Guide
If you are an international student, as part of your student visa application to study in the UK , you will need to show funds on financial evidence/s unless you are from an exempt country. This article provides answers with latest information for your frequently asked questions so that you can prepare yourself properly at the planning stage of you higher study in the UK. You will find key information for UKVI financial requirements in all possible situations for all types of students including their dependents; you just need to choose the right one applicable and relevant to you.
To apply for UK student visa you must have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself in the UK. The amount you need to show depends on your circumstances and what you’re applying for.
Students
Child students
Financial requirements funds include course fees for 1st year or full course fees if the course is less than 1 year and living costs. If you have paid any money for course fees, it would be mentioned on you CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) issued by your education provider, you can deduct this amount from the total money required and show balance of 1st year tuition fees + living funds as shown below:
Living funds requirements: students and child students
If main study site is inside London | If main study site is outside London |
---|---|
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of 9 months or more duration: £1,334 X 9 = £12,006 |
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of 9 months or more duration: £1,023 X 9 = £9,207 |
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of less than 9 months duration: £1,334 x number of months = £xxxxx,xx |
Students and Child Students 16 or 17 year old living independently for course of less than 9 months duration: £1,023 x number of months = £xxxxx,xx |
If you have paid a deposit for student accommodation to the education provider, then you can offset up to £1,334 from the living funds if the campus is inside London or up to £1,023 if the campus is outside London.
Living funds requirements for student dependents who apply for entry clearance visa or if they have been in the UK with permission for less than 12 months will require showing £845 per month each dependent for inside London and £680 per month each dependent for outside London.
Living funds requirements: each dependent
If main study site is inside London | If main study site is outside London |
---|---|
For course of 9 months or more duration: £845 x 9 = £7605 |
For course of 9 months or more duration: £680 x 9 = £6120 |
You can show you have enough money using:
The legal documents you can use to prove relationship include:
There are no other exceptions and you cannot use any other type of legal document such as an affidavit to confirm the relationship.
If you’re not being financially sponsored or relying on a student loan,your funds can be held in any form of personal or building society account including a:
Funds must be in an account that allows you immediate access.
Funds must have been acquired legally and if you were in the UK you must not have earned them when working illegally.
As evidence of maintenance funds, you can provide:
You can provide a download of electronic bank statements as long as it has this information. You do not need to have these stamped by the bank.
You must maintain the required amount of money for consecutive minimum of 28 days. In this 28 day period the funds must not go below the required amount. The 28 days is calculated by counting back from the date of the closing balance on the most recent financial evidence.
The financial evidence must not be older than more than 31 days on the submission date of your visa application.
If your money is held in a foreign currency (currency in your country or currency other than pound sterling) this will be converted into GBP (£) using the spot exchange rate on OANDA for the date of the application.
A: The following are not accepted as evidence to show you have the required amount of money for your visa application:
UKVI will not consider funds if they are held by a financial institution where:
You can use a loan letter as evidence of your money and meet UKVI financial requirements. The letter must confirm that 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. The letter must be on loan provider’s letterhead stationery with name, address, contact details & logo and should confirm:
The loan provider may pay part or full tuition fees directly to the University if requested or required. In this case the loan letter must contain all the above information above and must confirm that they would pay part/full tuition fees directly to the university and the remaining amount of tuition fees (if any) and the amount of living costs would be paid directly to you prior to your travel to the UK.
An Official Financial Sponsor for UK study can only be one of the following:
If you are a sponsored student who is sponsored by an Official Financial Sponsor, you must submit a letter confirming the details of the funding as part of your Student visa application. The letter must confirm if they are covering all of your course fees and maintenance or part of these and which parts. If they will be covering part of the maintenance costs, you must provide additional documents (show evidence of having the rest of the money needed from another source, for example by also submitting your personal bank statements) to cover the rest of the required maintenance funds.
The official financial sponsorship letter should include:
The letter should be on official letterhead paper of the Official Financial Sponsor. The letter does not have to be original, you can submit a scan copy or an electronic version (detailing the funds granted) that has been emailed to you.
If your official financial sponsor is your university, you do not need a letter if the details of your financial sponsorship are on your CAS.
If you studied in the UK in the past and had been sponsored by an official financial sponsor, you may need to provide a letter of consent from your past official financial sponsor, in addition to your new financial evidence. This consent letter is only required if:
The letter must specifically confirm that your previous financial sponsor gives you consent to remain in and re-enter the UK andthat this consent is for an unlimited time.
A: You do not need to prove you have money to support yourself and submit any financial document if:
FAQs answer source: GOV.UK, UKCISA
Disclaimer: This article has been written to provide guidelines only to prepare international students throughout the admission and visa application process – there has been no attempt or intention to provide any Immigration Advice. If you require immigration advice, you must seek this from an OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) regulated adviser or company. To find an immigration adviser, please check here at GOV.UK.
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