A UK Student visa application from India in 2026 needs four things in place before you press submit: a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed sponsor issued within the last six months, money for the first year's tuition plus living costs held for 28 consecutive days, English at CEFR B2 for a degree-level course, and a TB certificate from an approved clinic. The fee is £558, the immigration health surcharge is £776 for each year of the visa, and UKVI's service standard of three weeks from biometrics has held for most Indian applications this year.
The compact version with the price card, checklist and refusal cases is on the UK Student visa route page. This article is the long version, written around a September intake.
Who qualifies for a UK Student visa?
You need an unconditional offer and a CAS from a sponsor on the register of licensed student sponsors, for a full-time course at RQF level 3 or above (or part-time at level 7 and above). The CAS records the course, the first-year fees and any amount already paid; those figures drive the maintenance calculation, so check them before the sponsor issues it. Postgraduate courses in listed science and engineering subjects need an ATAS certificate before you apply, which takes at least six weeks.
UKVI also applies a genuine student test. The course must follow logically from your academic and work record, you must be able to explain what you will study and why in the UK, and your funding must be credible. Credibility interviews are more common for applicants with long gaps, a change of field, or a course below their current level, so prepare a short study plan even if you are never asked for it.
What changed for 2026 and 2027?
Two things matter for this cycle. Dependants: since January 2024 only PhD and research-based postgraduate students, and government-sponsored students on courses over six months, can bring a partner or children. Taught master's students apply alone. Post-study work: the Graduate visa stays at two years for applications made by 31 December 2026 and drops to 18 months for applications from 1 January 2027; doctoral graduates keep three years. A one-year master's starting in September 2026 finishes in autumn 2027, so most of this intake will be on the 18-month version.
How much money must I show, and how?
| Item | GBP | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Student visa fee | 558 | Per person, outside or inside the UK |
| Immigration health surcharge | 776 per year | Charged for the visa length in 6-month blocks; refunded if refused |
| Maintenance, London | 1,529 per month | Up to 9 months: £13,761 maximum |
| Maintenance, outside London | 1,171 per month | Up to 9 months: £10,539 maximum |
| Dependant maintenance | 845 or 680 per month | London or elsewhere, per dependant, up to 9 months |
| Priority service | 500 extra | About 5 working days where offered |
| Graduate visa after the course | 937 | Plus £1,035 a year health surcharge |
The maintenance figure is first-year tuition less any payment shown on the CAS, plus the monthly living amount for the course length up to nine months. The money must have been held for 28 consecutive days ending within 31 days of the application date, in your name or a parent's (with a consent letter and your birth certificate), at a bank UKVI accepts. The balance must never dip below the total during the window. Education loan sanction letters from a regulated Indian bank are accepted in place of cash if they state the amount, the course and that funds are available before travel; official scholarship letters work the same way. Indian applicants are not on the differential evidence list, so upload the financial evidence with the application rather than waiting to be asked.
English, TB and the other evidence
Degree-level courses need CEFR B2 in all four skills. A Higher Education Provider with a track record can assess English itself; otherwise you take a Secure English Language Test (IELTS for UKVI, PTE Academic UKVI, LanguageCert) or obtain an Ecctis statement that your degree was taught in English. A standard IELTS Academic result is accepted only when the university is making its own assessment.
Indian residents need a TB test certificate from an IOM-approved clinic, valid for six months. Book it as soon as the offer is firm. You also need the passport, previous passports, the qualifications listed on the CAS exactly as the sponsor recorded them, and, for research students, the ATAS certificate.
The September timeline
| Month | Milestone |
|---|---|
| March to May | Offer accepted, deposit paid, English test taken |
| May to June | Funds parked for the 28-day window; TB test; CAS requested |
| June to July | CAS issued; apply as soon as it arrives, within six months of issue |
| July to August | Decision in about three weeks; priority 5 working days |
| September | Travel up to one month before the course start date |
You can apply up to six months before the course starts. Indian applicants attend a VFS Global centre for biometrics because the ID Check app is not available for Indian passports. Applying in the last two weeks of August leaves no room for a document request, and most universities will not accept arrival more than two weeks into term. January intakes run the same sequence from September.
Working, living and what comes after
Degree-level students can work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in vacations; below degree level the limit is 10 hours. Self-employment, professional sport and permanent full-time roles are excluded, and breaching the hours is a ground for cancellation and for refusal of the next visa. Police registration ended in 2022; keep your UKVI account details current instead.
After the course you can switch to the Graduate visa (£937 plus £1,035 a year surcharge) or directly to a Skilled Worker visa with a sponsor. Time on the Student and Graduate routes does not count towards settlement; the UK Skilled Worker route page explains the salary and skill rules that apply when you switch.
Why are UK Student visas refused, and what fixes each reason?
Maintenance not held for 28 days or in the wrong format. The balance dipped during the window, the statements lacked the account holder and account number, or the closing date fell more than 31 days before the application. Park the full amount early, leave it untouched for a month, and apply within 31 days of the closing date.
Genuine student test. A course unrelated to your record, weak knowledge of the modules, or a step down in level with no explanation. Write a study plan that connects past study and work to the course and a career outcome, and address any downward move directly.
CAS problem. A used or expired CAS, a sponsor whose licence was suspended, or details that did not match the documents. Ask for a new CAS and reapply with qualification names and grades exactly as the CAS records them.
English evidence. A non-SELT result where a SELT was required, an expired test, or a degree not confirmed by Ecctis. Use an approved SELT centre or obtain the Ecctis statement.
Deception. An undeclared refusal from any country or a bank letter the bank could not confirm brings a ten-year ban. Declare everything and submit only documents the issuer will stand behind.
How Vistolane files it
Vistolane files Student visa applications with a guaranteed filing date, checks the 28-day funds window and the CAS figures before submission, and books the VFS appointment; study-abroad consultants run whole intakes through the same workspace. Start with the free eligibility check or open the UK Student visa route page for the checklist and the price card.
