As an international student, the student visa process can be one of the most important and stressful items on your to-do list. Below I will share my personal experience, timeline, and advice on the via process to hopefully provide helpful insight. 

The first thing I worked on after accepting my offer of admission, paying my deposit, and applying for scholarships was my student visa. The reason the visa was seemingly so far down the list is because it is contingent upon receiving a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number from the university. I received by my CAS visa email from the university in early May 2024. Prior to receiving my CAS, I received a CAS draft to revie and approve through my Applicant Self Portal. Once I received my CAS in early May 2024, I was able to apply for my student visa through UKVI. The email with my CAS contained many helpful links regarding applying for my visa. 

The application process on UKVI did take longer than I had anticipated, but there was an option to save and return later. I also had some issues with my payment being accepted since the transaction was for a rather large amount and was flagged as suspicious given that it was a foreign webpage that I had not visited previously. I had to restart my application a few times due to my payment declining. I ended up calling my bank several times to get the transaction cleared and ultimately it was approved. Payment for both the visa application and the immigration health surcharge was required at the time of submitting the application. I was able to make the payment using USD. 

Once I submitted by application in late June 2024, I scheduled my biometric appointment for early July 2024. At that time, I was living in an area that was not close to any visa appointment center. I ended up having to fly to my biometric appointment. I did not pay for any expedited expenses. The only add-on I paid for was the shipping labels to ensure my application materials were sent to the correct location. I received my passport and application materials back less than two weeks after I completed my biometric appointment and mailed everything off. My passport had an entry clearance vignette that allowed me to enter the UK at the start of my programme until I was able to retrieve my biometric residence permit (BRP) from the university. A few days after I received my passport and travel vignette, I received an email from UKVI with my decision letter that set out the conditions of my visa. 

When I arrived in the UK in September 2024, I arranged to pick up my BRP on campus. My BRP expired in December 2024 and was replaced by an eVisa. The process of setting up an eVisa was relatively simple and and involved my UKVI account and an app on my smartphone. 

That is a condensed timeline and recounting of my visa application prcoess beginning in May 2024 until December 2024. It is a stressful process but it ended up being simpler than I had anticipated. My top tips for easing the stress of the visa process are:

Reach out and utilize resources!

  • I reached out the Admissions team about the timeline for CAS and they were able to reassure me and level my expectations
  • Review the UKVI website regarding the application process
  • Review the International Student Support webpages on the visa application process and note the differences on where you are applying from (inside versus outside the UK)

Stay organized!

  • I had a document tracking all the steps of the visa process including when I started and submitted the application

Budget! 

  • There is an application fee as well as an immigration health surcharge that are both due upon submitting your application. This is something that you may need to budget for, so make sure you set aside extra funds to pay for visa costs
  • It may be a good idea to contact your bank to make sure your transaction is approved given that is a large sum orginating from an international site and could be flagged as suspicious. If you payment declines enough times, you may have to restart your entire visa application

Don't wait until the last minute

  • There are a lot of moving parts involved in applying for a student visa. I recommend starting the application process once you receive your CAS to ensure you have some buffer time in case any obstacles arise 

Good luck and remember that you have so many resources and support options to utilize throughout this process!

First published: 23 April 2025

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