If you currently have a student visa and need more time in the UK as a student, then you may be able to make an immigration application within the UK.

Who can extend their Student visa inside the UK?

You can extend your Student Visa inside the UK under the following circumstances:

Progressing from one course to another – If you have successfully completed a course e.g. undergraduate to postgraduate and your new course starts within 28 days of the expiry of your current visa.  Or progressing from a Bachelors to an integrared Masters.

Resit or repeats – If you are required to resit/repeat your course as an ‘internal student’ then it may be possible to extend your visa inside the UK.  

PhD student requesting additional time – If you require more time to complete your studies and this has been agreed with your Graduate School you can extend your visa inside the UK.

There are also exceptions for visa extensions made inside the UK when adding a work placement or study abroad year, completing an intercalated course or working as a student union sabbatical officer.

You cannot extend your visa in the following circumstances:
•    To attend your graduation. 
•    If you are repeating some or all of your course as an ‘external student’ student (which means you do not need to attend any classes but only need to sit an exam or hand in assignments). 
•    If you have already been awarded your qualification
•    If you have, or will, exceed the 5-year time limit on holding a visa to study at degree level
•    If you do not meet the requirements for academic progression
•    Student Visas cannot be extended purely to gain eligibility for the Graduate Route. There must be an academic need to extend the Student Visa. 

If you will be applying for a new Student visa from outside the UK, please go to this page for the necessary information: Applying for your visa outside the UK | For Students | University of Leeds

When to apply?

You should begin to think about your immigration application at least three months before your visa expires. This will give you enough time to prepare everything properly and make the process less stressful.  The earliest you can apply for your visa is three months before the course start date on your new CAS.

If you are applying in the UK, you should always make your application before your current visa expires. If you apply after your visa has expired you'll become an 'overstayer' and this could affect any future visa applications you make.  

If you have added a work placement or study abroad year, you should make your visa extension application either up to three months before the start date of the placement/study abroad year, or after completing the placement/study abroad year and up to three months before the course start date of the next academic year.

Please follow the steps below to make a successful extension visa application:
 

Step 1: Request a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) (Existing students only)

New students will receive their CAS automatically from the Admissions department.  Please follow from Step 2 when you have received your CAS.

Existing students will need to request a CAS. Please complete one of the following forms and email it to the email address listed at the top of the form:

• Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate students CAS Request form
• Undergraduate students undertaking a work placement or a study abroad year CAS Request form
• Research students’ CAS Request form

You must submit a scanned copy of a bank statement or a financial sponsorship letter with your CAS request form. A CAS request cannot be authorised until you demonstrate that you meet the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) financial requirements. A CAS is usually issued within 5-10 working days of the request being approved.

Step 2: Prepare your supporting documents 

It's your responsibility to collect all the documents that you need for your application.

All documents must be translated into English if they aren't in English already. You must use an independent translator and include a signed declaration from the translator with your application. The declaration includes details of the translator's credentials verifying that it’s an accurate translation of the original document.

The documents you need will vary depending on your circumstances. The application form will help to tell you which documents you need to upload and submit.

Depending on your situation, you will need some, or all, of the following documents:

• New Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). You need a new CAS number for each application.
• Current passport
• Current Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), if applicable
• Letter from your official financial sponsor (if you are receiving official financial sponsorship or scholarship)
• Financial evidence – if required. See Step 4 for more details.
• New Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate (if applicable to your course). These are valid for six months. If you will need a new ATAS, it is recommended that you apply for this as soon as possible as this can take at least 30 working days (6 full weeks) to be processed.
• Previous qualifications mentioned in your CAS. If your CAS states that you are being "sponsored on the basis of progress to date" you do not need to provide qualification evidence.
• Evidence of successful completion of your previous course of study in the UK, if it is not the same as the qualification you used to obtain your offer.
• Birth and marriage certificates for dependants (husband/wife and children), if applicable and only if they are applying as part of your immigration application.
• Translations for any documents that are not in English.

Step 3: Check if you meet the financial requirement, and if not, prepare your financial evidence

If you have been living inside the UK for the last 12 months with a valid UK visa, and you are applying to extend your visa inside the UK, then you will automatically meet the financial requirement and you will not need to prepare or provide any financial evidence with your visa extension application. This exemption only applies if you are applying from inside the UK.

Holidays and short absences from the UK do not break this 12 month period. However, if you have not been based in the UK for a significant part of the 12 months, for example for at least 3 months, then you will not meet the requirement and you may be required to provide evidence showing that you meet the financial requirement.

If you haven’t lived in the UK for the previous 12 months, then to meet the financial requirement you will need to be able to show that you have access to sufficient funds to cover your outstanding tuition fees and your living expenses (maintenance). There are strict rules about what your evidence needs to show:

• In addition to having enough money to pay your tuition fees for the next academic year, you will need to show you have enough funds to support yourself for each month of your course (up to a maximum of nine months). Currently the maintenance level is set at £1,023 per month (a total of £9,207 if you are extending for 9 months or longer), but this will change to £1,136 per month for applications submitted on or after 2 January 2025 (a total of £10,224).
• If you're applying with dependants, you'll need to show a higher sum of money - the maintenance requirement for each dependant is £680 per month for the remainder of your course or 9 months, whichever is shorter.
• You must hold the money in an account in your name, or a parent’s name, for a minimum period of 28 days before submitting your online visa application form.
• You'll need to provide a bank statement or letter from your bank confirming that the money has been held for a minimum of 28 days. This letter or statement must be no more than 31 days old on the date that you submit your application.
• If you are relying on your parent’s money, then you will also need to provide a letter from them giving you permission to use their money and proof that they are your parent (this must be a birth certificate or another official document such as a household register).
• If you will receive official financial sponsorship, a scholarship or a bursary please ensure that this funding meets UKVI's requirements. If not, you are required to submit a bank statement to supplement your funding.
• UKVI conduct verification checks when considering financial evidence and will refuse the application if your bank does not verify the statements.  If your bank is not willing to verify financial statements for data protection reasons, or charges for the service, UKVI will refuse the application.  If you are concerned about this then please consult your bank directly regarding their policies.

Please check our financial document checklist for more information about the documents you need to meet the financial requirement. You can also find out more about the financial requirement on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website and on the gov.uk website.

Please note: 

You can only use funds from a bank account in your name, your parent’s name or your partner’s name. You can only use your partner’s account if they’re already inside the UK or applying at the same time as you. You can’t use money in a company or business account, and you can’t use money from a differetnt relative such as a sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle.

If your nationality is listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’ you do not need to submit any financial documents with your visa application. However, if you don’t automatically meet the financial requirement based on living in the UK for the previous 12 months, you must still prepare your documents and make sure you meet the financial requirements as of the date you submit your online visa application form. This is because UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) still have the right to contact you to request copies of your financial documents when they process your application, and so it is still important to prepare the funds and documents just in case.

If you would like the Student Visa Advice team to check your financial evidence before you submit your Student visa application, please scan and email it as a PDF attachment to the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk. We will let you know if it meets the requirements.

Step 4: Apply online

Once you have received the CAS, you should complete the online visa application form: Student visa : Extend your visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). 

You must be inside the UK before you start your application.

If you need assistance completing the application form, please check our guide to completing the Student visa extension application form.

Step 5: Checking your visa application

If you would like the Student Visa Advice Team to check the content of your visa application form or supporting documents, we are happy to do this over email or during an appointment. 

If you wish to have your application form checked, please DO NOT complete the ‘Declaration Page’ or pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) or visa application fee. If you go past this point we cannot make any amendments if needed.

You can email the pdf of your draft visa application and supporting documents to studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk and we will review these before you pay the IHS and visa fees.  

If you would prefer an in-person or teams appointment then please email studentvisadvice@leeds.ac.uk  and request one. (Please quote your student ID number in all correspondence). 

Step 6: Submit Your Biometrics (ID Check App)

In most cases, you will be able to submit your biometrics via an app – UKVI will confirm to you which option applies in your circumstance. If you are able to enrol your biometrics via the ID check App – a useful guide is available here: Using the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Applicants with a valid BRP are able to enrol their biometrics via the ID check app and do not need to attend a biometric appointment. 

Step 7: Submit Your Biometrics (Appointment)

Some students might be required to attend a visa appointment to enrol their biometrics and upload their supporting documents. These are operated by UKVCAS and you will be redirected to book an appointment with UKVCAS after you submit your online application.

The nearest UKVCAS centre is in Leeds. The address for Leeds UKVCAS centre is:
TLScontact Leeds - VCAS service point Regus, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, West Yorkshire, LS1 4HY, Leeds, United Kingdom

The UKVCAS booking calendar shows 4 weeks of appointments with a new date added each day, 30 days in advance. There are only a limited number of appointments available each day, so if you cannot find an appointment you may need to keep checking the system or look at different locations. You can find more information about UKVCAS appointments on their website.

FAQs

What will my application cost?

The Student Visa Advice service is free of charge to international students at the University of Leeds. However, UKVI charge the following fees:

The amount you pay for the Visa Application Fee will depend on which service you select. This affects how long your application will take to process:

• £490 standard service (8 weeks)
• £990 priority services (1 week)
• £1,290 super priority (next working day)

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fee: 

• The annual IHS rate for students is £776 per year, and £388 for any period that is less than 6 months.
• The total amount you will need to pay will depend on the length of the visa you are applying for. If you are studying a course that is longer than 12 months your visa will be granted with an additional 4 months after your course end date, and these additional 4 months are included in the IHS calculation.
• For example, the IHS for a visa that covers a single academic year (e.g. September 2024 to July 2025) will be £1,164.
• Calculate how much you will need to pay for the IHS using the calculator on Gov.uk. If you are extending an existing course with a new CAS, enter the date your new visa will start as your course start date and answer ‘Yes’ when it asks if you are applying to continue on the same course.
• The full amount for the IHS must be paid up-front. It cannot be paid in instalments. The IHS must also be paid for any dependant that is applying with you.

How long will the process take?

On occasion UKVI can take longer than their published processing times for a decision to be made. Standard service applications are normally processed within 8 weeks from the date you submit your documents, and Priority applications are normally processed after one week. Super Priority decisions are normally processed by the end of the next working days.

You can check the latest visa processing times on the Gov.uk website.

Can I leave the UK?

You should not travel while your visa application is pending and until you receive a decision as doing so will invalidate your visa application and you will need to re-apply.

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 your immigration application before the expiry date of your current visa, you're 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.

What do I need to do when I receive my visa/BRP?

You will receive either a BRP and/or digital eVisa. If your application is decided after 31 October 2024 you will not receive a new BRP.

After your new permission has been granted, you must check all the details are correct.  If there are any errors you must report these to UKVI to get them corrected, please follow the guidance on the following page: Correcting Visa Errors | For Students | University of Leeds

When you receive your new visa, please email your Share Code to BRP@leeds.ac.uk so your student record can be updated.