Check if you can apply in the UK

Criteria to apply in the UK 

You can apply for Student immigration permission in the UK if you meet ALL of the following three requirements: 

1. You have valid UK immigration permission in any category except as a: 

• Visitor 
• Short-term Student 
• Parent of a Child Student 
• Seasonal Worker 
• Domestic Worker in a Private Household, or 
• Outside the Immigration Rules  

You can apply to extend from within the UK if you are currently here with valid immigration permission as either: 

• Tier 4 (general)/Tier 4 (child), or   
• Student 

2. The course start date of your programme as stated on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) must be before your current immigration permission expires, or no more than 28 days after

3. If you currently have, or previously had, Tier 4 general or Student immigration permission, the “Evidence Used” field of your CAS statement must confirm that your new studies show academic progression for you to make a Student visa application in the UK.

Academic progression

If you are currently studying, or have previously studied, in the UK you must have successfully completed the course for which you were last granted permission as a Student in order to make your new application in the UK.  

In addition, your new course must be one of the following: 

• at a higher academic level than your current/previous course 
• at the same level and related to your previous course or career aspirations - it must be degree level or above at a Higher Education Provider (HEP) 
• intercalated to a medicine, dentistry or medical science course you started studying under your Student visa  

You do not need to meet academic progression if you are doing one of the following: 

• resitting exams or repeating modules 
• applying for the first time to a new institution to complete a course you started at an institution that lost its student sponsorship licence 
• applying after working as a student union sabbatical officer to complete a qualification you started studying under your last Student visa  
• completing a PhD or other doctorate that you started studying under your last Student visa  (including following your academic supervisor to another institution)
• continuing your medical, dentistry or medical science degree after completing an intercalated course 
• applying to extend your stay to complete your studies because you have done (or want to do) a work placement or study abroad programme 

If you are exempt from showing academic progression this will be detailed in your CAS.  

In all other cases, if you have not successfully completed the course for which your current Student immigration permission was issued, you will need to make your new Student visa application from your home country.  

To assess your academic progress, Queen Mary needs information about any previous studies in the UK. If your CAS is issued based on incorrect or incomplete information about your previous studies, your application could be refused. 

If you have any questions about the level of your programme at Queen Mary or any previous programmes you have taken, contact the admissions team responsible for your application to Queen Mary.

Not yet been awarded the qualification for your current programme? 

In order for Queen Mary to confirm academic progress on your CAS, normally you must show that you have successfully completed your previous course and received your result. 

If you do not yet have your result, the provider of your current course needs to write a letter on official headed paper to the Admissions Office at Queen Mary which confirms that, based on your performance throughout the course, they judge that you are highly likely to complete your course successfully. If you are already a student at Queen Mary, please read the guidance on requesting a highly likely to succeed letter. 

If your university is not willing to do this, this means Queen Mary cannot confirm academic progress on your CAS, and you will need to make your Student visa application outside the UK. The only other option, if you are starting a postgraduate research qualification (e.g. a PhD) is if you can defer the start of your programme until after you are awarded your qualification, and then apply in the UK. Check with the Admissions team dealing with your application whether this would be an option for you. 

Warning: If the confirmation of academic progress in your CAS is based on a letter judging that you will pass, but in fact you fail, Queen Mary will withdraw your Student immigration permission sponsorship. This will happen even if your offer from Queen Mary is not based on the degree mentioned in the letter. 

Should I apply for my visa from the UK or outside the UK?

If you are eligible to apply from inside the UK for your Student visa then it is also possible for you to make your Student visa application from outside the UK, if you so wish to. 

In making a decision on where to apply from, it is advisable to keep in mind the following:

• If you apply from the UK, in the majority of cases you can study your course while waiting for your new Student visa to be approved. If you apply outside the UK, you would need to wait for your new visa to be granted and then travel to the UK during the valid dates of the new visa.  Example exemptions to studying while waiting for an in-UK application to be approved are:
  • You are currently on a Graduate visa, a High Potential Individual visa or any other immigration permission where you do not have permission to study a course that is eligible for Student visa sponsorship. In these cases your visa would need to be granted before you are allowed to study your course. 
  • You are currently studying Bachelor course and are applying to extend your visa when switching to an Integrated Masters course (note - if completing a Bachelor course and starting a standalone Masters course, you would be able to study while waiting for your visa). In this case your new Student visa would need to be granted before your change of programme can be approved. 
• If applying from the UK you must submit your application before your current visa expires, for your application to be eligible. Any application submitted after is likely to be refused. If you do apply in-time, however, your immigration status would be protected if your current visa expires before you get a decision on your new visa. This means you would not need a new visa granted before your current visa expires and you would be able to legally continue living in the UK on the conditions of your previous visa, until at least you receive your application decision. 
• If you apply in the UK and have been living in the UK for at least 12-months by the date of your new visa application, you should automatically meet the Student visa financial requirements. If you apply from outside the UK you will have to meet financial requirements, regardless of how long you have been living in the UK. Further guidance is available on our funds for a Student visa application webpage. 
• If there is going to be at least 6-months left on your current visa, from the date the new visa is granted, you may be eligible for a partial refund on your current visa's IHS fees but only if you apply from the UK. If you apply from outside the UK, regardless of how long is left on your current visa, you will not be eligible for a refund. Further information on partial IHS refunds for overlapping visas can be found in the IHS casework guidance. 
• When an in-UK application is pending it is highly advisable to remain in the UK until you get a decision on your visa. This is because leaving the UK is likely to result in the pending application being withdrawn. This could be relevant if you have any upcoming travel plans and you should be aware of the in-UK visa processing times. 
• UKVI have indicated that if someone is applying for a visa from outside the UK, after previously living in the UK, they perform additional checks related to the application. This can apparently result in longer processing times than normal. 

If you are going to be returning to the UK on your current visa to make your application, please read our travelling to the UK guidance and the section on returning to the UK to make a new Student visa application. 

Keep in mind that if you intend to apply from the UK it is important that Queen Mary is aware so that your CAS can confirm whether you meet academic progress requirements, or are exempted from them. If this information is not on your CAS you risk your application being refused.