Extending your student visa

Please be aware there is a maximum time you are permitted to study in the UK on a Student visa and if you exceed these limits we will not be able to issue you with a CAS:

• Below degree level study: 2 years
• Degree level study: 5 years
• Postgraduate study: no limit

To extend your visa you will require a CAS provided by the University. To request a CAS, please complete the CAS request form.

Note: new students are provided with their CAS as part of the admissions process and do not need to complete this form.

Before Solent issues your CAS you must meet the following conditions:

• Have no outstanding fees for the current year.
• Pay 50% of your tuition fees for the year ahead. Please check the online services available to make payment.
• Prove that you can meet the Student Maintenance Requirements
• And unless you are from a low-risk country, or were living in the UK for the past 12 months, send financial evidence you will use to support your visa application to internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk. (See supporting documents section below for requirements)

We will send your CAS document to your student email address.

You can make your visa extension application as soon as the CAS has been issued and you meet the maintenance (financial) requirements.

If extending in the UK, you must apply before your current visa expires.

You must apply online for your Student visa and may be able to apply either inside or outside of the UK. Please note you will need to pay an application and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) as part of your visa application.

Please note that EEA nationals require a valid biometric passport and must download the UK Immigration ID check app at the beginning of the application.

Applying inside the UK

To apply inside the UK you must:

• Have a valid Student visa and, if you are starting a new course
• Your new course must begin within 28 days of your visa expiry date
• You must meet the academic progression requirements

Please see Gov.uk for information about how to apply. The earliest you can apply from within the UK is three months prior to your course start date. You’ll usually get a decision within eight weeks. You cannot leave the UK while your visa application is pending.

The International Support Team can help you with your visa extension application within the UK by checking your documents and Student visa online application before you submit it. Please email internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk for an appointment.

Applying outside the UK

Please see Gov.uk for information about how to apply. The earliest you can apply from outside the UK is six months before the start date of your course. You’ll usually get a decision on your visa within three weeks.

Please note, if your new course starts 28 days after your current visa expiry date, you will have to return to your home country (or country of residence) to make your Student visa application. If you apply within the UK, your application will be refused.

1. Your Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS)

2. All passports you have used to travel to the UK

3. Your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), if you have one

4. Qualifications used to make your offer, as listed in your CAS
Your CAS will list your academic qualifications (for example transcripts or certificates), which were used to assess your application for your course. Please ensure you have access to these as they may be needed for your visa application.

5. Financial evidence (maintenance)
To successfully extend your visa, you will need to show that you have enough money to satisfy the Student visa maintenance requirement.

• • If you have been living in the UK for less than 12 months, you will need to provide financial evidence. As below; If you have lived in the UK longer than 12 months, you are extending your visa inside the UK, you will not need to show bank statements. 

Acceptable evidence:
The most common form of evidence is a bank statement (requirements listed below). However, there are other forms of acceptable evidence, see gov.uk for further information.

• Bank statements in your own name: these must be less than one month old on the date of your visa application and cover a full 28 day period, during which the balance must not have fallen below the amount of money you need to show.

If you are using your parents' bank statements, you will also need to provide:

• Your birth certificate (with an official translation, if the original is not in English).
• A letter from your parents confirming the money is for your UK education.

6. Sponsor's letter (only if you are financially sponsored by your government or other official financial sponsors)
If you have an official financial sponsor you will not normally need to provide evidence of personal funds unless your sponsorship does not cover all of your tuition fees and maintenance.

If you are a sponsored student or are studying a postgraduate course, that started before 31 December 2023, you may be able to bring your dependants with you to the UK. Applications for dependants should be made here. If your postgraduate level course starts on or after 1 January 2024, it must be either:

• a PhD or other doctorate (RQF level 8)
• a research-based higher degree

We do not provide a CAS to sponsor your dependants. You can request a student status letter to prove that you are currently a student and support their application alongside copy of your visa.

If you are thinking of bringing your dependants, we recommend you read the following gov.uk webpage and contact the International Support Team for further guidance.

We suggest you come to the UK first and your family joins you later, once you have secured suitable accommodation for them.

The current application fee from outside and inside the UK is £490

• The Government has now confirmed that the IHS will rise on or shortly after Tuesday 16 January 2024.

  • from £470 per year to £776 per year – for students and their dependants
  • from £624 per year to £1,035 per year – for Graduate Route visa applicants

  Please bear this in mind when deciding when to submit your application.

• You can use the Immigration Health Surcharge tool on the Home Office website to check how much you will have to pay.

If you applied in the UK

As part of your application you’ll need to prove your identity. How you do this depends on where you’re from and the type of passport or resident permit you have.

You’ll either:

• use the ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app to scan your identity document - you’ll also create or sign in to your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account
• give your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information) at a UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) service point - this is to get a biometric residence permit

You’ll be told what you need to do when you apply.

If you applied outside the UK

You will need to visit a local visa application centre or if you are an EEA/EU national you will usually be able to do this via an app.

EEA nationals who use the UK Immigration ID check app do not collect a biometric residence permit (BRP). Their full visa is issued as an online digital status.

If you apply from outside the UK

You will receive a 90-day entry vignette and a letter confirming your visa condition. When you arrive, you will need to collect your BRP card. The collection address is stated on your letter, which you must bring with you.

If you apply from within the UK

Once you receive your new BRP please check all the details carefully, any errors should be reported within 10 days. Expiry date of 31 December 2024 (when your visa duration is longer) is not an error. UKVI will be introducing a new system from 1 January 2025. Keep hold of your visa decision letter for your correct visa end date.

University must have an up to date copy if your visa, If you collected your BRP card from the post office do bring it to the UKVI Compliance drop-in session for scanning and review.

A TB certificate will be required by an applicant who has spent six months or more prior to their application in any of these countries. (hyperlink https://www.gov.uk/tb-test-visa/countries-where-you-need-a-tb-test-to-enter-the-uk ). If you are extending your visa in the UK, you do NOT need TB certificate. 

All applicants under 18 will need to provide written consent from both parents or legal guardians (or one parent if they have sole responsibility) and proof of relationship. This must include consent for the visa application and travel arrangements, as well as living and care arrangements in the UK.

Students should regularly check their registered email address for correspondence from UKVI, including any junk or spam folders.