Apply for a Student visa from inside the UK

Find out if you qualify to apply under the differential evidence requirement and how this may affect the list of documents you may need to submit with your application

Please familiarise yourself with the documents you must provide. When you make a new visa application you will need to meet the financial requirements again, unless you make the application in the UK and have been living in the UK with permission (of any visa type) for 12 months or more on the date you apply for the visa (with up to 3 months out of the UK). In this case, there is no requirement to show finances. However, if you cannot meet this 12-month residence requirement, you will require either proof of official financial sponsorship or private funds in a bank account for a 28 day period for one year’s tuition fees plus maintenance (living expenses). You can read more about financial requirements here 

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

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 have any dependants (partner or/and children) applying with you, please visit our Dependants webpage. For your partner to apply for a visa extension with you, you will need proof of your partner residing at the same address, such as a council tax or utility bill, bank statement in their name, or other official letters addressed either to you jointly or to them at your address

When applying for a visa inside the UK you must apply before your current leave expires.  If you submit a visa application (by paying the application fee and immigration health surcharge) on or before your current visa expiry date you will have made an 'in-time application' and your legal status is protected until the application is decided. You cannot leave the UK whilst your application is pending otherwise your application is withdrawn

To register for studies you will also need to meet the following:

• If you hold a Student visa and are starting a new course at the University of Bristol - you will be required to have applied for a new Student visa with a new CAS for the new course before you can register for studies.
• If you hold a Graduate route visa and are starting a new course at the University of Bristol - you will be required to have applied and received your new Student visa before you can register for studies.

To extend your Student visa follow the UKVI online application form instructions to fill in the online form and upload your supporting documents.

At the beginning of the application you will be told if you can use the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app to prove your identity or if you will need to attend a biometrics appointment in person.

At the end of the application you will be required to pay the visa fee and the IHS fee.  When you have paid these fees your application is submitted.

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 if you are unable to use the app, you will be directed to book and attend a biometrics appointment during the application process at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. See Using the 'UK Immigration: ID Check' app for information about how to use the app on your phone

As part of the process you will be required to pay the visa application fee, which is currently £524 for the 8 week Standard service or you can pay the standard visa fee of £524 plus an additional £500 for the faster premium 5 day service 

• 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 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
  • When completing the IHS payment, if you are applying for another Student visa to complete your current course please use your new CAS course start date in the 'course start date' box, not your original course start date, to ensure that the IHS is calculated correctly

• IHS refunds
  • When a new Student visa application has been made in the UK a refund may be possible if you paid IHS twice for the same period, 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) 

After you have paid both the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) your application is submitted.  You can then download PDF's of your completed application form, which can act as proof of application

You will receive the visa decision by email, please retain this email for future reference.  If you are applying in the UK and had a Student visa your new Student visa will be granted from the date the visa is granted.  

When applying for a visa inside the UK you must apply before your current leave expires.  If you submit a visa application (by paying the application fee and immigration health surcharge) on or before your current visa expiry date you will have made an 'in-time application' and your legal status is protected until the application is decided. You cannot leave the UK whilst your application is pending otherwise your application is withdrawn.

After you have received your visa decision by email:

• follow the instructions in your visa decision email to create a UKVI account
• 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, view your immigration status and its conditions at any time using the ‘view and prove’ service

As soon as you receive your visa, please check the information is correct, including the visa end date. To check if you have been granted the correct end date see our webpage for information on how long your visa should be granted. If there is an error, you must take action, see our webpage for full details on how to check and report errors.

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