharge fee and the visa application fee will not be refunded 
  • If you no longer wish to do the pre-sessional course after you arrive because you have an unconditional offer for the main course of study, you will still be required to attend the pre-sessional course and all exams as this is a condition of your visa 

Visa application after the pre-sessional course

Timing

If you are taking the pre-sessional course in person and have a visa covering just this course, you will be issued a CAS for the main programme once you have satisfied all the conditions of your offer. You should be able to make that visa application from the UK. You will not need to wait until the visa is granted to start the new course.

If you are taking the course online from your home country, a CAS for the main programme will be issued a bit earlier to allow you to obtain a Student visa and arrive before the start of the academic course. We expect this will be done after 17 August, but you may still need to use Priority service to apply for this visa as Standard service applications tend to take longer in August and September. 

Once you have successfully completed the in-person pre-sessional course, you will need to apply for a new visa to study your academic course. Due to the time constraints many students will be applying for a new visa from inside the UK. If this is the case for you, it is important that you apply for your next visa before your current one expires. Otherwise, you may become an overstayer and have no legal right to remain in the UK or study your substantive programme. Please review the information below to prepare for your visa application.

Financial requirements

Even if you are applying under the Differential Evidence Arrangement, you must make sure that you meet the financial requirement before you apply for the visa. By the date of your application you need to have held the necessary funds in your or your parents' bank account for a minimum of 28 days. Please visit this webpage as soon as possible to learn about the financial requirements and how much money you may need to be able demonstrate. If you have any questions, please contact us to clarify. Please note that if you are applying under the Differential Evidence Arrangement, evidence of finances should not be submitted unless requested by the UKVI caseworker. 

If you have lived in the UK for the past 12 months without absences of 3 months or longer during this time, you will be exempt from meeting the financial requirement.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

You cannot apply for your next visa without a new CAS number. Your CAS will be emailed to you by the relevant Admissions team soon after your pre-sessional course results are finalised and your offer becomes unconditional. If you are taking the course in person, a CAS to your cohort should be released after 1 September. If you are taking the course online from your home country, a CAS to your cohort will be released after 17 August.

The application process 

Please refer to our webpage 'Apply for a Student visa inside the UK'. The link to the application form can be found on the same page.

After submitting the application, you may need to complete the biometric enrolment step. Please follow the instructions on your UKVI application account. You may either be invited to book and attend a biometric appointment at one of the UKVCAS centres after you submit the application or validate your details via the 'UK Immigration: ID Check’ app at home instead. If you are allowed to use the app, the application form will direct you towards is at the start of the process. 

Registration on your substantive course

You will need to submit a copy of your current visa and passport along with the proof of your visa application for your academic course on the Right to Study online form. This will be necessary in order to register for your next course with us. You can submit the first page of the completed application form where it says the date and time of submission. The PDF documents is generated on your UKVI account at the end of your application process.

 

 

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