What a UK student visa actually asks you to prove

A UK Student visa application is not a judgement call about whether you deserve a place. It is a documentary exercise. A caseworker who has never met you works through a list, checking whether each required fact is evidenced in the form you submitted.

Almost every refusal we see comes from a document that was missing, mistimed or inconsistent with another document — not from an applicant who was unsuitable. Understanding what is actually on that list is most of the work.

Your CAS is the foundation

The first thing you need is a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies, usually called a CAS. Your university issues this after you accept an unconditional offer. It is a reference number tied to a record held by the Home Office, and that record repeats:

• your personal details, exactly as they appear on your passport
• your course, with its start and end dates
• the course fees, and anything you have already paid

Every one of those details must match what you put on your visa form. A middle name recorded in one place and omitted in another, or a date of birth transposed, is enough to cause problems.

Read your CAS statement the day it arrives and raise anything wrong with the university immediately. Only they can correct it.

The money requirement

You must show you can pay your first year of tuition, minus anything already paid and recorded on your CAS, plus living costs for up to nine months.

The living cost figure is set by the Home Office, differs depending on whether you will study inside or outside London, and is revised periodically. Check the current published rate rather than a figure quoted in an older article — including this one.

The 28-day rule

This is the rule that catches people who genuinely have the money.

The funds must sit in an account for twenty-eight consecutive days, and the balance must not drop below the required total on any single day in that window. Not the average across the month — every day. A transfer that lands, briefly leaves and returns resets the clock.

The closing statement must also be dated no more than thirty-one days before you submit. So the window is narrower than it first appears:

1. Gather the money into one qualifying account.
2. Leave it entirely alone for a full twenty-eight days.
3. Take the statement.
4. Apply promptly.

Whose account the money sits in

If your funds are currently somewhere that does not qualify, move them into an account that does — and then start counting your twenty-eight days from that point.

English language

This is usually handled for you. Most universities assess your English themselves and record on the CAS that they have done so, which satisfies the requirement.

If your CAS does not say that, you will need a Secure English Language Test from an approved provider. Note that only certain test centres are approved for visa purposes, so an ordinary language certificate from a local school will not do.

Two things that catch some applicants

TB screening. If you have spent six months or more in a country on the tuberculosis screening list, you need a test certificate from a clinic the Home Office recognises.

ATAS clearance. If your course is in certain sensitive scientific or technical fields, you may need this. It takes several weeks and must be obtained before you apply. Your university will tell you if it applies — but ask rather than assume, because it is a common cause of delay.

The short version

The visa rewards preparation, not persuasion. Assemble the documents, check every detail against your passport and CAS, respect the twenty-eight days, and apply with time to spare.

If something in your circumstances is unusual — a sponsor abroad, a gap in your funds, a name that appears differently on different documents — get advice before you submit rather than after a refusal. A refusal sits on your record and makes the next application harder.