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Preparing your Student visa application

Good preparation is key before applying for your visa to Study at City. It's essential to have your personal information, including your financial arrangements, ready to give your application the best chance of succeeding.

Applying for a Student visa should be fairly straightforward as long as you prepare carefully.

It is important that you provide original academic documents and formal financial evidence to show that you have held the necessary funds for the required period.

Financial requirements of a Student visa application

You must have enough money to support yourself whilst studying in the UK and meet the financial requirements of a Student visa application, as it can be very easy for your visa application to be refused if you get it wrong. It is worth reading UKCISA's blog on some of the misunderstandings around the financial requirements.

Do not assume that just because you have a lot of money in a bank account that this will be acceptable - the money needs to be held for a set period of time and the documents need to be in a very specific format.

Required funds in your bank account

You must show that you have:

  • Your outstanding tuition fees for your programme as stated on your CAS PLUS
  • A minimum of £12,006.

Please note that the maintenance requirement for Student Route Visa application has increased to £1,334 per month up to a maximum of nine months which is £12,006.

The money needs to be cash funds that have been held in your bank account for the last 28 days before the date you make your Student visa application and the statement must be dated before the date of application.

The right amount of money during the 28-day period

At every point during that 28-day period it must be clear that the balance in the account has not dropped below the minimum required amount (from whatever documents you provide).

The date the statement is issued must be before the date of application. This is because, when you apply online, you are confirming that you meet the requirements and have the relevant documents on that date.

The caseworker/ Entry Clearance Officer at UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will look at the date of the closing balance and the amount of money held in the account on that date and then work backwards from that date for a 28-day period.

You should note that the guidance states:

"The money you show us must be for your use for studying and living in the UK. The full amount of this money - which should be held in the manner specified in this guidance - must continue to be available to you after your application is made, except for any money you have to pay for course fees and living costs.

For example, you should retain the full amount of money you have shown us in your bank account, minus the balance you have paid for your course fees."

So ensure that the funds remain in your account until you have received your new visa.

When you do not need to prove you have money to support yourself

You do not need to prove the financial requirement if:

  • You’ve had a UK visa for 12 months prior to the date of your Student visa application - you must currently be in the UK
  • You’re applying as a student union sabbatical officer
  • You’re applying as a postgraduate doctor or dentist on a recognised foundation programme.

You do not need to prove you have enough money to support yourself if you’re a British national overseas or from one of the following countries or territories. You can find the full list of low-risk national countries here.

If you are a low-risk national, you do not need to provide financial evidence with their application but UKVI might request these evidence later if they want to, so you must still meet these requirements and ensure that you could produce documents in the required format if they are requested.

Read the guidance on finances for student applications for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.

Types of funds you can rely on

You can show you have enough money using:

  • An official financial or government sponsorship or grant
  • A student loan from a government, government sponsored loan company, or a regulated student loans scheme
  • Your own money
  • Your parent's money (if they provide a letter confirming they agree to you using it this way)
  • Your partner's money if your partner is present in the UK or applying at the same time.

You, or the account holder (such as your parents or partner), must have control of the funds you are relying on.

You must show the funds have been held for 28 days, unless you are relying on a student loan or official financial sponsorship. The bank statement(s) or evidence you use to show the funds have been held for 28 days must be from the 31 days before you submit your application. The 28 days is calculated from the date of the last transaction in the last dated bank statement.

Financial documents you must provide in your application

Certain financial institutions are not recognised by the UKVI. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) is very specific about the financial documents they will accept for your application.

The following are acceptable:

If you use Personal Bank or Building Society Statements

These must show:

  • Your name
  • Your account number
  • The date of the statement
  • The financial institution’s name and logo
  • A running balance ending no more than 1 month before the date of the application showing that the money in the account has not dropped below the required amount for a consecutive 28 day period.

You can use online bank statements if they contain all of the details listed above.

If you use a letter from your Bank or Building Society

A letter from your bank / building society confirming that you have sufficient funds.

This letter must include:

  • Your name
  • Your account number
  • The date of the letter
  • The financial institution’s name and logo
  • A statement* from the bank confirming that the money in the account has not dropped below the required amount for a consecutive 28 day period.

*Wording should be: “This is to confirm that the balance in this account has not dropped below xxxxxx from DATE to DATE”. Or “I am writing to confirm that the balance in this account has not dropped below xxxxxx for the last 28 days”.

  • See a sample bank letter
  • See a sample parent consent letter

If you have official sponsorship

To prove you have official financial sponsorship you need to show your reference number for confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS).

If your official financial sponsorship is not recorded on your CAS you’ll need to show a letter of confirmation from the official financial sponsor. If you are not sure ask your sponsor. The letter must show:

  • The date
  • The name of the financial sponsor
  • Contact details of the financial sponsor
  • How long the sponsorship will last
  • The amount of money that is being given or confirmation that all of your fees and living costs will be covered.

If you have a student loan

For student loans you need to show a student loan letter which:

  • Is dated no more than 6 months before the date of application
  • Confirms the loan is a student loan provided by either the relevant government or a government sponsored student loan company or an academic or educational loans scheme
  • Confirms there are no conditions on release of the loan funds other than a successful application to study
  • Confirms the amount of the loan
  • Confirms the loan is for you
  • Is on official stationery
  • Confirms the funds will be available to you, or paid directly to the sponsor, before you begin your course.

Using your parents' bank account

If you wish to use your parents’ bank statements, you will need to provide:

  • Your original birth certificate showing the name of the parent(s) showing the funds
  • An original signed and dated letter from your parent(s) confirming the relationship between you and that the money in their account is for your studies
  • You will also need to provide your parents’ original financial documents (as above). Please note that these must be personal bank accounts and not business accounts.

Contact us

  • International Student Advice team

    +44 (0)20 7040 7040

    visaadvice@city.ac.uk

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