WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Begin with an eligible course and Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. Match your financial evidence and supporting documents to the rules in force on your application date.
Check your CAS before submitting
Compare the CAS with your passport, course title, dates, tuition and recorded payments. Ask the university to correct discrepancies before you apply. An admission email is not a CAS. Check whether your course and circumstances require ATAS, English evidence or parental consent.
Use GOV.UK to start the application. Follow the identity and appointment instructions it gives you rather than an old visa-centre address copied from a blog.
Plan the funding evidence backwards
Check the financial requirement for your application date, location and circumstances. It combines relevant unpaid course fees with the applicable living-cost amount. Rates can change between admission and application.
Where the 28-day funds rule applies, the qualifying period must end within 31 days before the application. Loans and official sponsorship have their own evidence requirements. For example, funds reaching the required balance yesterday do not establish a completed 28-day period. Check accepted accounts and any exception before relying on them.
Resolve TB and family questions early
Use the official TB rules and approved clinic list for your residence history and intended stay; a general hospital report may not satisfy the requirement. Allow time for the result before your document deadline.
Most taught postgraduate courses starting from 2024 do not permit new Student dependants. Qualifying research/doctoral study and government-sponsored cases have specific conditions. Confirm eligibility before making a family relocation budget.
Check submission and travel separately
Review names, passport details and evidence before paying. Retain confirmation and follow requests for additional information. Published processing estimates are not a guaranteed travel date.
If successful, follow the instructions for accessing your eVisa and linking the passport you will use. Next action: send the university a short list of unresolved CAS and financial-evidence questions before submitting.
Sources and further reading
- GOV.UK: Student visa ↗
- GOV.UK: Student visa financial evidence ↗
- GOV.UK: Student dependants ↗
- GOV.UK: tuberculosis tests ↗
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Examples and planning suggestions are Effikos editorial guidance.
Something needs a closer look? Send us a correction.
