Student Visa
If you are 16 or over and want to study at Higher Education level in the UK for more than six months, you'll need to apply for a Student Visa. This Visa allows you to study at a specific UK educational institution on a specific course and covers the full length of a your course plus some extra time at the end.
Ongoing Visa brake
Find out about the UK Government’s temporary Visa brake on certain Student Visa applications from specific countries.
How to apply for your Student Visa
Are you applying from outside of the UK?
If you are applying for your Student Visa from outside of the UK, you'll need to follow the application process on the GOV.UK website.
Are you applying from within the UK?
If you are a current student living in the UK and looking to extend or renew your Student Visa, you can review our guidance on how to go about this on our dedicated page.
eVisas
The Home Office is changing the way of how individuals will be able to view and prove their visa status in the UK. This involves the replacing all physical visas e.g. visa stickers in passports and Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) with an online immigration system called an eVisa. This means when your Student Visa application is successful, your eVisa will be linked with your passport.
- If you are applying for a Student Visa from outside of the UK, please refer to our eVisas webpage for further information.
- You can also find updated travel advice around entering the UK on the Home Office website.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on the Student Visa
Do I need to go to an interview?
The UKVI holds credibility interviews for most students applying for a Student Visa from overseas. Read our guidance on what to expect and how to prepare for these interviews.
What happens if my Visa is refused?
Find guidance and information on visa refusals and the common reasons these refusals happen and tips on how to avoid. Contact the International Office for further advice.
A CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) is a unique 14 digit reference number which is issued to you by the University via a CAS letter, with details controlled through the Home Office's online database.
Once you've made your application and received your offer, your CAS letter will be issued after you have met the academic conditions and paid the advance fee payment requirement as detailed on your offer letter. Once these steps have been completed, you'll be issued with an unconditional offer to study your course at the University. Once you've then accepted this unconditional offer, you'll receive your CAS letter from us.
A CAS cannot be used more than once. This means if your visa application is refused, you should contact the International Office immediately with the following information:
- your name and student number
- a scan of your refusal notice (all pages).
When should I apply?
- If you are starting a new course and are outside of the UK, you can apply for your Student Visa up to 6 months before the course start date as stated on your CAS letter.
- If you are applying to extend your current visa from within the UK, you must submit your application before your existing visa expires.
What is the visa application fee?
The Student visa application fee is the same whether you apply from inside or outside the UK. To find the current fee, please visit the Student Visa page on GOV.UK and scroll down to the ‘Fees’ section.
The visa processing times vary from country to country. Visit the Home Office website to find the visa processing times in your country.
Some countries also offer a priority application service which takes around 3-5 working days. Find out online if you can make a priority application in your country.
The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to certain international students and researchers who want to study or conduct research in specific sensitive technology-related fields in the UK including science or engineering related courses.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) administers the scheme and issues ATAS certificates. ATAS applications take at least 30 working days (6 weeks) to process, and some complex ones can take longer.
As an international student, you and your dependants (if any) will be required to pay a healthcare fee, which allows you to access the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is additional to your visa application fee and is payable at the time of your online visa application submission.
If you enter the UK on a Student visa for the University of Huddersfield and either fail to enrol within the enrolment period or decide to not continue your studies after enrolling, you will be in breach of your immigration conditions. As a Student sponsor, the University is required to report this to the Home Office. This will result in your visa being curtailed (cancelled).
If you are delayed in joining your course (for example late visa processing), you must contact the International Office to request for more time before travelling to the UK.
You will not be allowed to enrol if you have missed the final enrolment deadline, unless you have been officially granted an extension.
Some students can also have family (i.e. spouse or partner and/or children) with them in the UK as dependants.
If your dependants are applying to join you in the UK and you need immigration related advice, please attend one of the term-time Immigration Drop-in Sessions or contact us for an appointment.
How do they apply?
If your dependants are applying from outside the UK, they must apply online and will be required to provide similar documentation to yourself and confirm their identity via appointment.
- Find all the details on how to apply on the GOV.UK website
- See our factsheet for dependant visas
If you are on a Student visa and studying a course at degree level or above, you will be permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time and full-time during the official holiday periods published on the University website. For detail, see Working whilst studying webpage.
You can work fulltime after you have finished your course and during the additional period granted at the end of your visa, for example two or four months. However, if you are repeating modules or your course end date has been extended, you cannot work full-time.
Self-employment
Students with a Student visa cannot be self-employed, engage in a business activity, or undertake a permanent fulltime job. This includes freelance photography, freelance writing, private tutoring or selling services or goods directly to an end customer. For more information, please see our webpage on working during your studies.
Work placements
As a Student visa student you are permitted to undertake a paid or unpaid work placement as long as this meets the following requirements.
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The work placement must be an integral and assessed part of the course;
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The duration of placement must be less than 50% of the course;
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The University remains responsible of monitoring attendance for students whilst they are undertaking a work placement.
Any student originally holding a visa to study a course without a work placement but who later change their mind and decide to undertake a work placement should immediately notify their School’s placement team as well as the Immigration Team in the International Office.
Further details are available on the work placement webpage.
Your student visa is granted for the full duration of your course plus an additional 'wrap up' period (usually 2 or 4 months). Once you have reached the official end date of your course and you have handed in all your work and completed assessments, the student visa rules allow you to work full-time during the wrap up period at the end of your visa.
Financial requirements
Financial documentation is a crucial part of the Student Visa application process. To be granted a Student Visa, you must demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition fees and living expenses (also known as ‘maintenance costs') while studying in the UK.
Most international students are either self-funded or supported by an official sponsor.
Self-funded students
You are classed as a self-funded student if you or your parents or a legal guardian is responsible for your course fees and living costs in the UK. You will be required to meet the financial requirements by submitting evidence of personal bank accounts held either in your name or your parents’/guardian’s names, or in a joint account which bears your name.
- Download our Factsheet for self-funded students (Adobe PDF)
Officially sponsored students
You are classed as officially sponsored if your government, a university, an international scholarship agency or an international company is responsible for your course fees and living costs in the UK. Your sponsor must issue you with an official sponsor letter that meets the Home Office’s requirements.
- Download our Factsheet for Sponsored students (Adobe PDF)
When might I need to consider an alternative type of visa?
English language courses
If you are studying on an English Language course or Pre-sessional English programme, you may be able to apply for a Short-term Study Visa.
Part-time study
Find guidance on visas as a part-time or distance learning student and what other type of visa you may be able to apply for when visiting the UK for short periods.
Re-sits or PhD viva voice exams
You can apply for a Standard Visitor Visa if you are a current student at the University and only coming to submit your course work or sit/re-sit an exam.