Student Visa Application Process

A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a document with a unique electronic reference number issued by your sponsoring university. It confirms your passport information, course and university details, the qualifications and English language proficiency your admission offer was based on, and information about your tuition fees and payments made.

Your CAS informs UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), the UK Government body responsible for issuing student visas, that the University will sponsor your visa. While the University acts as your sponsor, UKVI issues your visa and grants you permission to enter and remain in the UK during your studies.

You will receive a CAS statement containing a unique reference number, which is required to submit your UK student visa application to UKVI. You cannot apply for a visa without a CAS number.

For more information regarding the CAS process, please visit our How to get your CAS page. You can find our Preparing for your CAS & UK Student Visa’ guide and other resources on this page which will help you understand the process in more detail.

Once you have been issued a CAS from the Office of Global Services UK (OGS UK) you will be able to submit your UK student visa application online to the UKVI. OGS UK will provide you with a visa application guide, specifically tailored to your nationality to help you answer the questions in the application accurately.

You should apply for your UK student visa as soon as you receive your CAS from OGS UK. There may be delays in the UKVI processing visa applications in peak times before September and January intakes. You must follow the step-by-step instructions provided in your visa application guide which will be sent to your email address alongside your CAS statement.

OGS UK will support you with any questions you have during the process. You will have an assigned Student Immigration Compliance Officer who you can contact directly through your CAS Shield profile.

You can also find out more information regarding the student visa application process on GOV.UK.

You can only apply for a UK student visa in a country where you have the right to reside (e.g. You are a national of that country, or you have permanent residence). You cannot apply for your UK student visa in a country you are visiting. You will need to provide evidence of your right to reside if you are applying in a different country to your nationality on the passport you are using for your application.

There are two mandatory fees associated with the student visa application. The application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge.

The student visa application fee is £524.

There might be optional additional services when you proceed further if you decide to use an expedited service to reduce the processing time of your application. If you would like to use the priority service (reducing processing time of your application from 3-4 weeks to 5 working days*), it will be additional £500. If you would like to use super priority service (reducing the processing time to 2 working days), it will be additional £1,000. Please ensure to check what services are available at your local visa centre here.

*Please note there may still be delays in UKVI processing in peak times, regardless of service selected.

The IHS is a mandatory payment as part of visa application, which provides students with access to National Health Services (NHS) during their stay in the UK. Please note that you will need to pay your IHS charge before you complete your visa application.

The IHS fee is £776 per year of visa duration and you will need to pay an additional half a year for your visa wrap up period if your course is longer than 12 months. You will be asked to pay the full IHS fee at the point of submitting your visa application.

You can find further information about how the IHS is calculated on GOV.UK.

After you submit your student visa application online, you will be prompted to submit your biometrics. Depending on your nationality, you will either submit your biometrics on an app or at an in-person appointment at a VFS Global center (see more information below). Please note that the processing of your visa application will not begin until your biometrics have been submitted.

EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals:

If you are submitting your application with a EU/EEA/Swiss passport you will complete your biometrics online via the UKVI ID Check mobile app. You will be provided with a biometrics guide alongside your CAS which will guide you through using the mobile app.

Non-EU/EEA/Swiss Nationals:

You will be prompted to book an appointment to provide biometric information at a VFS Global Centre. You will be provided with a biometrics guide alongside your CAS which will help you book the appointment and identify which documents you will need to provide as part of your visa processing.

Processing times

You can typically expect to receive a decision on your visa within 3-4 weeks after submitting your biometrics, unless you pay for a priority or super priority service to reduce the processing time of your application. Please note there may still be delays in UKVI processing during peak times, regardless of service selected or if the UKVI require more time to consider your application.

Additional information requested by the UKVI

You should check your emails regularly to check if the UKVI have requested any further information or documents from you. If you are contacted by the UKVI, please inform OGS UK immediately, so they can advise accordingly. You will usually be asked to provide additional information to UKVI within 10 days of the request. Failure to provide the correct information within the requested timeframe will result in a visa refusal.

Credibility Interviews with the UKVI

As part of your application, you may be asked to attend an interview with the UKVI. If you are invited to an interview by the UKVI and you do not attend, your visa will be refused.

The credibility interview is for the UKVI to ascertain that you are a genuine and credible student. The interview is also an opportunity for the UKVI to check that you can speak English to the required standard. If you are asked to attend an interview by the UKVI and you cannot demonstrate the correct level of English, or that you have genuine intentions to study, your visa will be refused.

If you are contacted by the UKVI to attend a credibility interview, please inform OGS UK immediately, so they can advise accordingly.

You will receive an email from the UKVI once a decision has been made on your student visa application. Once you have received your visa decision, you will need to update OGS UK on CAS Shield of the outcome.

Successful decision

If your visa application has been successful, you will receive an email from the UKVI with instructions on how to generate your eVisa and Share Code to prove your visa status. You can find more information about generating your eVisa and Share Code on GOV.UK.

You will need to upload your Share Code to CAS Shield so OGS UK can view your eVisa and check for any errors. You will need to complete the ‘Travel Docs’ section in CAS Shield prior to your registration at the University. You can find more information about registration here.

Visa refusal

If your visa has been refused, you will receive an email from the UKVI with a visa refusal letter. You must forward this email to OGS UK immediately for guidance.

The date you can enter the UK will be the ‘valid from’ date on your decision email and eVisa. Do not enter the UK before this date (even on any other immigration status, such as the Standard Visitor Visa or ETA) as you will have not entered the UK on the correct visa and will have to leave and re-enter on the correct visa before you can complete registration.

You can contact the Office of Global Services UK (OGS UK) via email – ogsuk@nulondon.ac.uk or via telephone +44 (0) 207 637 4550 (Office hours are Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m.)