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Getting a UK Student Visa is more than filling in a form and waiting. Between 2024 and 2026, the Home Office reshaped who can bring family, how much the Visa really costs, and how parents can visit. Most guides online still repeat the same generic checklist. This guide covers the entire UK Student Visa application – from CAS to decision — including the real all-in cost, the dependent ban, ETA rules for visiting parents, and what to do if your Visa is refused.
Quick Overview
| Visa type | Student Visa, sponsored by a licensed UK institution |
| Who it’s for | Applicants aged 16+ with an unconditional offer from a licensed UK Student institution |
| When to apply | Up to 6 months before your course starts (outside the UK) |
| Decision time | Typically 3 weeks outside the UK, 8 weeks inside the UK |
| Core requirement | A valid CAS, proof of funds, and (for certain nationalities) a TB test certificate |
Step-by-Step Application Process
The Real Cost of a UK Student Visa
Most guides quote the Visa fee and stop. Here’s the full stack, per applicant:
| Cost Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa application fee | £558 | Pay upon submission |
| Immigration Health Surcharge | £776/year | Pay upfront for your full course duration |
| TB test | £65–£120 | Only if required by nationality |
| Document translation | Varies | Required for non-English documents |
| Priority service (optional) | £500–£1,000+ | Not available in every country |
Maintenance funds: £1,529/month for London courses, £1,171/month outside London (up to 9 months), held separately from tuition shown on your CAS.
The Dependant Ban: What’s Changed and Who’s Exempt
This is the biggest policy shift since 2024, and most guides still gloss it over. Since 1 January 2024, most Student Visa holders can no longer bring a partner or children — ruling out the majority of one-year taught Master’s students.
Still exempt:
- PhD and other doctoral students
- Research-based postgraduate degrees (where research outweighs taught modules)
- Government-sponsored students on courses longer than 6 months
No longer eligible, regardless of finances:
- Taught Master’s students (MSc, MA, MBA, LLM)
- Undergraduate students
- Pre-sessional English or foundation students
If you already had dependants in the UK before the change, you can generally extend their stay, but no new applications are possible unless your course qualifies. “Postgraduate” alone doesn’t guarantee eligibility — it must specifically be a research degree, so check your course’s classification on your CAS before accepting an offer.
Since Dependants Are Restricted — Can Parents Still Visit?
With most dependant routes closed, many families ask whether parents can at least visit for graduation or a holiday. In most cases, yes — the route just depends on nationality, not the student’s course type.
Visa-exempt nationalities (most EU/EEA countries, the US, Canada, Australia, and around 84 in total) don’t need a Standard Visitor Visa. Since the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme became fully mandatory on 25 February 2026, they instead need an ETA: £20, applied for online or via the UK ETA app, valid for 2 years (or until the passport expires), and good for multiple visits of up to 6 months each, covering tourism and visiting family. Every traveller needs their own ETA, including children — and carriers now refuse boarding without one, so apply well ahead of the trip.
Nationalities that still require a Visa to visit the UK (e.g. India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria) aren’t covered by the ETA. They’ll need a Standard Visitor Visa instead — a longer application with supporting documents and a fee well above the ETA’s £20.
Switching In-Country, Part-Time & Distance Study
If Your Visa Is Refused
A refusal isn’t the end of the road. Depending on why it happened, you have three options:
Before you submit, check your application against the most common refusal triggers: financial evidence held for the wrong period, unexplained gaps in your study history, and CAS details that don’t match your passport exactly.
Credibility Interviews: When They Actually Happen
UK Student Visa applications aren’t routinely interviewed. A credibility interview only happens if a caseworker flags a specific concern — for example, weak ties to your home country or inconsistencies between your CAS and your academic history. If you’re not contacted for one, there’s nothing to prepare for.
Summary
A UK Student Visa comes down to four things: a valid CAS, proof of funds held for the full 28-day window, the correct supporting documents, and an honest read of your own eligibility — especially around dependants. Budget for the full cost stack (Visa fee, IHS, TB test), not just the headline fee. If your course doesn’t qualify you to bring a partner or children, plan around visits instead: check whether your parents need an ETA or a Standard Visitor Visa well before booking flights. And if you’re ever refused, don’t panic — most refusals come down to a fixable documentation issue, not a dead end.
