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  5. Current location: Making a Student visa application inside the UK

Making a Student visa application inside the UK

Find out everything you need to know about applying for a Student visa from inside the UK.

Before you begin your Student visa application

Contact us if you need to discuss your situation further.

Important: Student visas are only valid for use on the course of study at the institution they were issued for. If you have a Student visa that was issued for study at another institution (such as another university or the International Study Centre), you must apply to extend your visa before you can enrol at Sussex.

Stages of a Student visa application

  1. Preparing your Student visa application
  2. Applying for your Student visa
  3. During your Student visa application
  4. Receiving your Student visa
  5. The next steps

  1. Preparing your application

    When making a visa application, you have to follow the rules and requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration.

    To ensure that you have a successful Student visa application, you should follow the guidance on our website pages below on what documents to prepare and the proof of funds requirement.

    Documents you need for a Student visa

    The exact documents needed will be different for each student, depending on your circumstances. See what you need to provide. 

    Proof of funds

    You may need to show that you have the funds available to pay for your course fees and enough funds to maintain yourself while in the UK.

    To see our guidance on what documents are accepted and in what format check our proof of funds page for more details. Please be aware that the proof of funds requirement may be different if you have been in the UK for over 12 months. 

    Dependants

    Check if you are eligible to have dependants with you in the UK.

  2. Applying for your Student visa

    When you can apply

    • If you’re starting a new course at Sussex, the earliest you can apply is three months before your course start date.
    • If you’re continuing at Sussex as a result of extending your current course, you can start the process of getting a new visa by asking for a CAS when you are within six months of your current visa expiry date.
    • If you're currently on a Graduate Route visa, you will need to have applied for and received a successful decision on your Student visa application before you can register to begin your studies at Sussex so you should do this as soon as possible.
    • You must apply on, or before your current visa exprity date to avoid becoming an overstayer.

    If you think you submitted your Student visa application after your visa expiry date, please contact us urgently.

    Important: You should not leave the UK or Common Travel Area while your Student visa application is being processed. Don’t make any travel plans until you get your new visa. If you need to leave the UK urgently, please contact us.

    Cost of application

    • It costs £490 to apply outside the UK.
    • You also have to pay the Immigration health surcharge (IHS) which is £776 per year of your course.
    • You can use the surcharge calculator to find out the cost.

    Apply online for your Student visa

    You must apply online for your Student visa. 

    The standard processing time for a Student visa application made inside the UK is usually 8 weeks. Check the processing times.

    You may be able to pay for a faster decision on your Student visa application. All Student visa applications (whether standard or priority) can take longer than the advertised processing times if deemed by UKVI as not straightforward.

    Apply online via the UKVI website

  3. During your Student visa application

    Submitting biometrics

    You’ll either:
    • use the UK Immigration: ID Check app
    • give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a UKVCAS centre

    You'll be told what to do when you apply.

    Credibility interview

    You may need to do a credibility interview (done via a video link) with UKVI as part of your Student visa application. You will be informed if this is required.

    If you don’t attend your interview, your Student visa application may be refused.

    Find out how to prepare for your credibility interview.

    Submitting proof of your Student visa application to us

    • If you're a new student at Sussex, you'll need to follow the registration process as we can't register you for a new course without this.
    • If you're a current student, you'll need to submit proof of your Student visa application to show that you submitted it in time.

    We cannot register you for a new course, or keep you on your current course, without this.

    Waiting for a decision

    While waiting for a decision on your Student visa application, UKVI may contact you to request further information.

    You should frequently check your emails, including the spam and junk folders.

    As long as you apply on or before your current visa expiry date, you are allowed to remain in the UK until a decision is made on your Student visa application.

  4. Receiving your Student visa

    You will be contacted by the UKVI via email informing you of the outcome of your Student visa application. This email is referred to as the “Decision/Grant letter”. If you are successful, it will tell you:

    • the validity of your Student visa
    • conditions of your Student visa
    • whether your Student visa will be physical or digital.

    Important: If you receive a visa refusal contact our international advice team as soon as possible and we can advise on the next steps.

    Evidence of your Student visa

    If your application is successful, you’ll get either a:

    Find out about your Student visa and how to use it.

    Once you have evidence of the outcome of your Student visa application, please send a copy of it to our colleagues in Studentprogressvisa@sussex.ac.uk (for Bachelor or Master students) or Researchstudentvisa@sussex.ac.uk (PhD students) so that they can update our records with the correct visa information.

    Receiving your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

    If UKVI inform you that you should receive a physical BRP, this will be sent to the address you gave on the Student visa application.

    Your BRP should follow within 10 days of a decision being made.

    How long your Student visa will last

    If your course is:

    • 12 months or longer, you receive a Student visa that is the length of your course plus four months
    • between six and 12 months long, you receive a Student visa that is the length of your course plus two months
    • less than six months long, you receive a Student visa that is the length of your course plus seven days.

    If you are a current student at Sussex extending your Student visa, you should make sure that you have received the extra four months to your course. 

    Important: If you're extending your Student visa to continue with a current course at Sussex, you should make sure that you've received the four months wrap up period on the end of your visa after your course end date on your CAS.

    If you’re studying a pre-sessional course which is less than six months, you receive a Student visa that is the length of your course plus one month.

    Checking your Student visa is correct

  5. The next steps

    Registration for new students

    See our guidance for registration.

    Once you have received your new visa and made sure it's correct, you should send a copy of it to us. If you're sending us your visa during the registration period in September, you'll need to email: InternationalStudentReg@sussex.ac.uk

    Enrolment for current students

    Once you have received your new visa and made sure it's correct, you should send a copy of it to the email address below.

See more from Applying for a student visa