The United Kingdom has always been an ideal destination for thousands of students who aspire to achieve their academic and career goals with the best quality of education from recognized Universities. After putting in a lot of effort, students get an opportunity to study at top-ranked universities in the UK. But, before they move into the iconic cities, they need to make sure if they are fully prepared with their paperwork or not.

Every international student planning to study must know that a UK Visa is required to get processed, whether you travel through the sea, land or air. Once you receive your Visa, it states that you have completed all the requirements and gained eligibility to study in the UK. 

To help you with the practical guidance, here are the steps to understand the UK Visa application and procedures you require to go through to get a Visa:

Step 1: Accept the Letter From Your University

As you’re already aware of the endless top-ranked universities located in the UK, which are different from the rest of Europe. You need to choose your preferred course that matches your skills and interests and go with the application process prescribed by your selected University. 

Fret not about the universities, as the United Kingdom has a long-storied tradition for providing academic excellence and the quality of education to its students. Apart from teaching, one must look for safe accommodation services. For example, Student halls in London, Birmingham, Sheffield, and more similar cities aim to deliver excellent living conditions at fair rates. 

Step 2: Applying through UCAS!

Do you know what UCAS is? UCAS is known as the University and college admission service, an authentic portal by which students can apply for UK universities. To go through with this, you need to prepare one personal statement to describe yourself and why you choose the course. Your statement should be the best as it makes you stand at the top among other applicants.

Students can use their prepared personal statement to apply for five institutions through the online portal of UCAS. Also, you need to know that UCAS charges £20 and £25 for the applications to single and multiple universities. 

Once the university accepts your application and gives you a place, UCAS will send you the confirmation in the form of a CAS(Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies) letter. 

*This CAS letter plays a massive role in going further to the Visa final step. 

Step 3: Know What Kind of Visa You need!

For your kind information, there are two kinds of Visa that you need to apply for to become an eligible student of the UK, which are the following:

Short-Term Study Visa

This kind of Visa works for 6 to 11 months only. Therefore, if students plan to opt for any short course, they need to apply for this Visa. 

Tier 4 (General) Student Visa

Students who opt for long-term courses such as Graduate degrees or Master’s need to go for this Visa. This kind of Visa does not have any fixed period of availability; the length of your studies determines the size of this Visa.

Step 4: Visa application

Once you’re finished with all requirements of a UK student visa, you’re all set for the next step: the Visa application process. If you have been accepted to a full-degree program, you require a Tier-4 (General) student visa. Again, check the official website for Visa and know what all charges you have to pay. 

Note: Dates play a significant role, so when you go for a student visa, make sure you apply three months before your classes begin. Also, it would help if you made sure to use the University 6 months after receiving the CAS form.

Step 5: Prepare all your official documents.

Here is an extensive list of documents that every student must be prepared for to tick off the last step for getting the Visa as fast as possible:

• Official travel documentation or Passport
• Finished Visa application form
• Parental consent if you’re under 18 years old.
• One passport-sized photograph
• Essential medical reports
• Proof to state that you can live in the UK, covering all your expenses. For London, 1,265 GBP/month and 1,015 GBP/month for the rest of the UK
• Immigration Health Surcharge: 150 GBP per year of study
• Parental consent if you’re under 18 years old.
• Receipt of paying the visa application fee: 348 GBP
• Self-assessment form Appendix 8 with attached documents.
• Others important documents related to your citizenship

Once you follow the essential steps, it will give you success for Visa. Next step is to prepare your bags and get ready to explore the beauty of the United Kingdom. 

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Author’s Bio:

Muskan Gupta, Completed her graduation in English Literature from Delhi University, pursued her goals being a passionate reader and a budding Content writer for 3 years. Being a Delhiite, she loved street food and fond of travelling. She often connects with people over Instagram to influence and encourage them to adopt a healthy habit of reading. For her, Books are the Second abode.