Here are some useful FAQs regarding Student Visas and how ASU London will help you get ready for your visa application. For further guidance, please visit UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the UK Home Office.
To study your course at ASU London, you will require a Student Visa to cover the full duration of your stay in the UK. You may have heard this visa referred to by its old name, the Tier 4 visa.
To be eligible to apply you will need to demonstrate you can meet the Home Office’s financial and documentary requirements, by which point we can issue you with a CAS.
ASU London has the right to sponsor students on Student Visas, and we have international students already studying with us. As a new provider we are currently working towards becoming a ‘Higher Education Provider with a Track Record of Compliance’ with UKVI. This is a requirement for all new sponsoring higher education institutions in the UK and is nothing to be concerned about.
Whilst we work towards earning full privileges with the UKVI there are limitations that apply to those studying on a student visa with us.
CAS stands for Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. Your CAS is an e-document, confirming that ASU London is willing to act as your sponsor for your visa.
The CAS number provided by ASU London is added to your visa application, allowing your UKVI caseworker to access your information virtually.
The caseworker will see your personal details, details about your proposed course of study and any course related fees. You must have your CAS before applying for a Student Route Visa.
To ensure you are ready to be issued with a CAS, ASU London staff will request a range of documents from you. Below is a summary of the documents most students will be required to send to ASU London before a CAS can be issued:
You must have enough money to support yourself while you are studying in the UK. The Home Office uses fixed amounts, which may or may not reflect your actual living costs. Currently you require £13,347 to cover your living/maintenance cost (£1,483 per month for a maximum of 9 months).
If using a parent or legal guardian’s bank statements, they must be accompanied by a letter of consent signed by your parents and proof of the relationship (e.g. birth certificate). The UKVI Finance Guide gives very precise instructions strictly to ensure you meet the financial requirements.
The qualifications you apply for your visa with must be the same you used to receive an offer to study with ASU London and appear on your CAS.
Yes, prior to issuing your CAS, you will be required to pay your course fees deposit. The amount will be stated on your offer letter.
If you are fully funded by an official financial sponsor, as defined in the Student Route Policy Guidance, you will require a letter from your sponsor confirming:
If your official financial sponsor is not covering all of your course fees and maintenance, you must show that you have the rest of the money required withing your financial evidence included with your application.
Yes, there are two payments due at the point of application.
You have to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge and a Visa application fee – see information about each below.
You will have to pay an Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your application.
The Home Office has provided a handy immigration health surcharge tool to calculate how much IHS you need to pay.
The IHS entitles you to use the National Health Service (NHS) in the same way a UK citizen can while you are residing in the UK. It needs to be paid once per application and covers you for the full duration of your visa.
The amount you have to pay for IHS depends on the duration of your visa:
£776 for each year of study
£388 for periods of less than 6 months
The fee to apply for your visa is currently £490.
Students with a Student Visa sponsored by ASU London are unable to work in the UK. You are permitted to accept a volunteering opportunity.
