UK Student Visa
Studying in the UK on a Student visa turns on two things a lot of applicants underestimate: getting a CAS from a licensed institution, and proving you can fund yourself for the amount required — held the right way, for the right number of days.
Eligibility overview
The Student visa is for people accepted onto a course at a UK institution holding a Home Office sponsor licence for education, at the right academic level for their age and study history, who can demonstrate they'll actually be able to fund the course and their living costs while in the UK. It covers everything from foundation courses through to postgraduate research, each with slightly different documentary requirements.
What a CAS is, and why you need one
A CAS — Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies — is a unique reference number your chosen institution generates once it has formally offered you a place and confirmed you meet its academic and English-language conditions. It isn't a physical document; it's a digital record the Home Office checks against when assessing your application, listing your course, its dates and cost, and the institution's own confirmation that you're a genuine applicant. Without a valid, unexpired CAS tied to your specific application, there is no Student visa application to make — it's the anchor the entire rest of the case is built around, which is why we confirm yours is correctly issued before working on anything else.
The maintenance-funds requirement
You need to show you can cover your living costs for the course, on top of the fees themselves, and the amount required depends on where you'll actually be studying. If your institution is inside London, the current requirement is £1,529 for each month of your course, up to a maximum of 9 months; outside London, it's £1,171 per month, same 9-month cap. The money has to be held continuously for at least 28 days, and that 28-day window has to end no more than 31 days before you submit your application — funds that appear the week before you apply, or that dip below the threshold partway through the 28 days, don't count. We check the timing of this alongside the amount, since the timing error is the more common way applicants trip over this requirement.
Working while you study
Most Student visa holders can work part-time during term and full-time during official vacations, though the exact hours permitted and any restriction on self-employment or professional sports depend on your course level and institution — this is set out on your visa conditions, not assumed by default, and it's worth checking before you commit to a work schedule around your studies.
How we help
We start by confirming your CAS is correctly issued and reviewing whether your maintenance funds meet the requirement for your specific institution and course length, including the 28-day timing rule. If everything lines up, we prepare and submit your application; if it's refused, we work out whether a corrected reapplication is the right next step.
- Cost range
- From £900 for a standard Student visa application (excludes the Home Office fee, the Immigration Health Surcharge, and your institution's own tuition deposit).
- Processing timeline
- Applications submitted from outside the UK are normally decided within 3 weeks of a complete submission under the standard service; from inside the UK, allow up to 8 weeks.
- If refused or appealing
- A Student visa refusal does not carry a right of appeal. Where the reason is a caseworking error, an administrative review may be available; more often, the practical path is a corrected reapplication once your institution has issued a fresh CAS reflecting the fix.