These are the processes you can expect to follow if you're already in the UK and are applying for a Student visa to study at City.
Can I apply in the UK?
You must ensure that you are eligible to do so before you submit an application.
You cannot switch to Student visa in the UK if you hold a visa in one of the following categories:.
- a visit visa
- a short-term student visa
- a Parent of a Child Student visa
- a seasonal worker visa
- a domestic worker in a private household visa
- leave outside the immigration rules
If you already hold a visa for City, University of London and, have successfully finished the course for which the visa was issued and are now starting a new course at a higher (or in some cases the same) level you will need to t apply to extend this permission within 6 weeks of registering on the new programme, even if your current permission nlasts longer than this, in order to comply with the immigration rules.
If you hold Student Route permission for a different institution you must apply for your Student permission extension before you can register for your new course. You will be allowed to register temporarily provided that you can show evidence that you have made a valid Student extension application
You must also meet the academic progression requirements. This means that you cannot apply to extend your Student immigration permission for a new course from within the UK until you have successfully completed the course and obtained the qualification for which your last CAS was issued and the course you will be studying should normally be at a higher level than the previous course. You can extend your visa in the UK in the situations below:
- You have successfully completed a course and are extending for a new course at a higher level or the same level, or
- You are enrolled on a PhD course and require more time to complete this course, or
- You undertook resit exams and as a result need more time to complete your course, or you have resit exams - please note you can only remain sponsored on a Student visa for resits if you will be in full attendance on your programme, or
- You are adding a placement or Study Abroad year, or
- You are studying for a BSc/MEng and adding an MSci or MENg year
- You have completed a Masters programme and wish to undertake a second Masters or progress to a PhD - but you have not yet received your final transcript or the degree certificate. In order to apply in the UK you will need to obtain formal confirmation from your current university confirming that you have completed all the taught elements of your course and that you are highly likely to complete your current course successfully together with the date on which the degree is expected to be awarded.
Applying to extend your student visa from within the UK with a gap of more than 28 days between your current Student visa end date and the start date of your new course.
The immigration rules do not allow this.However during the Covid pandemic the Home Office introduced a temporary policy allowing applications to be made from within the UK where there is a gap of more than 28 days between the end date of your current Student visa and your new course start date.
In order to check all temporary Covid related policies see the Covid-19: Guidance for Student sponsors, migrants and Short-term students Temporary concessions in response to Covid-19 Guidance on the Home Office's website.
When and how to apply
The earliest that you can apply is 3 months before your course starts. You must apply before your current immigration permission expires. Your new course must begin with 28 days of your current visa expiring subject to any temporary concessions in place (see above).
Application date
Your immigration application date is the day that you complete your online form and pay the application fee online, NOT the day you attend your biometric or in-person appointment (if required). You need to meet any requirements on the date of application ONLY and not on the date you attend a biometric appointment (if required).
Standard service
If you are applying using the standard service, you must submit your online application before your current visa expires and within 6 weeks of the new course start date if you are a current City Student visa student who has enrolled on your previous City visa, whichever is sooner. The application process can take 6 to 8 weeks.
In person – (currently not available)
If you are applying in person, you usually get your new visa within 7 to 10 working days. You will need to book a premium service appointment as part of your online application. Please note that you will need to pay an extra £800 for using this service.
You must pay for your application before your visa expires, otherwise you will not be allowed to remain registered on your course. However, if your visa expires while your application is being considered don't worry - your old visa will be deemed to continue for the duration of time it takes for your application to be considered.
For application fees for visas submitted within the UK please refer to the UK Government website.
Application process
In order to make your Student visa application you should follow these steps:
- Create an online account with UKVI and start to fill as much of the application form as you can at the UK Government website. City, University of London sponsor licence number is: P7VG4XCY7
- If you would like the visa advice team to check your application before submitting it to UKVI, email visaadvice@city.ac.uk to request an appointment to have your application checked. Please include your full name, City student number and contact telephone number in your email
- Once you have submitted your online application you will have the option of scanning and uploading your documents.
- You may be offered the opportunity to identify yourself using the IDV app if the Home Office are able to reuse your biometrics. You may need to wait and see if this option is offered to you or whether you will need to book a biometric appointment
- If you are not able to use the app you will then need to attend a visa appointment at a designated service centre. You will need to take your original passport and BRP to this appointment.
- You should not use your passport to travel until your extension application has been approved. If you do travel outside the UK before your new permission visa has been granted your application will be withdrawn.
Immigration Health surcharge
The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS is a fee that is charged at the time that you submit your visa application. The IHS fee for Students is £ 470 per year of immigration permission for both the applicant and any dependants You will also usually need to pay an extra £235 for an additional half year if you are doing a course of 12 months or longer to cover the additional wrap up time granted to you after your course ends of up to 4 months.
The IHS is incorporated into the online visa application form and is paid before the immigration application has been submitted online. You can calculate the health surcharge you will need to pay online
You can also read our Immigration Health Surcharge FAQs.
Biometrics
As part of your visa application, you are required to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and facial image) which will be stored on your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) card. Your visa application will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information.
However the UKVI may be able to resue your biometrics from a previous application and will need to check this and notify you whether you can use the IDV app instead.
If you are not offered the option of using the IDV app, you will be asked to register and book a biometric appointment through the UKVACS platform You will need to visit one of the six service centres to do this. The nearest to London is in Croydon.
You can also choose to pay an additional fee to visit outside of normal business hours .
Applicants who apply using in-person premium service (currently suspended) are required to have their biometrics taken on the day of their booked appointment.
Credibility interviews
As part of your application, you may be requested to attend a short video or in-person interview
The purpose of the interview is to check that the applicant is a genuine student, so they may ask you some questions about your course and why you chose to study it and any other institutions you considered when making up your mind about where to study.
Administrative review
In the unlikely event that your Student visa application is refused and you believe that the decision is incorrect ypou can apply for an administrative review of the decision. Please read the FAQs and contact us if have any questions.
Documents you must provide
Apart from filling out the online application form (remember: City's sponsor licence number is P7VG4XCY7), you will also need to provide the following documents and prepare for the following processes.
Application fees
For current application fees for immigration applications made from within the UK please refer to the UKVI website.
Passport and BRP
You should submit your current passport. If your current immigration permission is issued on a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) you must also include this.
English Language requirement
All applicants who require a Student visa must meet the minimum Home Office English Language ability requirements before City can issue a CAS.
These minimum English requirements are set out alongside our general entry requirements.
CAS statement
The CAS is a unique reference number linked to a record created by the University in the Home Office IT system, which includes details of your course and the University's Sponsor Licence Number.
Proof of qualifications
Your CAS may list the qualifications you used to obtain your place at City. If it does, you should check that the documents are correctly listed.
Evidence you successfully completed your previous UK course
One of the requirements for applying in the UK is that you have successfully completed your previous course of study here.
You are therefore required to supply evidence of this (your certificate or transcript) even if this is not the qualification that was used to obtain your offer and even if you are a low-risk national.
This document is not currently mentioned in the checklist at the end of your application, however UKVI has confirmed to us that you must provide it.
Maintenance requirement
Your application is also subject to certain financial requirements unless you have been living in the UK for the last 12 months in which case you should be exempt from meeting this requirement. Our detailed advice on preparing your application explains these in detail.
Low-risk nationals
Nationals of certain countries (e.g USA, China) are considered to be low-risk for immigration purposes. Click here for the full list of low-risk national countries.
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 can produce documents in the required format if they are requested.
If you were financially sponsored before this course
If you have already been studying for a course in the UK and received official financial sponsorship from a government or scholarship agency within the last 12 months you must get your sponsor's permission in writing to stay in or re-enter the UK.
Your sponsor must confirm they have no objection to you continuing your studies here. If you do not provide this your application will be rejected as invalid. More information can be found in the Student Visa guidance.
If you have been funding yourself through government loans this does not count as "official financial sponsorship" and you will not need this letter.
Police registration certificate
If you are required to register with the police, you must submit an up-to-date police registration certificate including your current visa status and address.
ATAS certificate
ATAS only applies to you if you want to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects relevant to national security. You should be advised that you will need this when receiving your offer to study your course.
You must obtain an approval under the ATAS Scheme if both your course and nationality require this , before making your visa application to study or extend your study period in the UK unless you are a national of an EU country, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America who do not need an ATAS certificate.
When preparing your documents, you might find this checklist useful. (Please note some students may need additional documents not covered on this list.)