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Applying inside the UK (Permission to stay)

Section 1: Purpose and Contents of this page:

This page has been created to give guidance on apply for a Student Visa INSIDE the UK (Permission to Stay).

You may also wish to look at:

Please ensure you have carefully read the guidance provided for your situation BEFORE you contact Student Immigration.


Section 2: Who can make a Student Visa application inside the UK?

To be eligible to apply for a Student Visa inside the UK you must satisfy all four of the following conditions:

    • Your current visa type must permit a switch to the Student Visa route - you cannot switch to a Student Visa if you hold one of the following types of UK leave:
      • a visit visa
      • a short-term student visa
      • a parents of a Child Student visa
      • a seasonal worker visa
      • a domestic worker in private household visa
      • leave outside of immigration rules
    • Your new course must start within 28 days of the expiry date of your current visa - for example, if your current visa expires on 1 September and your new course starts on 1 October, you cannot make a Student Visa application in the UK because the gap between the end of your visa and the start of the next course of study is more than 28 days. If your current Student Visa expires after the new course start date, then you are eligible to apply for a Student Visa in the UK.

    • If you currently hold a Student Visa, you must meet the Academic Progression requirement - if you have not successfully completed your current course and achieved the award for which your current Student Visa is granted, you will not be able to apply for a new Student Visa while in the UK. Child student visa holders are exempted from this requirement.

    • If you currently hold a Student Visa and the type of institution which sponsors your visa is:
      • a HEI/HEP with a track record of compliance*
      • an overseas HEI
      • an embedded college offering pathway courses
      • an independent school)

    it will be fine to apply from within the UK.

    If your previous Student Visa sponsor is a Further Education College, or any other type of institution not listed, then the new visa application must be made from outside of the UK. It is possible to confirm the type of institution from the Student Visa Sponsor Register. Child student visa holders are exempted from this requirement.

    * The Immigration rules changed on 1 August 2019 regarding the references to HEIs and introduced the term Higher Education Provider (HEP). If you are unsure after checking the Student visa Sponsor Register as to whether your previous institution is considered HEI or HEP, please do get in touch with us.

    If you do not meet all the four requirements above, then you will need to apply from outside of the UK. For further guidance, please refer to the UKVI Student Visa Caseworker Guidance for more details.

    Please also note that, if the visa you are currently holding is NOT a Student visa (for example, if you currently hold a Graduate route visa), even if you can apply for your Student visa in the UK, you might not have the right to study until your new visa is granted. Please check our Right to Study webpage for more information.

    Section 3: How do I apply for a Student Visa from inside the UK?

    Where is the application form: The application form can be found on the government's student visa section. If you are applying to switch into the Student Visa route, scroll down to the 'Start Now' button on this webpage; if you already hold a Student Visa and are applying to extend this leave, with either the same or a different educational sponsor, scroll down to the 'Start Now' button on this page.

    Help with completing the form: Refer to the 'Guidance for students completing the online Student Visa application form'

    When to apply: Once you have a CAS you can apply up to 3 months before your new course is due to start AND before the expiry date of your existing visa; for example, if the course start date in your CAS is 30 September 2021, you can apply after 1 July 2021, provided your existing visa is still valid. Warwick becomes responsible for you as soon as your new application is approved. If you are a continuing student, you will need to book an appointment with one of our International Student Advisers before a CAS will be assigned.

    Application process: You must apply online.

    As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.

    You’ll either:

    You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

    Note: the 'Service Point' above refers to UKVCAS centres (UK Visa & Citizenship Application Services) - the nearest to Coventry and University of Warwick are the "Birmingham Core Service Point" or "Coventry Enhanced Service Point".

    Application fee and processing times: The standard application fee is £490 and a decision will usually be made within 8 weeks. You may be able to pay to get a faster decision - you’ll be told if you can when you apply.

    • To get a decision within 5 working days -

      If you’re eligible you can choose the ‘priority service’ when you apply. It costs £500 in addition to the standard £490 application fee.

      You’ll get a decision within 5 working days. The time starts from either:

      You’ll be told whether you can prove your identity at a UKVCAS centre or using the app when you apply

    • To get a decision by the end of the next working day -

    If you’re eligible you can choose the ‘super priority service’ when you apply. It costs £800 in addition to the standard £490 application fee.

    A decision will be made:

    • by the end of the next working day after your appointment, if your appointment is on a weekday
    • 2 working days after your appointment, if your appointment is at the weekend or on a bank holiday

    Working days are Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays.

    Please note, you cannot use the ‘super priority service’ if you apply using the UK Immigration: ID Check App to confirm your identity.

    You should consider which option to choose carefully when you make your application as you will not normally be able to complete course registration (online enrolment) until you have received your new visa (with certain exceptions - please refer to Enrolment FAQ for more information).

    In all cases, you are expected to receive your new BRP card within 7-10 working days after the date of decision (the UKVI will email the decision to you). Once you have made your visa application online, you should not travel outside of the UK until you receive your new BRP card as doing so will invalidate your visa application, and you may not be able to return to the UK with your current visa.

    Section 4: How much money will I need to evidence in my Student Visa application?

    You will need access to sufficient funds to cover:

    • application fee
    • tuition fees
    • maintenance
    • Immigration Health Surcharge

    Tuition fees

    If you are a new student or are beginning a new course at Warwick, your offer email will state how much the course fees are.

    Continuing students should refer to the Student Finance Tuition Fee Table ; you will need to evidence the outstanding course fees for the current academic year, or the full course fees for the next academic year if you requested your CAS after the end of Term 1 and you will continue studying in the next academic year.

    This information will be stated in your CAS when you receive it - if you spot an error with the fees on your CAS, please contact the issuing team. Full or partial payments made to the University towards your tuition fee can be stated on your CAS and deducted from the sum of money you need to show for your fees. Please note, the payment needs to have cleared for this information to be added to your CAS.

    Maintenance

    UKVI calculates the maintenance requirement based on the course duration (or the remaining course duration if you are continuing on a course), rounding up for part month. For example, if your CAS states that your course starts on 30 May and ends on 1 October, you should prepare 5 months of maintenance because the course duration is 4 months and 2 days.

    You will need to evidence £1,023 a month for maintenance (living costs) for each month of your course duration (continuing students should refer to the remaining course duration), up to a maximum of 9 months.

    Therefore, if your course duration is 9 months or more you will need to evidence £9,207 of living costs in addition to the course fees specified on your CAS.

    Some accommodation deposits already paid to the University may be added to your CAS and deducted from the amount you need to evidence.

    The total amount of money you need to prepare can be worked out using this formula:

    Course fees due in your CAS – any fees/deposits already paid to the University in your CAS – any accommodation fees already paid to the university (up to a maximum of £1,265) in your CAS + living costs (£1,015 x number of calendar months of studies, up to £9,135)

    Remember: funds must have been held for a consecutive 28 day period ending no more than 31 days before the date of your application.

    28 days amd 31 days

    You may not be required to evidence fees and/or maintenance depending on your nationality and/or circumstances. This is covered in greater depth, along with examples of financial evidence which can be used, on our Financial Evidence webpage.

    Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

    You will need to pay the IHS as part of the visa application process. It is charged at £776 per year, or £388 per part year up to six months, and is calculated from the end of your current visa until the end of the period of leave you are applying for, including the additional four month 'wrap up' period granted after the course end date on your CAS.

    This is covered in greater detail on our Immigration Health Surcharge webpage.

    Section 5: What documents do I need to submit with my Student Visa application?

    After you have completed the Student Visa application form you will need to upload high definition scans of whichever of the following documents are applicable to your situation. Please ensure that scans are clear and in colour where possible.

    Completed Student visa online application form - see above for the location of the appropriate form

    • Appropriate visa application fees that you will pay online by credit or debit card - cost varies according to application type
    • Appropriate Immigration Health Surcharge fees that you will pay online by credit or debit card
    • CAS (to be obtained from either Admissions or Immigration Service) - copy and paste the CAS number into the visa application form
    • Passport(s) 
    • Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) - if you have been issued one
    • Financial Evidence: If you are a low risk national or have been living in the UK for 12 months or more with valid Student leave at the time of applying then you do not need to submit financial evidence confirming you have the required funds for course fees and maintenance bit we recommend that you prepare this even if you are not required to submit it. For more information, please refer to our webpage on how to evidence money required.
    • Evidence of Financial Sponsor's consent to complete studies if you have been financially fully sponsored over the last 12 months to study a course in the UK and you have completed that course.
      • This must confirm that your sponsor has no objection to you continuing your studies in the UK.
      • If you previously received scholarship from the University of Warwick, the sponsor's consent is not required.
      • If you were previously fully sponsored and continued to receive payments of a lesser amount, you do not need to provide sponsor consent if the last time you were fully sponsored is more than 12 months before the date of your new visa application.
      • If you have not completed your course (for example, you are extending your visa following an academic extension), you do not need to provide sponsor consent.
    • Your academic qualification - You do not need to submit evidence of your qualifications if you are going to study a degree level course (this will be specified in the 'evidence used to obtain offer' section of your CAS), if you are a continuing student applying to extend your leave, or if you are a Low Risk national

    If you have an IB (online award) or have taken A levels in the current academic year (where official certificates are not released until November), it is acceptable to submit the online print-out as long as it is certified by the issuing school/body, or, accompanied by a letter from your school confirming the same results. If the qualification specified in your CAS is NOT the qualification for which your current visa is granted, you must submit written confirmation that you have successfully completed your current course as evidence of 'academic progression'.

    • Certificate of English language qualification (If specified in the 'Evidence used to obtain offer' section of your CAS): Low Risk nationals and continuing students are not required to submit this information,

    If you will be studying a degree level course AND your CAS states that the University has made its own assessment of your English language ability you will not be required to provide evidence. If you will be studying a sub-degree level course (e.g., Pre-sessional English, Diploma course or International Foundation programme), ensure that you scan and upload the same 'IELTS for UKVI' certificate as stated in your CAS, which should be valid at the time you submit your visa application (see English language Test and Certificate)

    • ATAS certificate (if stated on your CAS): this is required for certain science and technology courses at Undergraduate Master's or Postgraduate level as specified in your CAS.

    Additional documents which may be required:

      • If using an overseas account containing a foreign currency, you will need to convert the closing balance into GBP on the 'date of application', (the date you paid the visa application fee). Use OANDA.com website (this is the Home Office approved currency conversion website).
      • For students with dependants: if your spouse is applying as your dependant and they have not previously been granted leave as your dependant you will need to submit your Marriage Certificate and evidence that your relationship is subsisting; if you have children applying as your dependant(s) at the same time or separately, you will also need to submit their Birth Certificate(s). Scanned copies need to be uploaded.

      If you are 16 or 17 years old when making your visa application, you will also need to upload a scanned copy of your parents' consent letter. The letter must confirm:

      • 1) their relationship with you (i.e., they are your legal parents or legal guardians);

        2) that your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have given their consent to your application; and

        3) that your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have given their consent to you living independently in the UK; and

        4) that your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) have given their consent to your independent travel to the UK (if applying from overseas).

        If you have only one parent or legal guardian, or only one who has legal custody or whole responsibility, this must be confirmed in the letter as well. If this statement is not provided, the letter must be signed by both parents and legal guardians.

        You must also provide evidence of your relationship with your parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Acceptable evidence includes one of the following documents:

        a) your birth certificate showing the names of your parent(s),

        b) your certificate of adoption showing the name(s) of your parent(s) or legal guardian(s),

        c) a court document naming your legal guardian(s).

      • If any of your documents are not in English you must upload a scanned copy of a fully certified English translation by a professional translator/translation company. This translation must include: 1) details of the translator/translation company’s credentials; 2) a statement confirming that it is an accurate translation of the document; 3) the translator/translation company’s contact details; 4) date of translation and the signature of the translator or an authorised official of the translation company.

      The University is unable to assist in the translation of documents but there are a couple of local translation companies that may be able to assist you. Their details are below:

      Please note that we are not recommending these companies but are simply providing contact details. You are advised to check the charge for any translations when you make initial contact with any company.

      Alternatively, some embassies may offer a translation service for official documents in their language and there are also qualified individuals and other private companies specialising in translation services. You should, however, ensure that any translations meet all four of the Home Office translation requirements as detailed above.

      Section 6: What happens after I have submitted my Student Visa application?

      After you have submitted your Student Visa application you will have the option to download a pdf of the completed form and document checklist. Make sure that you do this and provide copies to the University by completing the Independent Application Notification Form online.

      If you are already a Warwick student and you are starting another course of study with us or you have applied for further leave to complete an existing course, once we have proof of your new visa application we will update your University immigration record so that you do not receive any further visa expiry reminder emails.

      New students should not upload evidence of their Student Visa application to this form but should instead provide this information during online course registration so that we can assess your right to study: see Permission to Enrol.

      If the UKVI require any further information in order to progress your application they will contact you via the email address provided on your application form. They may also contact you with a link to make a top up payment if you have not paid enough towards the IHS. This will always be from a gov.uk email address. The Home Office will never contact you by telephone to request an additional payment. Be scam smart and contact the University if you are at all concerned.

      Once your application has been considered by a caseworker you will usually be informed of the outcome by email.

      If successful, your new BRP will be sent to the correspondence address stated on your application form, usually within 7 working days after the UKVI has sent you the decision via email. The BRP will be sent by 'signed for' service so you should ensure that someone is at your home address to sign for the delivery. Once you have the new BRP, you will need to return your old BRP to the UKVI by cutting it in half and post it to them (you can find detailed instructions on the decision email).

      When you receive your BRP, check the information on it carefully, particularly the length of leave you have been granted. You will need to report any errors to the Home Office within 10 days.

      Finally, remember to inform the University of the outcome of your Student Visa application and provide a copy of your new BRP so that we can update your University immigration record.

      Section 7: Where can I get help with making a Student Visa application?

      There is comprehensive advice and information about making a Student Visa application from inside the UK on the Immigration Service website.

      If you are an unconditional offer-holder and have received your CAS, or, if you are a continuing student who is eligible to make a Student visa application in the UK, it is possible to obtain assistance from the Immigration Service.

      We offer short 15 minute helpdesk appointments, both face to face on campus and remotely via Teams if you have quick question about the application process, your eligibility to apply from inside the UK, or any other related query.

      If you would prefer that an adviser view your visa application then you can request a 30 minute remote appointment conducted via Teams, where we will ask you to log into your in progress visa application so we can review your answers before submission.

      To make use of this service we advise you to complete the majority of the student visa online application form (using our sample form but without submitting), and to provide financial evidence and academic qualifications (if stated on your CAS). We advise low risk nationals to prepare this information as well.

      Click here to request an appointment with one of our immigration advice team.

      You can also email the Immigration Service with any queries or concerns you may have about your visa application.

      If you are registered on the 10-week or 6-week Pre-sessional English language course and require a visa extension in the UK, you will receive bespoke information from the Immigration Service team before the start of the Pre-sessional course.

      Please note, appointment frequency may be subject to change throughout the year due to other work commitments and adviser availability.

      Section 8: If you have further queries and useful links:

      If, after reading the guidance above, and you are still unsure of what you should do next, please contact Student Immigration to discuss your situation via the following methods:




        Please click on the following links for more information


        University of Warwick:


        UK Government:


        Other contacts:

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