Study visas

Applying for a Student visa outside of the UK is referred to as ‘Entry Clearance’.

In order to apply for entry clearance as a Student visa you must have a current passport, obtain a valid electronic document Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) and meet the 70 points.

• Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) – 50 points – LJMU will issue your CAS

• Sufficient money to cover your tuition fees and living costs (or evidence of official sponsorship) - 10 points

• English Language Requirement – 10 points

Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)

A CAS is an electronic document that LJMU issues to you when you are made an unconditional offer.

You will need your CAS reference number to enter onto your online Student application form. The CAS itself is not required for your Student application, but it gives you all of the information about your course and Student sponsor, and some of the information about money that you need to complete your Student application form. Your CAS is valid for 6 months.

If you are a new student your CAS will be issued by LJMU’s International Admissions Team.

If you are a continuing student, you can request your CAS via the My LJMU Portal ‘CAS Request for Continuing Student’

English Language Requirements

LJMU is required to assess your ability to read, write, speak and understand English. The method of assessment will vary. LJMU will tell you how it will assess your English and the level of English you must have, which is subject to minimum levels set by the Home Office.

Maintenance and tuition fees

You will need evidence you meet the financial requirements. Information about this is contained in this under ‘Evidence of finances’ heading

When to apply:

• You should apply for your visa in plenty of time for your course starting

• You must apply before you travel to the UK

• You should apply no more than six months before the start date of your course

• No later than six months after your CAS was issued

ATAS

For some courses, you are required to get ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) clearance. You should make sure you do this in plenty of time. Your LJMU Offer Letter will state if you are required to apply for ATAS. If you are, you will need to do this before LJMU will issue you with a CAS.

ATAS applications are made online.

How to apply

You should apply for the Student visa in the country in which you are living. All applications for the Student visa are made online.

You can start the application at any point as the application will save your information as you go. However, you will not be able to submit the application form without a valid CAS and you should ensure you have all the documents that are required for your visa application ready at the time you apply.

You can check online for updates to the status of Visa Application Centres in your country.

Ensure you have all the relevant documentation you need to attend the appointment.

Application fee

The application fee is £490 per applicant, paid as an equivalent in your local currency.

Some of the Visa Application Centres (VACs) charge an additional fee to process your visa application. If you do not wish to pay this additional fee, you will need to attend a difference VAC.

It may be possible at your VAC to pay extra for a priority or super priority service to get a decision quicker. To check the services offered at your local VAC, select your country from the list of Visa Application Centres.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

The IHS entitles you to use free healthcare services under the National Health Service. The fee is £776 a year for students coming to study a course of 6 months or more. If your visa includes part of a year that is six months or less you will be charged an additional 50% of the annual charge for this period (£388). If your visa includes part of a year that is more than six months, you will have to pay the full annual change or this period.

You can use the IHS calculator tool on the UK Government website to check how much you will have to pay.

The Student visa application form will calculate the amount that you need to pay and ask you to pay it before you can complete your application. After you have done this you will receive an email containing your IHS reference number. This number will automatically be included on your application form cover sheet.

Supporting documents

To make a successful Student visa application you must meet all the Student visa requirements and provide evidence in the required format. Your documents can be copies or originals.

Please note this is a general guidance list. Please check your UKVI account for a list of documents you will need to submit to support your application:

• Evidence of your Official financial sponsor (if you are a sponsored student)

• Evidence you meet the English Language Requirement

• Documents of previous qualifications if they are listed on your CAS in the ‘Evidence used to obtain offer’ section

• Acceptable translations (if any documents are not in English)

• Your ATAS Certificate (if applicable)

• Your completed Student visa application form

• Your valid passport (and previous passports if applicable)

• A valid TB test if applicable

• Evidence of you meet the financial requirement

• Receipts for any tuition fees you have already paid (unless they are written in your CAS)

Acceptable translations

If any of your documents are not in English or Welsh, you must also provide translations.

Each translation must contain:

• confirmation from the translator/translation company that it is an accurate translation of the original document

• the date of the translation

• the full name and original signature of the translator, or of an authorised official of the translation company

• the contact details of the translator or translation company; and

• (if you are already in the UK and applying for further leave) certificate by a qualified translator and details of

• the translator or translation company’s credentials

Evidence of finances

You will need to show:

• Evidence of your bank statements (or other financial document) covering 28 days and no more than 31 days old at the time of application

• If you are a sponsored student you will need an official financial sponsorship letter

Financial requirements for self-sponsored students

If you are a self-sponsored student, you will need to be able to demonstrate you have enough money in your (or your parents) bank account. You can also use financial evidence in the name of your dependant partner but only if your dependant is applying at the same time as you.

The maintenance fees for living costs for the main applicant are £1023 per month which is capped at 9 months. For example, if you are coming to study for a course of 9 months or more you will need to demonstrate you have £9207 (£1023 x 9 months) along with the full first year’s tuition fee.

If you have paid any of the tuition fee to LJMU and this is written on the CAS or is demonstrated on an official receipt, you can deduct this from the amount you need to show in your bank account.

The money needs to in your account for a minimum of 28 days. The financial evidence you use should be no more than 31 days old at the time you apply.

You can use your parents bank statements also, if you do you must also show your original birth certificate (officially translated if not in English) along with a letter of support from your parents to say they are happy for you to use their funds.

Please note:
The monthly figure will increase to £1,136 per month for applications on or after 2 January 2025.

Evidence you can use to demonstrate your finances

• Personal bank statements
• Letter from your bank
• Certificate of deposit
• Loan letter

Personal Bank Statements

Your financial evidence should:

• Have your name or your parent’s/legal guardian’s name and the account number
• Be on official stationary or an electronic record
• Be printed or electronic (not handwritten)
• Include the date of the statement
• Include information about the bank, such as contact details or a branch code
• Show transactions and amount held over time

Bank Letter

A bank letter should contain information as above in Bank Statements, although rather than transactions the letter can state the balance and the length of time held (it must be written in the letter you have held the required funds for a minimum of 28 days).

The bank letter should be on headed paper and provide contact details for the bank and be signed by an official from the financial institution.

Certificate of deposit

This is a certificate issued by a bank to confirm that the named person has deposited or invested a specific amount of money. Certificates of deposit are accepted if they meet the following requirements:

• the certificate of deposit must have been issued within 31 days of the date of application
• the certificate of deposit shows that you have held the funds for at least 28 days
• you must be able to access the funds held at any time

Loans

If you are applying for your visa from overseas the loan must be available to you before you travel to the UK. This is unless it is an academic or student loan from your country's national government and will be released to you when you arrive in the UK, or it is a loan for your living costs that is paid to your Higher Education Provider for passing to you.

Any other type of loan will not meet the Student route requirements.  If you wish to use money from any other type of loan, you need to transfer the funds to a bank or building society account in your name (or a parent's name) and use one of the other forms of evidence listed above.

Evidence from more than one bank account

Where evidence from 2 or more accounts is used, the caseworker should make a decision based on:

• the closing balance of the account that most favours the applicant (providing it falls within the required 31 day period up until the date of application)
• any additional evidence of funds available on the date of that closing balance and at any point during the 28 day period linked to the closing balance used

Please read Appendix Finance on the government website for information on finance and maintenance requirements

If you are in receipt of financial sponsorship

A financial sponsor is defined in the guidance as:

• The UK government

• Your home government

• The British Council

• Any international organization

• An international company (the Home Office has not defined ‘international company but it seems to mean a company with a trading presence (an office) in more than one country

• A University

• A UK Independent School

If LJMU is sponsoring you and has included details of this on the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) no other documents are needed to show official financial sponsorship

The sponsor letter needs to contain the following information:

• Your name

• The name and contact details of the official financial sponsor

• The date of the letter

• The length of sponsorship

• The amount of money the sponsor is giving you, or a statement that all course fees and living costs will be covered

If your official financial sponsor is not covering all of your course fees and maintenance, you must be able to demonstrate that you have the additional amount.

If you were being sponsored by either your Government or Scholarship agency within the last 12 months but this has now ended, you will need their consent in the form of a consent letter to extend your visa.

Differentiation arrangement (low risk nationals)

If you are a national of a country listed in Paragraph ST 22.1 of Appendix Student of the Immigration Rules there is no need to submit evidence of finances OR qualifications, however the Home Office may ask you at any time to provide them, so you should have all documents ready.

Enrolling your biometrics

You will prove your identity as part of the application. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either:

• give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a visa application centre
• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document - you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account

Visa interview (also known as credibility interview)

The Home Office will interview most students before granting them immigration permission to come and study in the UK. Your request to attend an interview will be emailed to you, so please keep checking your inbox and ‘junk’ and ‘spam’ folders as it may go there.

During the interview the Home Office will ask you a number of questions about your course, why you have chosen to study this and why you have chosen in this location.

The Home Office must be satisfied that you are a genuine student and that your English Language ability is at the correct level. If they are not, your visa may be refused.

During the interview, if you have any connection problems (if virtual) or can’t hear it is important that you advise the Home Office staff member of this.

Visa processing times

In most cases you should receive a decision within 3 weeks, however processing times can be longer. There may be priority services available for an additional fee. You can check this with your VAC (Visa Application Centre). If you are concerned your application is taking a long time please contact the International Advice Team on internationaladvice@ljmu.ac.uk.

Receiving your decision

Most students will receive a vignette (sticker) in their passport which is used to travel to the UK. When you arrive in the UK, you will collect a biometric residence permit (BRP).

Along with the vignette you will receive a letter. Keep this letter and bring it to the UK with you. If your visa application is for six months or less, your vignette will be valid for your whole stay in the UK. Otherwise, the vignette in your passport will be valid for 90 days.

If you have used the UK Immigration: ID Check app receive their permission in the form of an online digital status and will not receive a vignette. This digital status can be shared with anyone who needs to check your permission.

If you get a new BRP check that all the information is correct. If you see any errors on it, you will need to report this to UKVI. Please contact internationaladvice@ljmu.ac.uk for further information.

If everything is ok with your BRP or eVisa, please email a scanned copy or photograph of your BRP to the My LJMU Portal International Student Documents Upload

If your visa is refused please contact the International Advice Team on internationaladvice@ljmu.ac.uk for further assistance.