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Immigration and visas

Student route: Your finances

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Do not wait until you are about to make your Student visa application to find out what money you need to hold, and how long you have to hold it for, as it is likely you will not have what you need to apply in time.

When applying for a Student visa, you will need to show that you have enough money to cover both your course fees and living costs. The Home Office refers to this as financial requirements.

The most common reason for a UKVI caseworker to refuse a Student visa application is on financial grounds or because the evidence supplied does not meet the requirements. The information below sets out what you need to do to prevent this from happening.

Your CAS application

If you’re applying to start a new course at Essex, you will be asked in your CAS application on CAS Shield to tell us how you will meet the financial requirements when you make your Student visa application. Make sure to have your bank statements or other financial documents ready when you complete your CAS application.

You may also be asked to upload your financial documents to be checked and verified (in some cases, with your bank) before we will issue a CAS.

Money you need for your Student visa

When you apply for your Student visa, you must show you have enough money to cover your tuition fees and living costs and include the right financial evidence with your application.

Your funds must stay available for these purposes until your visa is granted. Only use them to pay your course fees or living expenses once you’re in the UK and studying.

Tuition fees

Any payments you’ve already made to the University will appear on your CAS.
Any University of Essex scholarships will also be listed.
You’ll need to show you have enough money to pay any remaining balance.

Living costs

Because our campuses are outside London, the Home Office requires you to show that you have:

£1,171 per month, up to a maximum of £10,539 in total.
If you’ve paid for University accommodation (and it’s shown on your CAS), you can deduct up to £1,483 from the amount needed for living costs.

Course length

If your course includes part of a month, round it up to the next whole month.

Example: If your course lasts 7 months and 2 weeks, you must show you have funds for 8 months.

Other costs to budget for

the visa application fee, and
the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), if applicable.

Financial evidence

If you're a national of a low-risk country (as listed in in ST 22.1 of Immigration Rules: Appendix Student), you must prepare financial evidence in the correct format but do not need to submit it with your initial application. All other applicants (unless exempt) must include this evidence.

Your financial documents must meet strict Home Office requirements. If they don’t, your visa application may be refused.

Accepted forms of financial evidence include:

Personal bank statements
Certificate(s) of deposit
Letter from your bank or a regulated financial institution
Letter from an official financial sponsor
Loan confirmation from a government or regulated institution
Passbook statements from a building society

Important: Unless using a loan letter, your documents must show the required funds were held for 28 consecutive days, and the final date of this period must be within 31 days of your application date.

Using someone else's bank account

You can use your parent(s) or legal guardian’s bank account as financial evidence—or your partner’s, if you're applying together. However, you must also provide documents that prove your relationship and meet Home Office requirements.

You cannot use the account of other relatives or friends.

If you're using a parent or guardian’s funds, make sure to read the UKCISA guidance for full details on what’s required (see Need help? below).

Low-risk applicants and financial evidence

If your passport is from a country listed in Appendix Student (ST 22.1), you're considered a low-risk applicant.

This means you don’t need to submit financial documents, academic qualifications, or English language evidence with your Student route application. However, you must still have them ready in the correct format and be able to provide them if requested by UKVI within the deadline.

Are you exempt?

You are exempt from the financial requirements if:

You are applying for Student permission inside the UK and you have been living in the UK for 12 months or more with valid immigration permission at the time of your application or;
You are applying from inside or outside the UK as a Student Union Sabbatical Officer or as a doctor or dentist in training on a recognised foundation programme.

Please refer to Immigration Rules: Appendix Finance for further details. If you are exempt, you will not need to meet the financial requirements or provide any financial documents.

Need help?

The financial information section of CAS Shield helps you to calculate the money you need.
UKCISA has helpful information on their website
Contact UKCISA’s free student advice line
Read the relevant Immigration Rules
Financial requirements caseworker guidance
If you are applying to extend your –Student visa from within the UK, you can contact SU Advice by emailing suadvice@essex.ac.uk for assistance.

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