Visa requirements for Kingston University students

When you have accepted an unconditional offer to study with us, it is time to consider visa requirements. If you are coming to study at Kingston University, you may need one of the following:

• Standard Visitor visa – for up to six months study
• Student Route visa – for more than six months study
• Pre-settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme

Standard Visitor visa

You may need a Standard Visitor visa if you are coming to Kingston University to study for a shorter time (up to six months). Check if this applies to you.

Student Route visa

You may need a Student Route visa if you are coming to Kingston University to study a full-time degree-level course (for more than six months). Check if this applies to you.

The information below is a brief guide to the Student Route visa application process. For more detailed information, please visit UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the UK Home Office.

Important changes to the Student Visa Route from January 2024

Bringing dependants

International students on a UK student visa will no longer be able to bring dependants to the UK except for those that are:

• Studying for a course of study which the provider has confirmed is a PhD, other doctoral qualification, or a research-based higher degree
• Financially sponsored by the UK or an Overseas Government

Undergraduate students are not normally permitted to bring dependants, and this has not changed.

Apply for a Student Route visa

The Home Office has full guidance on how, when and where to apply for a Student Route visa, but here is a brief summary of the process:

1. Apply for ATAS clearance (if you study on some science and engineering courses only)
2. Request your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
3. Complete your Student Route visa application form online, (if you plan to apply from within the UK, check to make sure you are eligible)
4. Pay immigration health surcharge and application fee
5. Book biometrics appointment at a visa application centre (to get a biometric residence permit) as part of your application
6. Attend biometrics appointment (remember to scan and upload your documents before appointment)
7. Attend credibility interview (if asked to do so)
8. Home Office will contact you with a decision (often within three weeks, but visa processing times vary by country)
9. If your visa is refused, please upload your visa refusal letter onto OSIS and contact the CAS team (cas@kingston.ac.uk)
10. Collect your biometric residence permit (BRP) on arrival in the UK. If you applied within the UK, your BRP will be posted directly to your home address in the UK.

How to apply for a Student Route Visa overseas

Course fee and maintenance requirements

When making your Student Route visa application, you must show that you have enough money to pay the course fees and living costs for the first year of your course. The Home Office calls this the maintenance requirements.

Course fees

You must show enough funds to cover one year of tuition fees. Your course fees will be listed on your offer letter and on the relevant course page on our website.

You can deduct any fees you have paid towards your tuition fees from the total amount you need to show for your fees.

Maintenance

You must have enough money to support yourself while you are studying in the UK. The Home Office uses fixed amounts, which may or may not reflect your actual living costs. For Kingston University, you will need to show:

• £12,006 to cover your living/maintenance cost (£1,334 per month for a maximum of 9 months).

Sponsored students

If you are fully funded by an official financial sponsor, as defined in the Student Route Policy Guidance, you will require an original letter from your sponsor confirming:

• the duration of the sponsorship
• how much they will cover towards your tuition fees
• how much they will cover towards your living costs.

If your official financial sponsor is not covering all of your course fees and maintenance, you must show that you have the rest of the money required. You can use any combination of the forms of evidence listed above.

Immigration Health Surcharge

You will have to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your application. This is in addition to the Student Route visa application fee.

Before you complete your visa application, use the immigration health surcharge tool to calculate how much IHS you need to pay.

The IHS entitles you to use the National Health Service (NHS) if you become unwell or have an accident while studying in the UK.

The amount you have to pay for IHS depends on the length of your visa:

• £776 for each year of study
• £388 for periods of less than 6 months (e.g. additional four months of leave granted at the end of your studies)

Supporting documents

You will be required to submit supporting documents with your visa application. For more information on required documents for a Student Route visa, please read the full Home Office guidance and see the UKCISA evidence pages.

Required documents

• Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) – You can request your CAS within six months of your course start date, if you are applying from overseas, accepted your unconditional offer, and completed the fee assessment task in OSIS.
• Passport or travel document – Must be the same document listed on your CAS.
• Financial documents – You must show the full amount needed (course fees plus maintenance) for a 28-day period. A bank statement should be printed on the 29th day. Your bank statement closing balance must be no more than 31 days before the date you submit your Student Route visa application. If using parents' bank statements, they must be accompanied by a letter of consent from parents and proof of the relationship (e.g. birth certificate). The Immigration Rules Appendix Finance gives very precise instructions strictly to ensure you meet the financial requirements.
• Academic and English qualifications – Must be the same qualifications you used to receive an offer to study with Kingston University and which are listed on your CAS.

Additional supporting documents

Depending on your situation, you may also be required to submit:

• Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) – If your course requires ATAS clearance, we will not issue a CAS until we have received a copy of the ATAS certificate. You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to 9 months before the starting date of your course.
• Tuberculosis (TB) Medical Certificate – You'll need to have a TB test from a UKVI approved test centre if you are coming to the UK for more than 6 months and are resident in any of these listed countries.
• Letter of Consent from parents – If you are under 18 years of age.
• Official English translations – If any supporting documents are not in English.

Credibility interview

You may be required to attend a credibility interview. This will usually be conducted by video link with a UKVI officer in the UK, although some are face-to-face interviews at Home Office centres across the UK (if you are applying from inside the UK).

During your interview a member of Home Office staff may ask you:

• about your course;
• where you want to study;
• your reasons for studying in the UK;
• how you plan to finance your studies.

The UKVI officer must be satisfied that you are a genuine student, and that your English language ability is at the correct level, otherwise you might be called for a further interview or your application may be refused.

See the UKCISA website for more information.

Dependants

Students on a research-based higher degree (PhD) can apply to have their family with them in the UK as dependants. The application will be reviewed against your Student Route visa immigration status and the type of degree you will be studying at Kingston University.

To find out who counts as a dependant, and how to apply, please see the UKCISA website.

You can apply for a dependant visa (for your spouse or child) on the Home Office website.