You will need the following documents for your Student visa application. Please be aware that some of them e.g ATAS and financial evidence will take time to prepare so you will need to start preparing documents early.

1. Current passport. 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 are applying outside the UK and 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. 
2. Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card (if you have one). 
3. You may need to provide financial evidence to support your application. If applicable see our additional information for sponsored students‌. If you are eligible to apply under the differential evidence arrangement, you should prepare financial evidence so that you have it ready if you are asked to provide it. This is unless you 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 and are making your visa application in the UK: in these cases applicants are exempt from needing to demonstrate evidence of finances
4. Depending on your course of study and nationality, you may need to provide evidence of your qualifications listed in the 'evidence provided' box of your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) email. These are likely to be academic certificates/transcripts.
   • Students studying degree-level or above courses at the University of Bristol are exempt from needing to provide evidence of qualifications as the University is a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance. Therefore if your CAS shows minor differences in your academic qualifications we will not amend your CAS as you are not required to submit the documents as part of your application.  We will only amend the CAS detailing minor differences in your academic qualifications in the unlikely event that you are asked by the UKVI to provide your documents during your visa application.  If you are asked for your documents please contact us. Please note that if you do submit documents when they are not required, they will be assessed anyway. If they do not meet UKVI requirements, your visa application will be refused.  
   • If you will be studying a foundation or a pre-sessional course and are eligible to apply under the differential evidence arrangement, you should still prepare evidence of your qualifications so that you have it ready if you are asked to provide it. Foundation and pre-sessional course applicants who are not eligible for the differential evidence arrangement must submit evidence of qualifications with their applications
5. Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you require one. Not all nationalities are subject to ATAS, even if the course has an ATAS requirement. Your offer will contain details for making an ATAS application. We also send email communications to applicants with the information about how to apply for it. Please note your CAS will not be released until you have received ATAS. The University will receive a copy of your ATAS certificate at the same time as you receive it, so you should not need to do anything to notify us.  
6. Tuberculosis test results (if you are from a country where you have to take the test and you are applying outside the UK). Some exceptions apply - please see this page 
7. When making an inside-the-UK visa application to start a new course:
   • you will need to submit a letter consenting to your new Student visa application from your sponsoring Government or international scholarship agency if you i) have completed a course in the UK within the 12 months preceding your Student visa appplication AND ii) your funding covered both course fees and living costs.  If you have been sponsored by the University, you do not require this as it is not a requirement of the immigration rules. 
   • you will not be required to send any academic certificates to prove that you have completed your previous course, however, successful completion of your previous course must be stated on your CAS.  Please ensure that you check your CAS for this information.  During the application the UKVI may request evidence before making a decision, if they contact you about this please contact us to check that the email is genuine before responding.

Translations

You must submit a fully certified translation for each document you provide that is not in English. We suggest you get a translation in your home country before you come to the UK as it will be cheaper.

The translation must meet the UKVI translation requirements, which are slightly different for visa applications from inside and outside the UK. 

If you are applying in the UK, the document must be accompanied by a fully certified translation by a professional translator/translation company and the translation must include all of the following:

• confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the document
• the date of the translation
• details of the translator/translation company’s credentials
• the translator/translation company’s contact details
• signature of the translator or of an authorised official of the translation company

If you are applying outside the UK, the document must be accompanied by a full translation that can be independently verified by the Home Office and it must contain the following:

• confirmation from the translator/translation company that it is an accurate translation of the document
• the date of the translation
• full name and signature of the translator/an authorised official of the translation company
• the translator/translation company’s contact details

If the translation does not meet the UKVI translation requirements, it will not be accepted by the UKVI for your visa application.