If you are coming to the UK to study on a Student visa for the first time, you must apply for your visa in your home country before you travel.

If you are already studying in the UK, you may be able to apply for your Student visa from inside the UK. If you do not meet the conditions for applying from inside the UK, you must apply from outside the UK.

If applying outside the UK, please remember that you must arrive in the UK before your course start date, hence it is important to allow enough time for your application to be processed. Applications should take about 3 weeks to be decided and up to another 10 days to receive the entry clearance sticker in your passport.  Most countries offer a premium 5 day service if you pay an additional fee, please see the VFS Global website for more details. Please also use this tool to learn about the approximate processing times in your country. 

The earliest a Student visa can be valid from is one month before the CAS start date, or 7 days before the CAS start date if you are doing a course that is under 6 months in duration and is not a pre-sessional course. This is provided you state that as anticipated date of travel on your application form. 

How to apply for your Student visa

• Supporting documents - please familiarise yourself with the list of required supporting documents before you start the visa application process

• Passport requirements - you will need to have a passport that is valid at the point of your Student visa application.  Your passport does not need to be valid for the entire length of your course when you first enter the UK.  Please note, if you apply for and receive a new passport whilst your Student visa application is under consideration, you should inform us so that we can update your CAS (if it has already been issued) with your new passport number.  If you receive a new passport and your vignette (visa sticker in your passport) has been printed into your previous passport, then provided that you have both passports you can travel into the UK bringing both your new and previous passport with the vignette in it. 

• Timing of visa application submission - you can submit your visa application up to 6 months before the start of your course; if you submit your visa application more than 6 months before the start date of your course it will be refused

• CAS - you must have received your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number by email before you apply. Please note that each CAS can be used to apply once.  If you are starting a new course at Bristol, a relevant admissions team will issue your CAS once you have met all the conditions of your offer. If you have already started a course and need another new visa to complete it, please contact Student Visas at student-visas@bristol.ac.uk to receive up-to-date visa advice and instructions for how to request a CAS

• TB test - have a tuberculosis (TB) test if required. See UKVI tuberculosis tests for visa applicants information for more details

• Online Student visa application - follow the UKVI apply for a Student visa instructions and fill in the online application form

• Visa fees - as part of the process you will be required to pay the visa application fee, which is currently £490 for Standard service.

• Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees and refunds 

• • IHS fees
    • when you apply for your visa you will also be required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, (IHS) which is set at £776 per each year of visa and is calculated in 6-month blocks.  As you are applying overseas please be aware that the overall amount may be more than this due to currency fluctuations.  As the amount charged is based on visa length and not course length please note that wrap-up time granted after the CAS end date will also be included in the total e.g.
    • If you are studying a 1 year masters, your visa expiry date will be 4 months after the course end date so you will be charged a year and 6 months
    • If you are studying a 3 year undergraduate course, your visa expiry date will be 4 months after the course end date so you will be charged 3 years and 6 months
    • If you are studying a 4 year PhD, your visa expiry date will be 4 months after the course end date so you will be charged 4 years and 6 months
    • Please visit this webpage for information on how the UKVI calculate the IHS payments. Wrap-up time awarded after the CAS end date will be counted as well, so a student taking a 4-year PhD programme for example will be liable for 4.5 years of IHS payments upfront

• • IHS refunds
    • See UKVI information about refunds as well as UKCISA both include when refunds are paid 

• • • IHS Refunds for EU or Swiss nationals - if you are an EU or Swiss national you may be eligible for a refund if you have an EHIC card covering your stay.  However, if you claim a refund it is important to note that:
      • you will not be able to work in the UK. This is because, if you work in the UK your EHIC card will no longer be valid as your home country will no longer be responsible for your healthcare while you’re in the UK.  If you claim a refund and then start working you will need to contact the health authority in your home country to confirm what you may be covered for and are likely to need to consider buying insurance to cover any additional healthcare required. 
      • your medical access is limited to medically necessary treatment only
      • you cannot repay the refund if you change your mind, or if your circumstances change.
      • For full details see Immigration health surcharge for students from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

• 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app - some nationals including EU, EEA and Swiss nationals - should be able to use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app which will use a chip in their passport to verify an applicant’s identity. If the chip is broken, or someone is unable to use the app, then they will be directed to a Visa Application Centre to enrol biometrics instead. See Using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app for information about how to use the app on your phone

• Receiving your visa decision and your eVisas
  • you will receive your visa decision by email
  • if you applied for your visa and attended a biometric appointment - you will be invited to create an eVisa account when your visa is granted.  If the link in your visa decision email does not work please go directly to the UKVI website to create your account (Gov.uk). 
  • if you used the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app to apply for your visa, you will already have a UKVI account and will receive an eVisa.  You will be able to view your eVisa in your account when your visa is granted.
  • once your UKVI account is created, you can view your immigration status and its conditions at any time use the ‘view and prove’ service on the GOV.UK portal. This function will also allow you to prove your immigration status to the University and employers
  • check your eVisa for errors including the end date and report any errors, see our webpage for full details on how to do this

Please see our eVisas webpage for full details on eVisas.

• Student visa conditions - read our Student visa essential information carefully to ensure that you understand your obligations as a Student visa holder