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Applying for your visa

Applying for a visa can take time and can even seem a bit scary! Whether you’re planning to start a new course here or are already studying with us, you’ll find the information you need about making a successful visa application on this page. Remember we’re here to help every step of the way.

 

Which visa?

Most international students studying undergraduate or postgraduate courses apply for a Student visa using a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), a unique reference number issued by the University which acts as confirmation that you’ve been unconditionally accepted on to a course at NTU. You need to have met all the conditions of your offer before we can provide you with a CAS number.

If you’re planning to do a course that is shorter than six months, for example our Global Summer School or some of our Pre-sessional English courses, you may have the option of applying for a short-term Student visa.

Please be aware that if your flight is transiting via an EU country, you may need to apply for a Schengen visa before travelling. Please check whether this requirement will apply to you before making your travel plans.

Please visit our Student Hub for all the information you need on immigration matters.

Step-by-step guides to your visa application

We’ve put together step-by-step advice guides on our Student Hub to help you make a successful visa application, whether you’re:

  • applying for Student visa outside the UK
  • finding a visa application centre in your country
  • applying for the Graduate route visa
  • applying for or extending a Student visa inside the UK
  • looking for information on short-term Student visas (for courses less than six months)
  • looking for information on dependant visas (for family members)
  • looking for information on visitor visas (for graduation).

Making a successful visa application

The requirements for Student visa applications can be complex and are sometimes confusing. It’s not unusual to get them wrong, or misunderstand.

Here are a few examples of common mistakes and misconceptions made by applicants which can lead to a Student visa refusal:

  • not saving enough money (sometimes due to changing exchange rates)
  • not saving money for a long enough period (minimum 28 days)
  • providing financial evidence which is not in the right format, or not in the student’s or their parents’ name (for example, using another relative’s name, or the name of a family business)
  • forgetting to include a required document (for example a TB test, a birth certificate if bank statement is in parents’ name, official translations for documents not in English)
  • not giving the UKVI enough information to show genuine interest and commitment to studying in the UK (a student at interview, for example, may not know enough about the University and the course, or not give enough information about how they will cover the cost of their studies.

Follow our step by step advice and if you have questions, we are here to help.

Support and advice

International student support

Whether you’re planning to start a new course here or are already one of our students, our International Student Support Service team can respond to questions you may have about your visa application and the documents you need in order to give you the best chance of success.

We are highly trained, highly experienced, and we deliver our advice in line with the OISC (UK Government Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) code of standards.

You can contact us by email or call +44 (0)115 848 2631 and we’ll do our very best to help you.

If you’re already in the UK (for example, if you are joining NTU from another institution or have recently finished your PEAP or NTIC course) you can use our check and send service.