Everything You Need to Know About a UK Student Visa

Two years ago, my passport sat tucked amongst what felt like a million other papers en route to my nearest Embassy. Two years ago, my worries were at an all-time high about whether my visa would be accepted. If I was going to England. Now, you might be sitting behind your computer filling out pages and pages of questions or putting off the process for fear of just how much you have to do. So take a deep breath and congratulate yourself for getting this far. Soon enough, you will make your way to England and begin your studies one step at a time. 

Let's begin with the basics of where to find information. The most trustworthy is the gov.uk website which will quickly become your best friend. It will have all the information you need for your Tier Four visa and beyond. Sometimes, this website can seem a bit cryptic and in this case, reach out to the international team at your uni if they have one. They are a dedicated group that should be able to answer any further questions. 

Next, things you need before filling out your visa. 

A passport. Get this months in advance if you don't have one, and verify that you have at least a year before it expires (not required but a good rule of thumb). You will need the passport number on most, if not all, visa documents. 

A CAS number. You receive this from your uni. From what I recall, this is simply a confirmation of attendance of studies, i.e., proof of finances. This is pretty run-of-the-mill for any visa; it just happens that for students, this takes the form of you paying for tuition or housing. Paying is country dependent; however, you will always need a CAS number. Check the gov.uk website for more info. 

Proof of English proficiency. You will need proof of English proficiency if English is not your native language. This was not part of my visa process, so refer to the gov.uk website or your international team for more information. 

Biometrics. At the end of the paperwork, they may prompt you to book a biometrics appointment which is just fingerprints and photos. This information needs to be in the folder with everything else before sending it to the UK embassy. 

Now, onto costs.

CAS. This is the first cost you may have to face and will be whatever the uni says that you need to pay before they can release the number. 

English test. You may have to pay for this; however, like I said it was not required for my visa process, so it's best to refer to the gov.uk website or your uni.

The visa. Now for costs after filling out the documents. The visa itself costs £348. 

NHS healthcare surcharge. This costs £470 a year, so for three years, it will cost £1410. This allows you to access the NHS besides a few things such as dental, optical, and other random services that you can learn more about on the, you guessed it, gov.uk website. 

Possibly biometrics. As I said, I filled out my visa two years ago, but I just remember everything costing money. This information will go towards your biometric residence card, which will become your primary form of ID in the UK. 

One final note, when filling out your visa, be aware that there are specific dates to adhere to regarding the start of your course. For example, if you start uni on October 10th, you can only begin the process three months before (July 10th) and leave within a month before your course starts (September 10th). For more information, check the gov.uk website. 

Good luck and safe travels!