Student visa: CAS guide

Accept your offer in good time: We recommend applicants accept their course offer no later than 6 weeks before their desired course start date. If you are unable to commit to the visa application process within this timeframe, we may need to postpone your start date.

Name any parties: Our team will help you throughout the visa application process, however, if you want to nominate an agent or school/family representative to speak on your behalf during the application process, please ask for their details to be added to your applicant record. We are unable to speak with any unnamed parties.

Check your English language requirements: As part of your offer, you may need to take an English Language test to meet the requirements of the course. As a private provider, currently in our sponsorship probation period with UKVI, you must provide a IELTS Academic for UKVI test report or be a ‘national’ applying from a country on the Exemption List (EL 4.1)

You’ll need to meet all conditions of your offer before we apply for your visa.

You’ll need evidence of funding for your tuition fees and your living expenses, including accommodation. There are strict requirements for the amounts and forms of evidence accepted by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). It’s essential to get it right or your application will be rejected.

PLEASE NOTE: Not all visa applicants will be asked to submit these documents at initial point of application, but UKVI may request to check these documents at any point through the application process (see Things to Note section below).

Start planning your financial evidence early – ideally a few weeks before you plan to make your visa application. If you or your parents will pay for your living costs, you will need bank statements showing you have held the required funds in your account for at least 28 days. The statement must be no more than 31 days old before you submit your visa application.

Before we issue your CAS you must:
• Demonstrate living expenses of £1,334 per month for the first nine months of your course (£12,006) – or for the full course duration if it’s shorter than nine months. Due to fluctuations in exchange rates, we would recommend aiming for £12,500.
• Pay your first year deposit of £4,000 and show the remaining year’s fees available in your account

Tuition fees you have already paid to TEDI-London will be noted in your CAS.

Take time to prepare your financial evidence correctly so that your visa application is successful.

>> Please read our Guide to Financial Evidence.

It’s wise to prepare your supporting documents early, as with your financial evidence, so that you can apply quickly once you are ready to start the visa application process.

Make sure you have your original academic certificates and transcripts, and English language test certificate if needed. We will also need a copy of your Passport and any Residence Permits you hold.

Your TEDI-London Visa Officer will confirm which documents you need to submit as evidence. The documents required will also be detailed on your CAS.

PLEASE NOTE: Not all visa applicants will be asked to submit these documents at initial point of application, but UKVI may request to check these documents at any point through the application process.

Students from some countries must take a tuberculosis test. Check on the UK government website to see if this applies to you.

Some students may need extra documents, including:

• official translations of any evidence not originally provided in English
• a letter of parental consent if you are under 18
• evidence about any changes to your name
• birth certificate, if providing parents’ bank statements
• sponsorship letter, if providing parents’ bank statements

All documents must be certified copies.

Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is an essential part of your visa application: it shows that we are accepting you as a student and expect you to attend our course. We can only issue a CAS to students who have firmly accepted our offer and met all their offer conditions.

Your TEDI-London Visa Officer will review your documents with the visa team to ensure that all documents meet the visa regulations stated in the Home Office Student Visa Guidance.

They may ask you to make some changes to your documents or source additional documents. Please be assured this is to ensure you have a positive outcome for your visa application – they are there to help!

Once your documents have been reviewed and approved, your Visa Officer will draft your CAS and Acceptance letter

You’re nearly there!

Once you have the go ahead from your Visa Officer, you can start completing your student visa application form.

We will ask you to complete all sections up to the Sponsor information section, which we will fill in for you. Please do not submit your form or sign the declaration before you have been issued with your CAS number.

Should you need one to one help with your form, please let your Visa Officer know. Support can be provided via video call.

Your Visa Officer will send you a copy of your draft CAS and Acceptance letter for review. This is your opportunity to point out any changes you would like to request, such as how you are addressed in the documents or to highlight any inaccuracies. This is an important stage of the process, as only minimal changes can be made to the CAS once it has been confirmed.

We will then send you a final version of your documents. You can add your CAS number on your online application form, and then submit the form.

It currently costs £490 (correct on May 2024) to apply for a Student Visa from outside the UK (additional fees are payable for expedited services).

You’ll also be required to pay the IHS (International Health Surcharge) in addition to your fee. This entitles you to medical, dental and emergency care at the same rate UK nationals pay. To work out how much you’ll need to pay, please use the IHS Calculator.

As part of your application, you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and what type of passport you have.

You’ll either need to :
• give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a visa application centre
• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document – you’ll also create or sign into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account

You may also be selected for a ‘credibility interview’. This is a short interview via video link with UKVI staff in the UK. The purpose is to check that you are coming to the UK as a genuine student, so you will be asked questions about your course, your reasons for studying in the UK and reasons for choosing TEDI-London. Credibility interviews are increasingly uncommon but are more likely to take place in certain ‘higher risk’ countries.

Increasingly, UKVI are relying less on in-person appointments. Some or all these steps may be conducted online.

From Spring 2024, paper copies of visas and residence cards have been replaced by E-visas. An E-visa will show the type of visa you hold and any conditions of your visa, such as expiry dates, working rights, etc.

If your application is straightforward, you will receive an E-visa which means you’ll not need to wait for or collect a physical visa once your application has been approved. You might still need to provide your biometric information in person at a visa centre, but you will be informed by UKVI if this is the case.

Your visa will allow you to enter the UK as a student up to 30 days before your course. PLEASE DO NOT come any earlier than this as you may enter on the wrong permissions and complicate matters with your Student Visa.

Your Visa Officer will ask for a code where you can share your details of your E-visa with us. If we need to make any corrections, we will always strive to request corrections before you leave your country of application.

IMPORTANT

If your visa has been refused, the reasons will be stated in the decision letter. Please contact your Visa Officer immediately and include a copy of the decision letter. We can advise you on whether you should appeal this decision or make a new application, which will require a new CAS from us.

Please note: TEDI-London reserves the right to refuse a second CAS, should the refusal letter imply any future visa application is likely to be unsuccessful.

Conditions of your visa
Due to TEDI-London being a relatively new visa sponsor, we do not yet have ‘full privileges’ with UKVI – these will come after further Home Office audits and building up additional years towards our ‘record of compliance’.

All sponsoring institutions must go through this approval process, so it is very normal and nothing to be concerned about. However, please do note the following important points:

Working rights
TEDI-London students are not permitted to work during their studies. This includes unpaid internships and own business startups. This applies for the entirety of your course.
Graduate / other visa changes
TEDI-London students are unable to switch to a different type of visa within the UK. They are also not yet eligible to apply for the 2-year Graduate Visa.

In most cases, the rights you are granted at the start of your visa remain in place for the full duration of your studies.

Our dedicated team will proactively keep you informed about any changes to visa regulations and up to date travel information during your studies.