If you are applying for a Student visa and are located outside the UK, the following processes apply to the making of your application.
When and how to apply
You cannot apply until you have accepted an unconditional offer from City St George's, University of London and have been issued with an electronic Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). City St George's will usually start issuing CASs three months before the start date of your course.
If you are applying for a Student Route visa for your course at City St George's in your country of residence, please make your application online and follow the application procedure to attend an appointment at either the nearest British Embassy/Consulate or Visa Application Centre to give your biometrics.
Your "country of residence" is usually your country of nationality, but sometimes you may be living in another country e.g. for work or study or as a family member. In that case, you can apply from there if you are legally living in that country. However you cannot usually apply from a country that you are just visiting. Alternatively If you are an EEA or Swiss national you may be eligible to apply using the UK Home Office’s IDV app without needing to attend an appointment.
Select your country at the Home Office's country finder to find out more information on how to apply in your country, visa centre locations, application processing times and how your documents will be returned to you.
You can also check visa processing times online. The length of time it takes to process your application will depend both on the time of year and where you are applying
Your visa application date is the day you complete your online form and pay the application fee online, not the day that you attend your biometric or in-person appointment. You must meet all the visa requirements on this date.
Application process
In order to make your Student visa application you should follow these steps:
- Create an online account with UKVI. You should ensure you answer all the questions accurately and give as much detail as you can and scan in any required supporting documents
- Pay both the UK Government's Immigration Health Surcharge and the visa application fee online
- Book an appointment to provide your biometrics with your local visa centre (see Documents you must provide)
- Provide your biometrics and if asked to attend a credibility interview online.
Immigration Health surcharge
The Immigration Health Surcharge is charged at the time that you make your visa application online.
Fee: £776 per year for a main applicant and £776 per year for every dependant for each year of immigration permission granted. Any period of immigration permission for less than 6 months will be charged at £388.
There are a limited number of exemptions to paying the health surcharge. You can read the full list of exemptions and further information about the health surcharge on the Home Office website.
Other requirements in the process
As part of your visa application, you are required to provide your biometric information (fingerprints and facial image) at a Visa Centre unless you are eligible to use the IDV app. Your visa application will not be processed until you have provided the necessary biometric information.
You may also be requested to attend a short video interview with a Home Office member of staff based in the UK. The purpose of the interview is to check that you are a genuine student, so they may ask you some questions about your course and why you chose to study it and any other universities you considered when making up your mind about where to study.
Documents you must provide
In addition to completing the application form for a General Student visa online, you will also need to provide the following documents and prepare for the following processes.
Application fees
For current application fees for immigration applications made from outside the UK please refer to the UKVI website.
Please note that you will need to pay the IHS surcharge for the whole visa period in advance (if your course is 3 years long, you will need to pay for an extra 6 months, as your visa will be issued for an extra four months beyond the course end date).
In some countries it is possible to pay extra (around £500 in local currency) for a faster visa decision service.
Passport
You will need to provide your current passport.
English Language requirement
All applicants that require a Student visa must meet the minimum Home Office English Language ability requirements before City can issue a CAS.
These minimum English requirements are set out alongside our general entry requirements.
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) statement
The CAS is a unique reference number linked to a record created by the University in the Home Office IT system, which includes details of your course and the University's Sponsor Licence Number.
Proof of qualifications
Your CAS may list the qualifications you used to obtain your place at City St George's.
Maintenance requirement
Your application must also meet certain specified financial requirements. Our detailed advice on preparing your application explains these in detail.
Low-risk nationals
Nationals of certain countries (e.g. USA, China) are considered to be low-risk for immigration purposes. Click here for the full list of low-risk national countries.
If you are a low-risk national, you do not need to provide financial evidence with your application but you could be asked to provide these before a decision is made, although this is unusual. However, you must still ensure that you meet these requirements as you will be asked to certify as part of the application process that you meet the financial requirements at the date of application.
Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate
ATAS only applies to you if you want to study or research at postgraduate level in certain sensitive subjects relevant to national security. You should be advised that you will need to obtain an ATAS in your offer letter from the admission team.
You must obtain an approval under the ATAS Scheme if both your course and nationality require this before making your visa application to study or extend your study period in the UK, unless you are exempt from needing an ATAS certificate. Nationals of an EU country, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America are exempt.
Tuberculosis Screening
If you have been living in a ‘listed country’ for more than 6 months before applying for your visa, you are required to undergo a Tuberculosis (TB) screening before applying for your UK visa from overseas. A full list of those countries whose residents are required to undergo TB screening can be found on the Home Office website together with a list of approved clinics.
If you were financially sponsored before this course
If you have already been studying for a course in the UK and both your tuition fees and living were paid by a government or scholarship agency within the last 12 months then you must obtain your sponsor's permission in writing, consenting to your application to extend your stay or to re-enter the UK and include this with your application.
They must confirm they have no objection to you continuing your studies in the UK. If you do not provide this, your application will be refused. More information can be found in the Student visa guidance.
If you are funding your studies with government loans then this does not apply to you.
Administrative review
In the unlikely event that your Student visa application is refused, and you believe that the decision is incorrect, you can apply for an administrative review of the decision.
Please read the FAQs and contact us if have any questions.
When preparing your documents, you might find this checklist useful. (Please note some students may need additional documents not covered on this list.)
Arriving in the UK
When your visa is issued you will be given a vignette (sticker) in your passport which will be valid for travel into the UK for 90 day. This period will start no earlier than 30 days before the course start date stated on your CAS, or 7 days before the date that you confirmed on your application form that you will be travelling, whichever is later.
You cannot enter the UK before or after this period and would need to apply for a new visa vignette if you are unable to travel. You should bring with you the letter you were issued with your visa and a copy of your CAS, as you may be asked to show these when you pass through immigration control.
Applying for an eVisa
You will be invited to apply for an eVisa after your visa applications is approved, and can do so before you travel to the UK. You should do this as soon as possible.
Note that EU, EEA or Swiss Citizens who applied using the IDV app will automatically be issued with an eVisa and will not receive a vignette in their passport and will just need their passport to travel.
What is an eVisa?
An eVisa is a digital record of a person’s immigration status. The use of eVisas will mean that BRP cards and other physical documents will no longer be required to prove immigration status.
Watch the following video from the Home Office to learn more about what eVisas are.
Creating your eVisa account
Please see Guidance at: https://studenthub.city.ac.uk/help-and-support/visa-advice-for-international-students/evisas
You will first need to create a UKVI account at: https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa after your visa application has been successful. Please note this is separate from the account that you created when applying for the visa initially. By creating a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account online the UKVI account gives access to the eVisa.
Creating a UKVI account
Step-by-step guides are available on YouTube, both from the Home Office itself and reputable law firms.
How do I use my eVisa?
Once you have created your UKVI account, you will be able to view the details of your eVisa online, for example your type of permission, when it expires and your conditions of stay in the UK.
Your eVisa will be linked to your passport in your UKVI account. You must keep your passport details up to date in your UKVI account and tell UKVI about any changes. You’ll need to carry your current passport with you.
To prove your immigration status to organisations, landlord or employer, you will need to obtain a share code in order to “view and prove” your status to others. Watch the UKVI’s view and prove video for further details on how to do this.
The Home Office says “Customers who are not sure if they already have a UKVI account and eVisa can either check here on GOV.UK or refer to their original grant email or letter”.
Do I need to tell City St George's that I have an eVisa?
The University is required to record evidence of your immigration permission to be in the UK. Once you’ve created your UKVI account you will be able to sign in to the view and prove service to access your eVisa and generate a Share Code which allows the University to check your immigration status. You must select the option to prove your immigration status (do not use the right to work or right to rent options). The share code details need to be entered when you register online for your course. Please enter the share code in the visa number field.
Errors with eVisas
You can report any errors with your eVisa to the UKVI - here
Keeping your details up to date
It is very important that UKVI has current up to date information about you and if your contact details change or your passport details change you should update your eVisa details at the UK Government website.
UKCISA has further information on how to do this.