Apply for your Student visa from outside the UK

If you’re studying at the University of Leeds for the first time, your CAS will be issued by the Admissions team. Read more about getting a CAS as a new student.  

If you’re returning or resuming study at the University of Leeds, you must request a new CAS as soon as you know you’ll need one using the relevant form:

• Request a CAS – undergraduate or taught postgraduate students (Word doc)
• Request a CAS – undergraduate students undertaking a work placement or study abroad year (Word doc)
• Request a CAS – research students (Word doc)

When you’ll get your CAS 

Your CAS will usually be issued by the Operations teams within 5 to 10 working days of the request being approved.  

How long your CAS is valid for

A CAS is only valid for six months. If you do not use your CAS within six months, you must request a new one.  

A CAS can only be used for one application. If your application is refused or rejected, don’t make another application using the same CAS. 

It’s your responsibility to collect all the documents you need to support your application. 

The application form will tell you which supporting documents you need, including some or all of these documents: 

• Your completed visa application form.
• Your current passport and any other passports you hold.
• Payment for your application. You'll need a debit or credit card to pay. 
• A new CAS.
• Previous qualifications if mentioned in your CAS. If your CAS states that you are being ‘sponsored on the basis of progress to date’, you don't need to provide qualification evidence. 
• If applicable to your course, a new Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. These are valid for six months. If you need a new ATAS certificate, we recommend you apply for this as soon as possible. Processing can take at least 30 working days (six full weeks). 
• A financial sponsor letter is you’re financially sponsored or receiving a scholarship. 
• Financial documents, such as bank statements, bank letters, savings books, etc.  
• If you’re relying on money held in your parents’ bank accounts, you’ll also need:  
  • Your birth certificate  
  • Your parents’ bank statements 
  • A letter from your parents confirming they're supporting you 
• If you have gaps in your study history, a supporting letter explaining why you had a break in formal education, e.g. employment. 
• Your previous Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if you have one. 
• Birth and marriage certificates for dependants (husband/wife and children) if applicable and only if they're applying as part of your immigration application. 
• A tuberculosis medical certificate issued by an approved clinic (if you are applying from or have been living in a country where this is required for more than six months) 
• A valid residence permit if your country of application does not match your country of residence 

Any documents that are not in English must be translated into English by an independent translator with a signed declaration of the accuracy of their translations.

You must prove you have enough money to pay your course fees and UK living costs. There are strict rules about how much money you need access to. 

• In addition to having enough money to pay your tuition fees for the next academic year, you’ll need to have £1,136 per month in your account for up to nine months (£10,224) to meet living expenses. If your course duration is less than nine months, you need to have £1,136 per month in your account for every month of the course. 
• 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 nine months, whichever is shorter. 
• You must hold the money in your or a parent’s account for at least 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. When you submit your application, this letter or statement must be no more than 31 days old. 
• If you’re relying on your parent’s money, you must provide a letter from them permitting you to use their money and proof that they’re your parent (this must be a birth certificate or another official document such as a household register). 
• If you’ll receive official financial sponsorship, a scholarship or a bursary, please ensure this funding meets UKVI's requirements. If not, you must submit a bank statement to supplement your funding. 
• You should check the official currency rates on the Oanda Currency Converter to ensure you meet the financial requirements.
• 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 unwilling to verify financial statements for data protection reasons or charges for the service, UKVI will refuse the application. If you’re concerned, speak to your bank directly regarding their policies. 

Read our financial document checklist before making your visa application. You can also learn more about the financial requirements on the UKCISA website and the GOV. UK website. 

Prepare your bank statements 

Under Student visa guidance, you can only use a personal bank statement in your name, your parents’ name or your partner’s name.  

You can only use your partner’s accounts if they’re already inside the UK or applying at the same time as you.  

You can’t use a bank statement in a company name, even if it’s your parent’s company, and you can’t use another relative’s bank statement, such as a grandparent, aunt or uncle. 

Email the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk, attaching a scanned copy of your visa application and financial evidence if you’d like to check it meets the financial requirements before you submit it. 

When you don’t need to submit financial evidence 

If your nationality is listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’, you don’t need to submit any financial documents with your visa application.  

UKVI may request copies when they process your application. You must still prepare the documents and ensure you meet the financial requirements as of the date you submit your online visa application form. After submitting your visa application, you must keep checking your emails in case UKVI request your documents.

Complete the online visa application form.

After submitting your application, you may need to book an appointment to submit your documents and biometrics at a visa application centre: 

If you’re not an EU, EEA or Swiss national 

After submitting your visa application form online, you must book an appointment at your nearest UK Visa Application Centre.   

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss national

Verify your identity online as part of the online application form using the UK Immigration: ID Check app. You will not need to attend an appointment at a visa application centre. 

You’ll make two payments when submitting your application:  

• An Immigration Health Surcharge- £776 per year
• A visa application fee- £490

Some visa application centres have additional charges when booking an appointment. You may be able to pay for a faster decision.

You’ll pay the amounts in your local currency (or, in some countries, US dollars). The actual cost will vary based on the current exchange rate.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) cost 

If your visa will be valid for more than six months, you must pay the IHS. The IHS allows you to use the NHS free of charge while you hold your visa. The IHS is calculated on the length of your visa and your visa will be issued with an extra four-month wrap-up period. You will need to pay an extra £388 as this is rounded up to six months.

Calculate how much you must pay for IHS using the calculator on GOV.UK. If you’re extending or returning to an existing course with a new CAS, enter the date you will return to the UK as your course start date and answer ‘Yes’ when it asks if you are applying to continue on the same course. 

The total amount must be paid upfront; it can’t be paid in instalments.

IHS refunds/reimbursements

If your visa application is refused, or you withdraw before UKVI makes a decision, you will receive an IHS refund. You will not receive a refund if you decide not to come to the UK after your visa is granted or leave the UK early. Learn more about IHS refunds. 

If you’re a full-time student from the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, you may be eligible to request a full or partial reimbursement of the IHS. You must have a valid EHIC and not intend to work in the UK. Learn about the IHS reimbursement scheme.  

Anyone applying for a student visa from outside the UK may be interviewed as part of the application process.

UKVI may email to ask that you be available for a telephone or face-to-face interview at a designated time (and location). Check your email regularly, including your junk folder.

If you’re interviewed, UKVI is likely to ask about your course, where you want to study, and your reasons for studying in the UK. The interview aims to check that you’re a genuine student and that your English ability is at the correct level.

A report of the interview will be sent to the caseworker who decides on your visa application.

If your new visa duration is less than six months, you’ll be issued an entry vignette (visa sticker) that covers the entire length of your course, and you will not require an eVisa.

If your new visa is over six months, you’ll be issued an entry vignette for 90 days and must register for your eVisa. You must travel to the UK within the 90-day validity of the entry vignette.

If you’re an EU, EEA or Swiss national and applied using the UK Immigration: ID Check App, your new visa will be granted as a digital eVisa instead of a physical document. You will not receive an entry vignette, and you will not need to collect a BRP.