Student Visa applications in the UK (extending or switching)

Information for applicants considering applying for the Student Visa route in the UK

This includes:

Current GCU students wishing to extend their visa to complete their current course
Prospective and new GCU students wishing to switch to a Student Visa to undertake their course
Applicants wishing to extend their Student Visa to undertake a new course of study

Eligibility for a Student Visa Extension must be checked by the VISA Team - there are various factors to assess eligibility and this cannot be guaranteed.

Information for students with a Student Visa expiring in January 2024

The VISA Team will be running a series of email comms and sessions targeted to students with a Student visa expiring in January 2024. We will be running these sessions throughout December and January.

If you are a current GCU student who holds a Student Visa and feel you may require further time in the UK beyond your Visa expiry date, please contact the VISA Team directly for a VISA Advisor to assess your eligibility for a Student Visa extension.

We cannot issue a CAS for a student who is expected to exit their course with a lower level award than the award listed on their course name on their original CAS. For example, if you applied to study a master's course but will be exiting with a postgraduate diploma or postgraduate certificate, you would not be eligible to extend your Student Visa. Students in this situation can complete their course from outside of the UK if possible academically or return to the UK on a Visitor Visa to complete studies of less than six months.

It is only possible for students to extend their Student Visa to complete their course if they have confirmed academic studies to undertake after their visa expiry date. This may be the case for students who have a resit or repeat which cannot be completed in their visa "grace period" (the last four months of your Student Visa).

Where resits/repeats can be carried out in your visa "grace period", you would not be eligible to extend your Student Visa. It is not possible to extend your Student Visa purely to await results.

You should carry out the steps below if you feel you may need to extend your Student Visa:

Notify the VISA Team at least one month before your visa expires to receive relevant advice
Await confirmation from the VISA Team of your eligibility to extend your Student Visa. Where there is an outstanding Assessment Board due, we must await the results of the Assessment Board before assessing your eligibility for a Student Visa extension.
If eligible to extend your visa, please view our online guidance below to prepare for your application. A personalised document checklist can also be provided to you upon request from a VISA Advisor.

Frequently asked questions

If you are switching to the Student Visa from inside the UK or if you are extending a Student Visa to complete your studies, you should book a drop-in slot to speak with VISA to obtain a personalised checklist of required documents and payments required.

If you have recently been accepted onto and issued a CAS for a new programme of study at GCU, you will need to provide the original qualification documents named on your CAS with your application. These will most likely include degree certificates, academic transcripts, or other awards from previous studies.

If you are extending your Student Visa to complete your course, you will not require qualification evidence. However, you will still require your visa/BRP, passport, any previous passport used to travel to the UK, and other documents depending on your situation, for example, ATAS clearance, evidence of living costs, and dependent documents, if applicable.

When extending your visa in the UK, a VISA advisor will ensure you submit all the correct documents, and if you have any questions, please speak with an advisor.

All documents submitted must be:

Original
In English or if not in English, accompanied by an official translation by a certified translator. For more information on certified translation companies in Glasgow, contact a VISA advisor at visa@gcu.ac.uk or in GCU London visa@gculondon.ac.uk.

You will also be required to make payment for the visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). The visa application fee for switching to or extending the Student Visa in the UK is currently £490.00 per applicant.

The IHS cost will increase significantly on 16 Jan 2024.

At a glance:

Significant increases to the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) announced in July 2023 are expected to come into force on January 16, 2024.
The annual IHS fees for adult applicants will increase to £1,035 per person – a 66% increase from the current £624.

The amount of Immigration Health Surcharge you need to pay depends on your course length. You can use the online calculator to find out what you will need to pay.

If you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date of your application (with no absence exceeding three months), you will not require evidence that you meet the living cost requirement.

Please note if you were previously financially sponsored, you will need your previous sponsor's unconditional consent in writing to stay in or re-enter the UK, even if you have been in the UK for more than 12 months.

Money you need

If you have not been in the UK for at least 12 months, you must demonstrate you have enough money to pay for your course and support yourself in the UK.

How much money you need depends on your circumstances and what you’re applying for.

Course fee

You need enough money to pay for your course for one academic year (up to nine months). The amount you need to pay will be on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

If you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months, you do not need to prove you have this money for your visa application.

Money to support yourself (‘financial requirement’)

You’ll need to show you have enough money to support yourself – unless you’ve been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date of your application.

How much money you need depends on where you will be studying. You’ll need either:

£1,334 per month (for up to nine months) for courses in London
£1,023 per month (for up to nine months) for courses outside London

You’ll need to prove you have extra money for each family member you bring with you.

You must have this money for at least 28 consecutive days. The end date of the 28-day period must be within 31 days of the date you apply for your visa.

When you do not need to prove you have money to support yourself

You do not need to prove the financial requirement if:

You’ve had a UK visa for 12 months prior to the date of your Student visa application – you must currently be in the UK
You’re applying as a student union sabbatical officer
If you’re from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’.

If you’re from a country listed under the ‘differential evidence requirement’ you do not need to prove you have enough money to support yourself, however, you might be asked to provide this evidence before you get a decision on your application. If you do need to provide it, you’ll be contacted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) after you’ve submitted your application. For this reason, the VISA Team will request financial documentation from you to ensure they meet the requirements for an in-country visa application.

Read the guidance on finances for student applications for more information about the money you need and how to prove it.

Further guidance on the financial requirement

If you have official sponsorship

To prove you have official financial sponsorship you need to show your reference number for Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

If your official financial sponsorship is not recorded on your CAS you’ll need to show a letter of confirmation from the official financial sponsor. If you are not sure ask your sponsor. The letter must show:

The date
The name of the financial sponsor
Contact details of the financial sponsor
How long the sponsorship will last
The amount of money that is being given or confirmation that all of your fees and living costs will be covered.

If you have a student loan

For student loans, you need to show a student loan letter that:

Is dated no more than six months before the date of application
Confirms the loan is a student loan provided by either the relevant government or a government-sponsored student loan company or an academic or educational loan scheme
Confirms there are no conditions on release of the loan funds other than a successful application to study
Confirms the amount of the loan
Confirms the loan is for you
Is on official stationery
Confirms the funds will be available to you, or paid directly to the sponsor before you begin your course.

If you’re using your own money

If you’re not being financially sponsored or relying on a student loan, your funds can be held in any form of personal or building society account including a:

Current account
Deposit account
Savings account
Pension savings
Investment account.

Cash must be in an account that allows you immediate access.

Funds must have been acquired legally and if you were in the UK you must not have earned them when working illegally.

If you’re using your own money, or that of a parent or partner you’ll need to show you have the required amount of money in an account. You can provide:

Bank statements
Building society passbooks
Certificates of deposit
A letter from your bank or building society.

Your bank statement should show information like:

The date it was issued
Your name (or the account holder's name if it is your parent or partner)
The name of the bank or building society
Balance on the account.

You can provide a download of electronic bank statements as long as it has this information. You do not need to have these stamped by the bank.

UKVI may do verification checks with your bank. If they are unable to verify the funds your application may be refused.

Money in other currencies

If your money is held in a foreign currency this will be converted into pound sterling (£) using the spot exchange rate on OANDA for the date of the application.

Your CAS will show your course fees.

The table below shows how much you need depending on your circumstances.

Table: Financial requirement levels – student

Location	Amount: study in London (GCU London students)	Amount: study outside London (Glasgow students)
Financial requirement	Sufficient funds to pay any outstanding course fees as stated on the CAS, plus £1,334 for each month of the course (up to a maximum of nine months)	Sufficient funds to pay any outstanding course fees as stated on the CAS, plus £1,023 for each month of the course (up to a maximum of nine months)

Student dependants must also each show funds of £845 for each month of your leave if you’re studying in London (for up to a maximum of nine months). You need £680 for each month of your leave if you’re studying outside London (for up to a maximum of nine months).

Student Visa expiry September 2023

Prioritised marking (also referred to as ‘the prioritised marking agreement’ or ‘early marking’) is a process carried out between the VISA Team and academic programme staff. The process is designed to assist Student Visa holders whose Assessment Board takes place after their visa expiry date by way of arranging for academic programme staff to mark eligible coursework early for impacted students to provide the VISA Team with expected results before ratification at the Assessment Board.

The purpose of this process is to help eligible students submit an on-time application for a Student Visa extension or the Graduate Visa where results are required to establish visa eligibility. You may have heard this process being referred to “early marking”. Below is an overview of how the process works and some important information:

Eligibility

To be eligible for prioritised marking, you must be a Student Visa holder, and your Assessment Board must be scheduled to take place after your visa expiry date. Academic eligibility for prioritised marking must also be met and will be assessed by programme staff.

Not all students will be deemed academically eligible for prioritised marking; this is at the discretion of academic programme staff and can depend on the mode of assessment, for example. those with scheduled exams may not be eligible.

Providing expected result

If you meet the eligibility criteria above and agree to the prioritised marking terms and conditions, your academic programme staff will provide the VISA Team with your expected academic results. This will provide the VISA Team with an indication of your expected results before the actual Assessment Board takes place and helps us to assess your eligibility for a Student Visa extension or the Graduate Visa.

If your expected results indicate that you are not eligible for a Student Visa extension or the Graduate Visa you may be required to exit the UK before your visa expiry date unless you are eligible for alternative leave to remain. There may be instances where your expected result differs from the actual Assessment Board Data, where this happens please refer to the “Potential Impact” section below.

CAS issuance or Graduate Visa confirmation

If your expected results indicate you require a Student Visa Extension, the VISA Team will assess eligibility for you to be issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) based on this data and subject to other checks. Upon receiving a CAS, you will be able to proceed with your Student Visa Extension application.

Likewise, if the prioritised marking results indicate your potential eligibility for the Graduate Visa, the VISA Team will assess your eligibility for the Graduate Visa and confirm this to the UKVI accordingly. This confirmation will enable you to proceed with your application for the Graduate Visa. All other visa eligibility criteria must also be met.

Potential impact

It is important to note that the prioritised marking results are predictions, and not the final results. In the unlikely event that the actual Assessment Board results differ from the predicted results, potential consequences include withdrawal of CAS or withdrawal of the report submitted to the UKVI to confirm Graduate Visa eligibility. In either case, you would be required to withdraw any visa application submitted on the basis of prioritised marking.