International students

Extending your student visa in the UK

Important information

Please make your in-UK Tier 4 (General) and PBS Dependant applications using the 'Print & Send' application on the UKBA website - not the 'Online' application.

We will not be operating Student Batch Scheme from August to mid-October 2013.

Remember, you should only take immigration advice from a regulated adviser - look out for the OISC 'tick' logo on any websites you use.

Please be aware that UKBA regularly change the application forms and policy guidance and therefore you must check the UK Border Agency website before submitting your application.

Extending your student visa in the UK

International Student Support has prepared a Tier 4 (General) information booklet to help you complete your application. Whichever way you choose to make your application, it is your responsibility to ensure that you apply for your visa in good time, well before your existing visa expires.

Under the points-based immigration rules, the university must keep a copy of your passport and your new visa or Biometric Residence Permit. It is your responsibility to ensure that you bring your passport and visa or Biometric Residence Permit showing your new visa details to the Student Services Enquiry Team in the Fraser Building so that they can be recorded. You must do this as soon as you receive your new permission to stay.

Updating your CAS

If you decide to pay tuition fees or accommodation fees (for University Halls of Residence only), your payment can be updated on your CAS. Please note that the procedure for the University to update your CAS differs as follows:

Undergraduate students

Request update at Student Services Enquiry Desk, level 2, Fraser Building. Your request will be e-mailed.

A screenshot of your CAS will be e-mailed to you showing the update.
Postgraduate taught students

CAS updates are done automatically once a student's payment has been received.

You should receive a 'CAS Update Email' within 7 working days of the payment being made to show you the updated information. If you do not receive the CAS Update Email, send an update request (with the subject 'CAS Fee Update Required') to the Postgraduate Admissions team with a copy of your payment receipt.
Postgraduate research students

E-mail the Postgraduate Admissions team with the details of your payment and your CAS number.

A screenshot will be e-mailed to you showing the update

Biometric information

If you need to extend your student rgraduate visa in the UK, you will be required to provide biometric information in order to be issued with a Biometric Residence Permit. This replaces the stickers (vignettes) which were previously placed in passports.

After you have submitted your application to the UK Border Agency, you will receive notification that you should attend a local centre (designated Post Offices in Glasgow) to have a digital photograph taken and a scan of fingerprints.

If you have dependants here who are applying with you they will also need to provide this information. You will receive a letter by post giving instructions of how to make the appointment which you must do within the given time period.

When the visa has been granted you will receive a Biometric Residence Permit which will show relevant information about your status in the UK as a student and the conditions you have on your stay (for example, working permissions under a student visa). The Biometric Residence Permit is not a travel document and when you travel you must take both your passport and your Biometric Residence Permit with you.


Remember to keep a regular check on the date when your Leave to Remain (visa) expires to ensure that you make your application well in advance of your permission to stay running out, as there are very strict measures in place regarding those whose applications arrive at UKBA after the visa expiry date. 

We would recommend that you start to research information on the requirements for your application around 4 months before the date of expiry to ensure that you have plenty of time to collect the necessary documents.

Check the Links tab for useful resources on making a visa extension application in the UK.

Please note that the Student Batch Scheme is currently suspended until mid-October 2013.

Applying by post

You must now apply using the online 'print and send' application which requires you to complete an application form online, print it out and send it to UKBA along with your supporting documents. This will normally take a minimum of 3 months to be processed and costs £406.

Check the Links tab for useful resources on making a visa extension application in the UK.

Applying in person

You can make an appointment to apply at the Public Enquiry Office in Glasgow (online appointment booking is part of the 'print and send' application process). Applications are generally processed on the day of your appointment and will cost £781.  Within around a week of your appointment you will be sent your Biometric Residence Permit (your visa).

If you would like to apply in person, please note that Public Enquiry Office appointments book up far in advance.  If you are not able to obtain an appointment on a date before your student visa expires, you must then make a standard application instead.

Check the Links tab for useful resources on making a visa extension application in the UK.

This information is for dependants of Tier 4 (General) visa holders only.

You cannot bring your dependants to the UK unless you are:

  • sponsored by a higher education institution on a course at postgraduate level which lasts longer than 12 months*; or
  • a government-sponsored student following a course which lasts longer than 6 months.

* since 1st July 2013 this statement has appeared in the Immigration Rules but, in the Tier 4 Policy Guidance, it states that postgraduate students must be on a course of 12 months or more.  Further clarification is currently being sought from the Home Office.

If you are accompanied by a dependant(s) (i.e. spouse/partner/child), you must include information about them as part of the online 'print and send' application process. There is a charge of £305 for each dependant application if the application is submitted at the same time as the main applicant by post.  The charge is £680 if the dependant applies at the same time as the main applicant in person.

Please note that, if your dependant is over 18 years old, there is a higher application fee - £406 for a standard application or £781 for an in-person application.

If your dependants are applying at the same time as you and you would like to check your applications with an International Student Adviser, please ensure that you request a longer appointment.  The Student Services Enquiry desk will let you know the appropriate duration of the appointment.