The Student Visa has replaced the former Tier 4 (General) student visa. The Student Visa provides the successful applicant with the right to live and study in the UK for a temporary period. 

To qualify for a Student Visa, you will need to meet the eligibility criteria set out in Appendix Student Visa of the Immigration Rules. It stipulates, among other things, that you must: 

• be aged 16 or over;
• have been offered a place on a course by an educational institution that holds a Student Sponsor Licence; 
• have sufficient funds to support yourself and pay for your course; 
• have a competent ability in the English language; and 
• have written consent from your parents if you’re 16 or 17. 

The Student Visa does not, however, provide a route to settlement in the UK. In certain circumstances, students who are granted a Student Visa can bring a dependent partner and dependent children to the UK, for example if they are studying at postgraduate level.

Applying for a Student Visa from outside the UK

You can apply for a Student Visa from outside the UK. The earliest you can apply for a Student Visa is 6 months before you start your course.

Applying for a Student Visa from inside the UK

You can also apply for a Student Visa from within the UK. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before your course starts. Note that you must apply for your Student Visa before your current visa expires. In addition, your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiring.

Knowledge of English language 

You must show that you have a sufficient knowledge of the English language when you make your application for a Student Visa. This is assessed by reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. 

You should note that, in certain circumstances, applicants do not need to meet the English language requirement. This may be the case, for example, if you are a national of one of the majority English speaking countries set out in Appendix B: English language of the Immigration Rules. 

Financial Requirement 

If you are applying for a Student Visa and have been living in the UK for 12 months or more on the date of application, you will automatically meet the financial requirement for the Student Visa. 

If you are applying from overseas, or if you are applying in the UK but have not been here for 12 months or more, you must show that you have enough money to cover your course fees and living costs.

The level of funds that you need to show will depend on where you will be studying:

• For boarding at a residential independent school, you will need to have sufficient funds to cover course fees and boarding fees for 1 academic year; 
• For the Doctorate Extension Scheme, you will need to prove you have a total of £2,668 for courses in London, or a total of £2,046 for courses outside London; and
• For all other courses the requirement is £1,334 per month (for up to 9 months) in London and £1,023 per month (for up to 9 months) outside of London. 

Note that for students on a Student Visa wishing to bring their dependents to the UK, such dependents 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 9 months) or £680 for each month of your leave if you are studying outside London (for up to a maximum of 9 months).

How long can I stay on a Student Visa? 

The duration of your stay on a Student Visa will depends on the length of your course and the level of study that you have already completed. If you’re 18 or over and your course is at degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 5 years. If it’s below degree level, you can usually stay in the UK for up to 2 years.

Fees & Immigration Health Surcharge 

As part of your application for a Student Visa, you will need to pay the application fee. The fees to apply for a Student Visa from outside the UK are currently £348 and to extend or switch to a Student Visa from inside the UK are currently £475. 

You will need to also pay the Immigration Health Surcharge as part of your application for a Student Visa. The cost will depend on the length of study. 

Student and University Staff Applications – Full Representation

Full representation is a comprehensive service, that allows our firm to become your legal representatives and to represent you in all matters concerning your UK visa. This includes preparing the appropriate forms and liaising with UKVI on your behalf.

If you decided that full representation was the appropriate service for you, we would take detailed instructions from you, issue a client care letter and other appropriate paperwork to you, plan works according to what we consider to be your best interests, advise you of any documents or information that we may need to prepare the case efficiently and lodge your visa application for you. We would ensure that you are updated on any key developments on your matter and remain as your legal representatives until a decision is reached on your visa for the UK.

We would endeavour to be on hand throughout the application process to guide you and answer any questions you might have about the process. Once the visa has been concluded, we would send you a closing letter outlining any items that we think you may wish to know moving forwards. 

Full representation may not be suitable for all clients, but our experience is that for those who have utilised this service with us, they have found it to be very helpful indeed. We would encourage readers to consider the wide range of positive reviews which are available on the internet, relating to our services.

We are proud to be able to offer a fixed fee for full representation in your visa for the UK. Many of our clients find this to be useful in managing their costs and expectations. Although the below pricing information provides a cost range, you will always be given a precise cost on instruction and this will be detailed in your client care letter. The reason that we provide a cost range is because cases can vary considerably according to their complexity. 

UKVI Fees vary notably according to the visa that you are applying for, but you can find updated information on Home Office fees for your visa here: https://www.gov.uk/visa-fees 

Curzon Green (London based client) Fee: £1800-£2500 plus VAT; or

Curzon Green (Buckinghamshire based client) Fee: £1200-£1800 plus VAT.

(Please note that VAT may not be payable where the applicant is not resident in the UK.)

Please do not hesitate to contact our team for advice on a precise fee for representation in your matter or with any queries that you may have.

Consultancy Prices:

Curzon Green (London based client) Fee: £250-£350 plus VAT per session which lasts up to an hour (depending on the experience of the person you book your consultation with).

Curzon Green (Buckinghamshire based client) Fee: £200-£250 plus VAT per session which lasts up to an hour (depending on the experience of the person you book your consultation with).