Documents required

Submitting documents with your Student Visa application

The documents you need to provide with your visa application depend on your circumstances. Some documents are mandatory and others need to be provided depending on your circumstances and what your CAS says. The following list should help you to work out what documents you will need to provide. It's important to provide all of the documents needed, as not doing so can cause a visa refusal.

Student Visa documents

• A current passport

• Qualifications - You will need to provide the qualifications as stated in your CAS. If no qualifications are listed in your CAS, you are not required to provide any.

• English language evidence - Your CAS will confirm how your English language ability has been assessed by the university. If it has been assessed by you providing a certificate or qualification, then this will be mentioned in your CAS, and you must provide the certificate listed. If no English language qualifications are listed in your CAS, then you will not need to provide any with your application.

• Translations - If any document is not in English, the original must be accompanied by a full translation. The translation must contain validation from the translator that it is an exact translation of the original document as well the translations company’s contact details and the date of the translation.

• Proof of finances - You need to provide evidence that you have a specific amount of money available to you for tuition fees and living costs in the UK. See our webpages for guidance on the financial requirements and how to demonstrate your finances. Failure to provide finance documents which meet the requirements could lead to a visa refusal.

• Under 18 consent - If you are under the age of 18 when you start your studies, you will need to provide a letter of consent from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) as well as your birth certificate or adoption certificate.

• Your tuberculosis test result - If you're coming to the UK for more than 6 months and are resident in one of the countries which require a TB test, you may need to take a tuberculosis (TB) test. Once you have had your TB test, if it is clear, you will be given a certificate which can be used to support your Student Visa application. This certificate is valid for 6 months. Unfortunately, you will be unable to make your Student Visa application without this certificate.

• ATAS Certificate - Some international students on postgraduate programmes need an ATAS (Academic Technology Approval Scheme) certificate. See our ATAS information for more guidance.

Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS)

This is the electronic document that you will receive from the university via email, which is essential to making your Student Visa application. You should note that as the CAS is electronic, you only need to provide the CAS reference number in your visa application form and there is no requirement to provide a paper copy.

Information about getting your CAS for a new programme of study

Information about getting your CAS for extending your visa (continuing on the same programme of study with an extension.)

Differentiation arrangements

If you are a national of a country listed under the differential evidence requirement, you do not need to provide qualifications or finance evidence with your visa application.

However, you may still need to have these documents available, because UKVI reserves the right to ask you to send them the documentary evidence during the processing of the visa application. If you are asked to provide the documents and cannot do so within a specified time, it is likely that your visa application will be refused.

Whether you fall under the differentiation arrangements or not depends on your nationality.  You can find a list of nationalities that fall under the differentiation arrangements in the gov.uk webpages about information on financial evidence for a Student Visa application.

Further advice

If you need advice regarding your visa application or the documents, you can contact the International Student Advice Service.