Language centre visa extensions in September

Queries about tuition and accommodation fees

Q. If I've paid my tuition fees in full before I make my application, how much money do I need?
A. At least £9,207 held in your bank account every day for 28 days, and is still held in your bank account at the time you make your  visa application.

Q. If I 've paid half of my tuition fees before I make my application, how much money do I need?
A. At least £9,207 plus the other half of your tuition fees, held every day for 28 days in your bank account, at the time you make your visa application.

Q. If I've not paid any tuition fees, how much money do I need?
A. At least £9,207 plus the full amount for your tuition fees, held every day for 28 days in your bank account, at the time you make your visa application.

Q. I've paid my accommodation costs for the full year to my private accommodation provider; can I deduct this from the living expenses I need to show to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) in my bank statement?
A. No, you can only deduct accommodation payments made up to a maximum of £1,334 if they have been paid to the University of Leeds. You cannot deduct any accommodation payments from the living expenses you need to show if they have been paid to a non-University of Leeds accommodation provider.

Timescales for spending the money

The UKVI rules are that you should keep the money you require for your living expenses in your bank account until your visa is granted. Therefore, if the pre-sessional course that you are currently studying is the first course you have studied in the UK, you need to hold at least £9,207 until your visa has been granted.

Type of bank statement needed

We recommend that your bank statement is an original one – this is a statement which is delivered through the post in an envelope to you.

Alternatively you can use statements printed from an online account.

If you do not have a UK bank account you can use an overseas account.  This must be translated by a certified translator if the statement is not in English.

You can also use your parents bank account.  You will  require your birth certificate to prove your relationship and a letter from your parents confirming they are funding your studies in the UK.  These must also be original documents and if they are not in English they must be translated by a certified translator.

Complete the Student visa application form

After you've received your CAS, you should complete the online application form on the Home Office website. Please use this guide when completing your form.

You should stop completing the form after inputting your CAS number so any amendments required can be made if you have your application checked by a Student Visa Advisor.  

Documents you’ll need

It's your responsibility to collect all the documents that you need for your application. Any documents that are not in English must be translated into English. If you have a document that requires translation, you can search for a translator. Depending on your situation you might need different documents to your friends. The Tier 4 application form will help to tell you which documents you need. You'll need some, or all, of the following documents:

• Your current passport
• Payment for your application - you will need a debit or credit card to pay for your application
• Sponsor letter (if you are financially sponsored by a government or international company)
• Financial documents – bank statements, bank letters, savings books etc. You need to hold your funds for a minimum of 28 days and your bank statement must be no more than 31 days old on the date you make your application
• If you are relying on money held in your parents’ bank accounts you will need: Your original birth certificate or household register with an official translation if not in English; Your parents’ bank statements; A signed and dated letter from your parents confirming they are supporting you financially during your studies
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
• Previous qualifications mentioned in your CAS. Usually the qualification you sent to Admissions to obtain your offer e.g. your undergraduate degree
• Pre-sessional Certificate
• ATAS Certificate if applicable – if you are studying a course at LUBS for example you will not need an ATAS certificate
• Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if applicable – you will only have a BRP if you have made a Tier 4/Student visa application in the UK before
• Please note if you are from a low risk country you do not need to submit financial or academic documents with your application, but UKVI can make a request to see them during the application decision making process.

Documents not required

• University Registration Certificate
• Unconditional offer letter
• Any qualifications that are not mentioned on your CAS
• Tenancy agreements
• Accommodation receipts
• Covering letters to Home Office

After you have paid your IHS and visa application fee you will be directed to another website, Sopra Steria, to book an appointment at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) centre.  You may be invited to book an appointment OR if UKVI can re-use your fingerprints you gave in a previous visa application, you will receive an email explaining that you do not need to attend an appointment but can instead provide your documents digitally.  If you need to attend an appointment you can upload your supporting documents prior to the appointment, or take the documents with you to your appointment. You must then attend the appointment to enrol your biometrics and have your documents scanned, unless you have uploaded in advance. All documents, including your passport will be returned to you at the appointment after scanning.

The nearest UKVCAS centre is in Leeds. It costs £69.99 to book an appointment at this centre. The address is: Rooms 510 and 511, Regus, 2 Wellington Place, Leeds, LS1 4AP.

Alternatively you can attend an appointment at the UKVCAS core centre in Manchester as a free appointment at this location can be booked, subject to availability. The address for this centre is: Manchester Central Library, St. Peters Square, Manchester, M2 5PD.

Please note that due to current limited availability, it can take up 4 weeks until your appointment takes place from the date of booking. Please factor this in when preparing your visa application. 

Cost of the Student visa application

Our service is free of charge to international students at the University of Leeds. However, UK Visas & Immigration charge a fee:

• Postal applications: £490 (decisions made within 8 weeks from the date of your UKVCAS appointment - BRP delivered within 2 weeks of the decision date)
• Priority applications: £975 (decisions made within 1 week from the date of your UKVCAS appointment - BRP delivered within 2 weeks of the decision date)
• Super Priority applications: £1,275 (decisions made within 24 hours from the date of your UKVCAS appointment - BRP delivered within 2 weeks of the decision date)

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee: £470 per person per year.  Calculated by the length of the visa not the length of the course.  Please note that the IHS fee is due to increase and is expected to be implemented on the 6 February 2024, the fee will increase from £470 to £776 per year

UKVCAS Appointment booking fee: Biometric appointment booking fees start from £71.50 per person.

How long will the process take?

Standard applications are, in most cases, decided within eight weeks of UKVI receiving the application and it then takes a further 2 weeks for your BRP to be issued and documents returned (10 weeks in total)

Priority applications are decided within 1 week of the application being made and it then takes a further 2 weeks for your BRP to be issued and documents returned (4 weeks in total). 

Super priority applications are, in most cases, decided on the same day with the BRP being issued within 2 weeks of your appointment date.

On occasion UKVI can take longer than their published processing times for a decision to be made, therefore please do not book any flights until you have received your visa as this may lead to you requiring to cancel a flight booking.

What if my old visa expires before I get my new visa?

Don't worry - you won't be in the UK illegally. As long as you submit and pay for your immigration application online before the expiry date of your current visa you are entitled to remain in the UK, on the same conditions, while UKVI consider your application. It doesn't matter how long UKVI take to make a decision.