Visa Documents and information

You must provide the bio-data (photo) page of your current passport.

Please note: If you have received a new passport after beginning your studies, you must ensure you upload a copy to the online Right to Study (RTS).

Upload new passport to the online RTS

All Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) cards will expire on 31st December 2024 and be replaced with digital visas (eVisa). An eVisa is an online record of your immigration status and the conditions of your visa. As part of the CAS request process, you must submit a copy of your eVisa or share code so we can see your correct visa expiry date. 

Accessing your eVisa:

In order to access your eVisa you must first create a UKVI account here: Online immigration status (eVisa) - GOV.UK. 

Share code:

If you have already obtained an eVisa, please upload a copy of your share code to the online CAS request form. You can obtain a share code here: View and prove your immigration status: get a share code - GOV.UK 

Reminder – completing your online RTS:

If you have not submitted your BRP or digital status as part of the online Right to Study check (RTS), please do so before submitting your CAS request: BRP Card (birmingham.ac.uk).

When applying for your Student visa you need to ensure that you have enough money to cover your outstanding tuition fees + living costs of £1,023 for each month of your course - up to a maximum of 9 months (£9207).

You must prepare your financial evidence carefully in order for it to meet the UKVI financial requirements.

All students who have requested a CAS to extend their Student visa from inside the UK must submit a Student Route Financial Declaration Form as part of their CAS request.

Student Route Financial Declaration Form

Change in maintenance fee level

A change in maintenance level will come into effect for students  making a Student visa application on or after 2 January 2025.  Current maintenance level as detailed in the table below will remain the same until the change takes effect.

Change in University accommodation deduction for maintenance fee

The maximum amount of money that can be offset for accommodation will also be increased in line with the changes to the maintenance requirement. Advance payment for any other type of housing such as private landlord housing or where the student is living with a relative free of charge cannot use this deduction.  See table below:

Please see further information of acceptable types of financial evidence below.

Certain applicants from outside the UK will be required to submit a TB clearance certificate as part of their visa application.

If you are a resident of a country that requires a valid TB clearance certificate in order to make a visa application to come to the UK, please upload a valid TB Test Certificate from a UKVI approved clinic as part of your CAS request.

Please note:

You’ll need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if all of the following are true:

• you’re coming to the UK for 6 months or more
• you’ve lived in any of these listed countries for 6 months or more
• you were living there (or another listed country) within the last 6 months

It is important to note that this TB requirement applies ‘at the time of visa application’ and depends on the 'country of residence' (not nationality).

There are time limits ('caps') on how long you can study with a Student visa (this includes older versions e.g. Tier 4 (General) visa) in the UK at either:

• Study at degree level (e.g. Bachelors, RQF Level 6) = 5 year limit
• Study at below degree level (e.g. RQF Level 5) = 2 year limit

We ask that all undergraduate or foundation students submit a Study Time Limit Calculation Form as part of their CAS request. This is so the IST can check if you will be able to finish your course within the time limit.

For any time spent studying on a visa in the UK while under the age of 18 is not counted in the calculation. Time previously spent studying on the Student route (includes previously named Tier 4 (General) visa) will be included in the calculation by the (UKVI) Home Office. Please note, there are only a few exceptions to the 5 year limit at degree level.

Study Time Limit Calculation Form

Please note: There are no UKVI time limits on study at postgraduate level (RQF Level 7) and above e.g. Masters student, PhD student. These types of students do not need to complete this form as the UKVI time limit cap does not apply to your level of study. 

If you are extending your Student visa inside the UK and have dependants (spouse or partner and/or children), you must inform your CAS caseworker at the time of your CAS request.

You will be required to submit certain documents for each dependant. These include: passport, BRP(s), Student Route Financial Declaration Form, sponsorship letter (if applicable), etc.

Update on who can have dependants:

Following an announcement made by the Home Office in May 2023, the Immigration Rules were amended on 17 July 2023. These changes affect Students who make immigration applications under the Student route from 3pm that day, and who are studying a postgraduate course starting on or after 1 January 2024. Such Students who are studying a postgraduate course starting on or after 1 January 2024, and who do not fall into any of the other categories of Students who can have dependants, can only have dependants in the UK (under the Student route) where, in addition to the other criteria already set out in this category, their course is one of the following:  

• A PhD course; 
• A doctoral qualification; or
• A research-based higher degree

A “Research-based higher degree” is defined in the Immigration Rules and refers to a postgraduate programme which comprises a research component (including a requirement to produce original work), that is larger than any accompanying taught component when measured by student effort. 

The UKVI requires a fully certified original translation for each document you provide that is not in English or Welsh.

Please refer to the detailed information on the following page: UKCISA - international student advice and guidance - Student route: eligibility and requirements.

If you submit a document which is not English or Welsh as part of your CAS request, your CAS caseworker will ask you for the certified translation before it is accepted.

ATAS is a certificate issued by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) which gives you security clearance to study certain subject areas in the UK (where the knowledge/research can be used to make weapons of mass destruction).

The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) applies to all international students and researchers (apart from exempt nationalities) who are subject to UK immigration control and are intending to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects.

Please review our page on ATAS.

How do I get an ATAS certificate?

If you are a postgraduate research student (MRes, PhD) and your course requires ATAS clearance, you will need to request an ATAS Research Statement from the Online Shop: ATAS Research Statement | University of Birmingham Online Shop (bham.ac.uk)

You should do this well in advance of your visa expiry date. It can take up to 10 working days to receive your ATAS Research Statement.

Once you have received your ATAS Research Statement, you can make an online ATAS application straightaway.

You should aim to make your ATAS application 4 months before your current Student visa expires. ATAS applications can take 30+ working days to process, and even longer during busy periods.

If your ATAS application is approved, you will receive the ATAS clearance certificate via email. You should then send your ATAS Certificate to your IST caseworker. Please note that IST cannot progress your CAS Request until we receive a valid ATAS Certificate from you (where your programme requires ATAS clearance).

I have an ATAS certificate I used in my last visa application. Can I use it again?

You should make a new ATAS application and obtain a new ATAS clearance certificate to use in your new visa application.

My ATAS certificate has errors. What do I do?

It is your responsibility to ensure the details used in your ATAS application are correct. This includes your passport details, course details, etc.

If your certificate has errors, please contact the IST for more information.

Can you give me a CAS without an ATAS certificate?

If your course requires ATAS, the IST will not be able to progress your CAS Request until we approve your ATAS clearance certificate.

The ATAS requirement is a UKVI requirement for visa applications.

If you are inside the UK and you do not have a valid ATAS Certificate but your visa is due to expire within 10 days, IST will not be able to progress your CAS Request and will advise you to make arrangements to leave the UK to avoid overstaying your visa. Please contact the IST for more advice if this applies to you.  

You can show you have enough money using:

• an official financial or government sponsorship or grant
• a student loan from a government, government sponsored loan company, or a regulated student loans scheme
• your own money
• your parent’s money
• your partner’s money if your partner is present in the UK or applying at the same time

You can use your own bank account, your parents’ bank account, a joint bank account you hold with your parents or spouse/partner as your financial evidence. 

You can use two or more bank accounts to evidence the total funds required, however, we advise having the money in one account if possible. 

You can use an overseas bank account or a UK bank account. All funds must be in the form of cash funds. 

General requirements:

• The total funds required will be your outstanding tuition fees plus living costs. The total amount must be in your account for 28 consecutive days.
• The total funds showing in your bank account must never drop below the required amount during the 28 consecutive days.
• On the day of your visa application, the bank statement you are using as evidence of funds must be less than one month old.
• Please note that your financial evidence must be valid at the date you submit your visa application. If it is not valid at the date a UKVI caseworker assesses your application, this can delay your visa application if the caseworker makes enquiries or this can result in a visa refusal. 

Your bank statement must contain the following information:

• bank name
• bank contact details or branch code
• date of statement – this must be within 31 days of the date you will be submitting your visa application
• account holder(s) name(s) – this will be checked against passport names
• account number
• currency
• transactions and amount held over a period of time – it cannot contain one transaction
• a running balance
• must show sufficient funds for outstanding tuition fees and living costs
• must show cash funds only - no stocks or shares, overdraft facility or credit card
• must show that you have held the funds for a consecutive 28-day period - the 28 days starts from the date of the last transaction on the account
• the closing balance must be within 31 days of the date you will be submitting your visa application

A Certificate of Deposit must include all the following information:

• name of the financial institution
• date the certificate was issued
• account holder's name
• account number
• individual has deposited or invested a sum of money
• date the funds were deposited
• individual has held the funds for the required 28-day period
• currency
• sufficient funds – balance
• applicant can access the funds at any time / no restriction on accessing the funds

The following are not accepted as evidence to show you have the required amount of money:

• overdrafts
• bitcoin savings
• stocks and shares
• pensions
• bank accounts that are not regulated by the financial regulatory body in the country in which the bank operates
• bank accounts that don’t use electronic record keeping

Please upload your proof of funds for example, your own bank statement(s) or a certificate of deposit. 

If you are using your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) funds for your studies, you can use one of the accepted types of financial evidence listed above.

If you are relying on your parent(s)/legal guardian(s) funds then you will also need to evidence a further two documents:

• a birth Certificate/adoption certificate/court document as evidence of your relationship to your parent(s) or legal guardian(s); and
• a parental consent letter stating that your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are happy for you to use their funds/bank account for visa purposes. 

You can use our Parental Consent letter template. 

If you are currently officially sponsored for your studies, you will need to provide a letter from your sponsor which confirms the sponsorship. This applies even if you meet the automatic maintenance requirement of 10 points.

The following can be an official financial sponsor:

• His Majesty’s Government
• your own national government
• the British Council or any international organisation
• international company
• university
• Independent School

Whilst there is no specific format for a sponsorship letter, your letter must show:

• that the applicant is the recipient
• the date of the sponsorship
• the duration of the sponsorship
• the name of the financial sponsor
• the contact details of the financial sponsor
• the amount of money that is being given or confirmation that all of your fees and living costs will be covered by your sponsor

If your financial sponsor is also covering the costs of your dependants’ stay in the UK, the amount and the length of sponsorship should be confirmed in the letter too. 

If you have been official financially sponsored within the last 12 months you will also need to provide a letter from your sponsor confirming that they give you ‘unconditional consent” to re-enter or remain in the UK to extend your Student visa.

This is only applicable in a situation where you have completed your original course and are moving to a new course.  

Some students may automatically meet the financial requirement under the Student route based on their current immigration permissions and how long they have  been living in the UK.

If you are applying for permission to stay in the UK to continue your studies and you have been living in the UK with valid immigration permission for 12 months or more on the date of your visa application, you will automatically meet the financial requirement under the Student route and be awarded 10 points.

This means you will not need to provide financial evidence to prove that you meet the Finance requirement as part of your visa application.

Please complete a 'Student Route Financial Declaration Form' for yourself and any dependants you have applying with you at the time of your Student visa extension application. This should be submitted at the time of your CAS request so your CAS caseworker can assess if you qualify for the automatic 10 points. 

Student Route Financial Declaration Form

Please note: if you are in receipt of official financial sponsorship, you still must submit an official financial sponsorship letter confirming the details of the sponsorship, as noted in the above section.

Please note: in a Student visa extension application, you will be asked if you have lived in the UK for the last 12 months. If you answer yes, you will not be asked to provide further evidence of funds. You should still have your documents ready in case the UKVI asks you to submit them, which they can do at any time during the visa application process, even if you automatically qualify for 10 points. 

Nationals of some countries do not need to provide proof of finance when they apply for a Student route visa.

You will need to refer to the UKVI list of nationals subject to different documentary requirements to see if your nationality is classed as ‘low risk'.

If your country is on this list and you are applying from your home country or from the UK, then you will be classed as a low risk national. This means you will not be required to submit your financial evidence to UKVI (exceptions may apply if you are/have been in receipt of an official financial sponsorship).

If you have dual nationality and one of your nationalities is 'low risk', you can only be classed as low risk applicant if you apply from that country and use the passport of that nationality for your visa application. If you are a dual national in this situation and you apply from a non-low risk country, you need to include your financial documents in your Student route visa application.

Please note: you will need to sign a declaration in your online CAS Request Form to confirm to the IST that you hold the necessary financial evidence. You must still hold this evidence in the accepted format as the UKVI may request this evidence as part of their decision process. If UKVI requests proof of finance and you are not able to provide it within the specified time frame, your visa application can be refused.

IST will assess the Student Route Financial Declaration form for your dependants at the time of your CAS request.

If your dependants do not meet the requirements for the automatic 10 points for living costs, you will be required to submit additional financial evidence for each dependant.

You will need extra money if you have dependants applying with you at the same time. Living costs required for each dependant is £680 per month and calculated by the visa permission duration, up to a maximum of 9 months (£6120). 

If the IST asks you to provide financial evidence for your dependants, you can refer to the above information on what type of evidence is accepted.