Applying for a visa

To obtain a Student visa, you must meet the criteria for the application. We will request this as part of your application to study before a Confirmation of Acceptance of Study (CAS) is issued. A deposit is required before we can issue a CAS.

Listed below are important dates for CAS issue for admissions to the September 2024 cohort.

*Dates may be subject to change

• If your programme is longer than six months, you will need a Student visa.
• If you are going to study on an 11-month English language only programme, you will need to apply for the Short-term study visa.
• If your programme is up to six months, you can apply for a Visitor visa. Please be aware that a Visitor visa does not allow you to:
  • extend your stay in the UK to study longer
  • switch into another immigration category in the UK
  • work whilst in the UK

If you already have a valid visa in the UK, this may allow you to study or to switch to a Student visa from within the UK. When you make your application to Edge Hill, please provide a copy of your current visa and we will advise as to whether you can use this to study.

Examples of visas which allow study in the UK include, but are not limited to:

• Indefinite leave to remain
• PBS dependent visa
• Ancestry visa
• Refugee
• Asylum seeker

Visa nationals

Visa nationals are those from specific countries who must apply for a visa to come to the UK prior to arrival. If a visa national is coming to the UK for less than six months, they must still apply for a visa prior to departure and should do this at a visa application centre in the country in which they reside. You should do this as soon as you received your Visa Acceptance Letter from Edge Hill University, but not more than three months before the date you plan to travel to the UK.

To see a list of visa nationals, please visit the UKVI webpage detailing the immigration rule with the list.

Non-visa nationals

If you are a non-visa national, you can apply from your home country before travelling to the UK, or you can get a Visitor visa at the port of entry. We recommend applying for your visa before you travel. Please note that if you are applying for the 11-month Short-term study visa, you must apply for prior entry clearance as this cannot be requested upon arrival to the UK.

You must ensure that you carry your acceptance letter from Edge Hill University and that you do not travel through the Republic of Ireland, as this is part of the common travel area and you will not be subjected to immigration check when you enter the UK.

If you can use the eGates on arrival, then you will need to provide evidence of your date of entry to the UK to the Compliance and Immigration Manager.

The UKVI have provided a list of suggested documents.

Inside the UK

Please contact the International Office immediately with the refusal notice, you will then be advised of options available to you.

+44 1695 657122
[email protected]

Outside the UK

You should inform Edge Hill University immediately if your visa is refused. Please forward the full refusal notice that has been issued to you to the International Office. [email protected]

You may be given the right of an administrative review by the UKVI.

An administrative review means your application is considered by another UKVI officer who was not involved in the initial decision. An administrative review is free and must be requested within 28 days of the refusal notice being issued. Edge Hill University may be able to support you through an administrative review, depending on the reasons you were refused initially. Therefore, please do keep the international office informed.

In some instances an administrative review may not be the best course of action due to the time a review can take or the situation of your refusal, in these cases Edge Hill will advise you whether a new application could be submitted.

Most students have no problems during their studies and are able to complete their programme on time. However, students may occasionally face problems that interrupt their studies or cause issues and delays for the student programme. Some students may have to re-sit exams, repeat a year of study, or ask for special consideration due to personal issues.

For Student visas, please contact the compliance and immigration manager in the first instance as there may be visa implications.

For all enrolled students, there is information regarding resits and programme extensions on the Academic Registry webpage. Alternatively, call in to the Student Administration Centre for advice.

If you already have a valid visa in the UK, this may allow you to study or to switch to a Student visa from within the UK. When you make your application to study, please provide a copy of your current visa and we will provide individual advice as to whether you can use this to study or if you are able to switch visas from within the UK.

Examples of visas which allow study in the UK include, but are not limited to:

• Indefinite leave to remain
• PBS dependent visa
• Ancestry visa
• Refugee
• Asylum seeker

In order to apply for a student visa, UK visas and immigration (UKVI) require evidence that you have enough money to support yourself while studying in the UK, including your tuition fees and living costs. This is referred to as ‘maintenance’.

When applying for a Student visa you will need to show maintenance for both your tuition fees and living costs.

Tuition fees

You are required to show the first year’s programme fee (if the programme is on year or less you will be require to show the full fee).

Living costs

You are required to show a monthly living costs amount up to a maximum of nine months.

The UKVI will only accept certain documents to show you have sufficient finance for your studies in the UK. Most students show a bank or building society statement or confirmation letter from the bank. This can be from a personal account, or an account belonging to a parent or legal guardian. If you are providing a bank statement as evidence of funds it must show the following:

• Your name or your parent/guardian’s name(s)
• The account number
• The date of the statement, which must be dated within one calendar month prior to the date of application
• The financial institution’s name and logo
• The amount of money available. This should be at the required amount for at least 28 days, and the money should still be available to you at the time of application and when your application is being considered
• The statement can be no older than 31 days on the date of visa application

Other documents such as building society pass book, letter from bank/building society/financial institution confirming funds or a loan letter if you are in the UK are acceptable. For more information on these documents please see the gov.uk webpage.

If you are submitting your parents’ or legal guardian’s financial documents, you must also include one of the following original documents and translation if necessary:

• Your birth certificate. Make sure your parents’ names are the same on the birth certificate as the bank statement. If they are not, provide evidence of why, for example, a marriage certificate
• Certificate of adoption showing names of both parents or legal guardian
• Court document naming the legal guardian.

Your parents or guardian should also provide a letter confirming the following:

• Their name
• The relationship between you and them
• The amount of money available to you. Ideally, this should be the same as on their bank statement
• That they give consent to the money being used for your education in the UK

Please note: the UKVI does not accept financial evidence from certain financial institutions in certain countries, before submitting any financial documents please ensure they are approved by the UKVI. Visit the UKVI webpage for more information.

you are sponsored by Edge Hill University for your tuition and maintenance, you do not need to show any further evidence to the UKVI as this will be stated on your CAS. Please note if you are sponsored as a graduate teaching assistant for doctoral studies and the scholarship does not cover full living costs, then you will be required to demonstrate the shortfall through personal finances.

If you are sponsored by an official sponsor, for example your home government, the British Council, an international organization, international company, university or independent school, you will need to provide evidence of this. The evidence must be in the form of a letter with the following details:

• Your name
• The name and contact details of your official sponsor
• The date of the letter
• The length of sponsorship
• The amount of money the sponsor is giving you, or a statement saying that your official sponsor will cover all your tuition and maintenance costs.

If your sponsor only cover part of your tuition/maintenance costs you will need to provide evidence for the remaining amount, for example personal bank statements.

If you have studied in the UK, you will need to provide copies of all previous visas and Confirmations of Acceptance of Study (CAS). Edge Hill will then provide you with further guidance.

Please be aware that the UKVI have set time limits as to how long you can be sponsored as on a Student visa. If below degree level, you can study for a maximum of two years. At degree level (undergraduate), you are limited to five years studying in the UK.

Students from certain countries studying at Edge Hill for a programme of six months or more must be tested for Tuberculosis before they arrive. Find out more information and view the list of countries where you need a TB test to enter the UK.

If your course is below degree level, then you will be required to submit any academic qualifications which have been used to gain entry to Edge Hill University with your visa application, as listed on your CAS. If you are unsure which qualification(s) you will need to submit, please email the International Office.

All applicants for courses below degree-level are required to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT). These are the only UKVI approved tests.

For all undergraduate and higher programmes (RQF level 6 or above), you may use any of the Edge Hill University accepted English language qualifications at the required level, available on our Entry Requirements page. You may be exempt if you are from a UKVI defined majority English speaking country or have a qualification that is the equivalent of a UK bachelor’s degree from a majority English speaking county

Other qualifications can be considered by Edge Hill University on an individual basis along with your application. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact us using the enquiry form.

Student visa credibility interviews take place both within and outside the UK and form one part of the visa application process. You will be sent an email asking you to attend an interview as part of the application process. Please ensure that you are checking your emails regularly (including your junk/spam folder).

Pages 14 to 16 of the UKVI document cover the ‘Genuine Student Rule’

Your interview:

• During the interviews, a member of the Home Office will ask you a series of questions about your course, where you want to study, and your reasons for studying in the UK.
• Interviews are conducted in English and possibly by via video link. The report of your interview will be sent to either your Caseworker or the Entry Clearance Officer who will make a decision about your visa application.
• The Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied that you are a genuine student, and that your English language ability is at the correct level, otherwise you might be called for a further interview and/or your entry clearance application may be refused.

The Home Office advises that this new interview process is designed to detect potential abuse of the visa system – not to trip up genuine students. You will, however, need to talk in detail about research into other countries (including your own), other universities and other courses. You must explain why the UK, Edge Hill, and your course were chosen and why the others were not chosen. Your answers must be individual. The UKVI will dismiss generic statements that anyone could Google and repeat.

The interviewer will also be checking your ability to converse in English. If there is any issue with hearing them clearly including via the video link, you should ensure that you raise this so that they are aware that it is a technical issue not one of comprehension.

Student visa applicants studying a programme which has a duration of longer than 6 months are required to pay the IHS. This is due to increase in October 2020 to £470 per year (£235 for any period of time up to six months), this is calculated against the length of leave granted not the length of the programme.

For more information please click here

Academic progression is an important part of the Student visa application, and it will dictate whether you can make your visa application in the UK.

If you make your Student visa application from inside the UK, your new period of studies must represent academic progression from your studies in the UK to date.

Academic progression means that:

• you have successfully completed (meaning achieved the award for) the most recent programme of study in the UK for which you were given a Student visa
• your new course is at a higher level than your previous programme OR complementary study (this means it must be a specialisation of your previous studies, or a new programme which, combined with previous studies, will allow you to achieve your career goals).

You do not need to show academic progression if:

• you are making a student application from outside the UK
• you are applying to resit and exam or repeat a course, or you have previously resat an exam or repeated a course, and you need extra time to complete your programme
• you are applying for more time to complete your PhD for which you were last granted a student visa (including at a new sponsor)
• you are applying to undertake a role as a Sabbatical Officer
• you are applying under the Doctorate Extension Scheme (DES)

Students who are applying to move to a higher level on certain integrated programmes do not need to have successfully completed their most recent programme to demonstrate academic progression.

The University will assess whether you meet the academic progression requirements before they issue you with a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Please note that for applications outside the UK, academic progression must still be demonstrated for credibility grounds in order to demonstrate that you are a genuine student.

ATAS is required by all international students hoping to study a postgraduate qualification in certain sensitive subjects. The need for ATAS is not limited to Student visas and is also required by those with existing immigration permissions.

You will be informed upon application to Edge Hill University if you need to apply for an ATAS certificate. The ATAS application must be made before the CAS can be issued.

More information and how to apply for an ATAS certificate.