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Student visa application from the UK

You can apply for a Student visa to study at Birkbeck University of London if you are issued with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) for a full-time course.

You must meet all Student visa requirements and may be required to provide the relevant supporting documentation.  

ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY FROM THE UK

  • You may be able to apply from inside the UK to extend or switch to a Student visa to start your new course. 
  • To be eligible to apply within the UK, the start date of your new course on your CAS must be no more than 28 days after the end of your current visa. You also need to meet further conditions as described below.
  • Your current UK immigration permission must not be one of the following: 
    • a visit visa 
    • a short-term student visa 
    • a Parent of a Child Student visa 
    • a Seasonal Worker visa 
    • a domestic worker in a private household visa
    • leave outside the immigration rules.
  • If you are currently or were previously under a Student or Tier 4 student visa, you must satisfy the academic progress requirement. 
  • Once you respond to a draft CAS indicating your intention to make your visa application from the UK, our experienced immigration advisor will offer you advice and guidance on your Student visa application. Your CAS will normally be released to you only after: 
    • you have provided all requested supporting documents satisfying the Student visa requirements, and 
    • your drafted visa application is checked and is deemed to be satisfactory. 
  • You must make a valid visa application before your current visa expires.
  • The Home Office permits you to start your new study while waiting for a decision if your existing visa at the time of making your Student visa application from the UK has no restriction on study. For example, if your current visa is a Graduate route visa, you must have been granted a Student visa before you are permitted to study.  
  • Furthermore, you must also meet all of the following: 
    • you applied for your Student visa before starting the new course 
    • your Student visa application was made before your existing visa expires, and 
    • you have provided evidence of the above to Birkbeck. 
  • You do this at your own risk as it is possible that your application can be refused.

ACADEMIC PROGRESS

  • Students who wish to apply for a Student visa from the UK to start a new course must show their proposed study represents ‘academic progress’ from any previous studies undertaken in the UK with a Tier 4 or Student visa. 
  • The immigration rules and the relevant Home Office guidance state that any new course will normally be at a higher level than those previously studied in the UK.
  • If your course at Birkbeck is at the same level as your previous course, then you will be asked to demonstrate how your courses are linked. The International Student Administration team (ISA) will contact you for this information.
  • To meet the academic progress requirement, you must also have successfully completed the previous course by achieving the qualification for which you were granted a Tier 4 or Student visa. Therefore, you must provide official evidence of successful completion of your previous qualification that entailed study under Tier 4 or Student visa. This includes pre-sessional programmes. 
  • If the final result is not available before the start of your new course, you can submit a letter from your current Student sponsor confirming that you are ‘highly likely to complete your course successfully.’ If you subsequently fail to complete the previous course successfully, Birkbeck is required to report it to the Home Office and withdraw the visa sponsorship which will result in your Student visa being cancelled.

WHEN TO APPLY

  • Once you have been given a CAS, you can make your application up to three months before the start date of your course. 
  • If your Student visa application is made from the UK before your previous UK visa has expired, you should remain in the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man while waiting for a decision on your Student visa application. Your application will be withdrawn if you do not.

HOW TO APPLY

  • You need to complete an online application form via the Home Office website, and pay the visa application fee and Immigration Health Surcharge.  
  • The standard visa application fee is £490 as of 11 June 2024. Please refer to the Home Office’s published standard visa processing time for how long it may take for a decision to be made. The visa processing time does not include the additional time required to receive a new biometric residence permit if applicable. You can pay to get a faster decision at the time of your visa application. It is not possible to change the type of service after submitting your visa application. 
  • Most Student visa applicants need to pay a healthcare surcharge as part of their immigration application. You will then be able to use the National Health Service (NHS). However, you will still need to pay for certain types of services. 
  • The rate for a student and student dependent is £776 per person for each year of their visa. If the visa includes part of a year that is less than six months, the charge will be £388 for this period. 
  • For example, if you will be applying for a 12-month master’s degree course starting 30 September 2024 and the course end date of 30 September 2025, your Student visa should be valid until 30 January 2026 (course end date + four months wrap-up period). Therefore, you will be expected to pay £1,164 (£776 x 1.5 years) as part of your visa application. 
  • As part of your online application, you will need to submit your passport and other supporting documents, such as:
    • your financial evidence 
    • a letter of consent from your financial sponsor to continue your studies in the UK if, in the last 12 months before the date of your application, you have completed a course of studies in the UK for which you received funding from a Government or international scholarship agency covering both fees and living costs
    • ATAS certificate if relevant. 
  • If you meet the following conditions, you will automatically meet the financial requirement: 
    • you are applying for a Student visa from the UK, and 
    • you have been living in the UK for at least 12 months with a valid visa on the date of your application. Holidays and short absences from the UK do not break the 12 month period. However, if you haven’t been based in the UK for a significant part of the 12 months you will have to show satisfactory financial evidence.
  • Your CAS will state the academic qualifications that are basis of your offer. However, you are not required to provide evidence of them, because Birkbeck is a Higher Education provider with a track record of compliance and your course is at degree level or above, in accordance with the Student visa policy. 
  • There is no need to provide evidence of English language either, even if this was a condition of your offer to study at Birkbeck. Your CAS will confirm that you are either a national of a majority English speaking country, or the College, as a Higher Education Provider, has assessed your English language ability and it is at the required level. 
  • You must give your biometric information (your facial photograph and fingerprints) as part of your online application. If you have previously submitted your biometric information to UKVI before, you may be able to use the UK Immigration ID check app to verify your identity. If you cannot or an ineligible to use the app, you will be required make a biometric appointment to give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point. 
  • You may be asked to attend an interview by the caseworker, kwon as a credibility interview. They will normally email to notify if you are required to attend an interview. Interviews are usually done by phone or face-to-face. If you do not attend the interview without reasonable reasons, your visa application could be refused. 

SUCCESSFUL VISA APPLICATION

  • The Home Office will confirm their decision by email. It will confirm the grant of your Student visa and all conditions, but this is not your visa. The type of visa you will receive will depend on how you applied and your nationality.
  • If you are a non-visa national and used the UK Immigration: ID Check mobile app to verify your identity, you will receive a visa decision by email and will be issued with an online immigration status. If you are a visa national, a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) will be issued and posted to your contact address. 
  • Once you have received the decision on your Student visa application, carefully check the decision notification, BRP and/or online immigration status as soon as you receive them. The duration of your visa depends on the length of your course, which is calculated based of the course start and end dates stated on your CAS. Your visa should also state Birkbeck University of London as your sponsor, and if you have a BRP it will also state our Sponsor License Number, 9NKX7B8M9. Your visa should also confirm right to work in the UK as a student, which is a maximum 20 hours per week during term-time.
  • The Home Office is in the process of replacing physical BRPs with online immigration status (eVisa). If your new BRP expires on 31 December 2024, this does not affect your period of grant of permission to stay or your conditions, which you can view in your UKVI account. You can continue to use your BRP until it expires. UKVI will contact you with further information on eVisa in due course. 

INCORRECT DECISION OR UNSUCCESSFUL VISA APPLICATION

  • If you believe that an incorrect decision, such as granting an incorrect length of stay or work conditions, or refusing your visa application incorrectly, was made, you should  immediately. Although you can ask for an Administrative Review, this request must be submitted online within 14 days of getting the decision. 
  • If your visa application is unsuccessful, please forward your decision notification to  for further assistance. 

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