8 minsWhat’s covered in this article?
- What documents must be submitted for a UK student visa?
- Who can apply for a UK student visa?
- Details of the documents required for a UK student visa
- Tips to prepare for UK visa application
- FAQs on the documents required
Students looking to complete their higher studies in the least possible time without compromising on quality choose the UK as their destination. Several UK universities offer master’s programmes that can be completed in a year or less. The country has top-notch colleges and universities—7 institutions from the UK were listed among the top 50 in the world as per the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024. If you are applying for further education in this country, one of the critical things to know is the documents required for a UK student visa from India. This guide tells you what you need to know.
What documents must be submitted for a UK student visa?
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Continue reading for more details on the documents required for a UK student visa.
Who can apply for a UK student visa?
The first and most critical part of your UK student visa checklist is to verify if you are eligible to apply. You can apply for a UK student Visa if:
- Your age is over 16 (Parents’ consent is necessary if you are below 18)
- You have been confirmed for enrolment in an acceptable course (more on this below)
- You have the financial means to cover your study and stay
- You have the necessary level of English language proficiency
You cannot apply for a UK student visa for all the courses offered by universities in the UK. There are a few restrictions. The course must be offered by a licensed educational institution(sponsor). To show that your preferred college is a licensed sponsor, you must include a CAS number along with your visa application.
Here is a checklist for the types of acceptable courses for a UK student visa:
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Full-time courses |
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Part- time course |
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Others |
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Details of the documents required for a UK student visa
1. Passport
You must have a valid passport or travel document that has not expired. The passport should have a blank page. (Read how to apply for an Indian passport).
2. The CAS number or Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies
One of the first items in your collection of documents required for a UK student visa from India is the CAS number mentioned earlier. CAS stands for Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies. This is a reference number that is given by the institution in the UK where you will be studying.
The CAS number tells the immigration office (UK Visa and Immigration Office or UKVI) that the university agrees to sponsor (not financially) your student visa application. It confirms that you have been unconditionally admitted to the course. This is among the most critical documents required for a UK student visa and no visa application is accepted without the CAS reference number.
How to get the CAS number?
The university applies to the UKVI once they have decided to accept your application and you have confirmed your place in the programme. The Immigration office passes on the CAS number issued to you to the university.
To get the CAS number, you may have to send these to your university:
- Degree certificate/ transcripts
- Proof of finances
- Tuberculosis certificate
- ATAS certificate (If required)
Some important points about CAS:
- You receive the CAS as a digital document from your university after you have paid any fee required to confirm your enrolment in the programme.
- If you are doing more than one course, you will get a combined CAS number that can be used to apply for a visa to cover the study period of all of them.
- The CAS number is valid for a six-month period, which means, you must apply for your visa within this time.
- You can use the CAS number only once with your visa application. You will need to re-apply for CAS if you want to apply afresh for a student visa.
- The CAS number is NOT transferable.
3. ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) Certificate
Indian students applying for certain sensitive programmes (e.g.: some Master of Science/technology programmes) in the UK must include an ATAS certificate as well with the visa application. Your CAS and offer letter from the university will tell you if you need the ATAS. It is issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office or FCO and it permits you to pursue the course.
You should apply for an ATAS clearance certificate online on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, which also contains information about the scheme and the list of subjects.
Some important points about ATAS:
- ATAS is valid for six months and can take 30 or more days for you to get after application. Plan accordingly.
- If your course content changes midway, you may need ATAS clearance to continue.
- A course extension beyond 30 days or a student visa extension of more than six months may also require fresh ATAS clearance.
4. Academic certificates
You must submit your academic qualifications when you apply for a course and these are mentioned in your CAS. Along with the visa application, you must provide proof of all these qualifications. This could be in the form of transcripts or certificates. This is typically applicable only to undergraduate programme applications.
All original awards/certifications should clearly state:
- Your full name
- Title of the award/certification
- Date of the award/certification and
- Name of the institution
All original documents/transcripts of results should clearly state:
- Your full name
- Name of the institution
- Course title and
- Confirmation of the award
Some locations are listed as Differential Evidence countries (India is not on this list). Proof of finances and any documents (including academic documents) submitted to universities to obtain an offer needn’t be submitted by students from these countries for visa purposes. However, the UK immigration office has the right to ask for these from anyone. Hence, it makes sense to keep them ready even for students from these locations.
5. Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)
Please note that you do not need a BRP for a UK student visa application. However, if you are applying for a student visa for more than six months, you will need a BRP too. Your details and biometric information collected as part of the UK visa application process will be added to your BRP.
The BRP is proof that you can legally reside and study in the UK. It has information about:
- your identity along with fingerprints and photo
- your immigration status
- Your eligibility for public benefits, health services etc.
You can collect the BRP within 10 days of your arrival in the UK. Usually, it is possible to collect it from your sponsor (the university) or a designated Post Office after you reach your new study location.
6. TB test certificate
Indian students must provide a TB screening certificate showing that they are free of the disease. This certificate is valid for six months from the date of the test. Ensure that you get the test and certificate from an approved clinic/lab and include it with the documents required for a UK student visa from India.
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Want to have the full details about the TB certificate? Read our article on the TB test for a UK student visa. |
7. English proficiency proof
The UKVI also requires proof that you are proficient in the English language. Your university has its own requirements that you have already fulfilled, for example, you may have included your IELTS scorecard. This is mentioned in the CAS and this English proficiency certificate or scorecard is a part of your documents required for a UK student visa from India.
8. Parental consent letter
If you are under 18 years of age, then along with the UK student visa documents, you must include a consent letter from both parents or guardians or the parent/ guardian who has sole legal responsibility for you. The letter should not only mention their consent for your travel and study in the UK but also the visa application. It should specify your living arrangement when you are studying abroad. Proof to show they are your parents/ guardians must accompany the consent letter.
9. Previous sponsor letter
If you have received any kind of scholarship from the government or international agency earlier (in the past year), you need to include their consent letter for the visa application/study in the UK.
10. Financial proof
The financial proof documents required for a UK student visa show that you have enough funds to cover your stay and study in the UK. You should be able to show funds to cover the cost of the first academic year of your chosen programme and your living expenses for the year if you are travelling to the UK for the first time.
The following are accepted as proof of financial viability:
- Bank statements
- Letters from the bank authority
- Loan documents
- Scholarship proof
Tips to prepare for the UK student visa application
- Start well in advance with collecting the documents, factoring in the general waiting window for each step.
- Keep all the documents filed neatly so that you do not lose any critical ones and you can easily find what you need when asked.
- Make sure the documents are in the required format and mention all the details that are needed, especially in the letters of consent.
- The earliest you can apply for the student visa is six months before the start of your course. The visa decision takes about three weeks so give yourself enough time before you have to leave for the course.
- If you are using translated documents, include the date of translation, translator details and name, signature of the translator and their statement verifying its accuracy in the translated document.
We hope these tips make it easy for you to collect the UK student visa documents and prepare for the visa application.
FAQs on the documents required for UK student visa application
- How much money do I need to show to get my student visa?
This depends on the course fee as well as the location you are going to be staying at. The course fee will be mentioned in your programme details. You can also get an estimate for living expenses online for various UK locations. Your funds should cover one year’s programme cost plus nine to 12 months of living expenses.
- How soon should I start collecting all the documents required for a UK student visa?
You can apply for your student visa six months before your course begins. It is best to start working on the documents even earlier to give yourself enough time to file your application as soon as you can.
- If I plan to work during my study in the UK, do I need to apply for any other permits?
Part-time work alongside the course and full-time during breaks are allowed on your student visa without additional permits. However, there are restrictions on the kind of work you can do and the places where you can get employed.
- Can I apply for the visa without my CAS number?
No, your CAS number is one of the critical requirements for your student visa application.
- What kind of proof do I need to add along with parental consent?
To prove your relationship with whoever is signing your parental consent letter, you must add either your birth certificate or adoption papers, depending on whether they are your birth parents or adoptive guardians/parents.
The documents required for a UK student visa from India are checked and verified thoroughly before your visa is issued. Before you submit them, go through each detail and check if they are accurate. Any information that is unverifiable or seems false can result in your visa being rejected. The same is possible if you fail to include any of the critical documents required for a UK student visa. Take your time to get all the documents in place and go over them patiently so that your visa application is processed and approved quickly and seamlessly.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in February 2016 by our content writer, Madhankumar Mano. We have since revised it to include up-to-date information and ensure its comprehensiveness.
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