All students holding an Indian passport planning to go and study in the UK require a prior entry clearance visa from their nearest British High Commission. There are 4 British High Commission centres in India which issue visas – Delhi, Mumbai,Chennai and Kolkata.
How to apply for your visa:
To apply for a student visa you must submit your application through an office of the Visa Facilitation Service. VFS will check your documents, receive your visa fee and send off your visa application for a decision by an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) from the nearest visa issuing centre of the British High Commission. The British High Commission aims to make decisions on visa applications within 2 working days, although this may take slightly longer during the very busy periods. If an interview is required then the application process will take longer and students are therefore strongly advised to apply for their visa at least 1 month before their course commences. There are 11 VFS offices throughout India and the address of the VFS offices in South India, Hyderabad is as given. These offices do not have a public telephone enquiry number. There is however one central public call centre number which is 044-5585033 Email:vfsuk.south@visa-services.com.
How much funds do I need to show?
• Should cover the tuition fee & Living expenses for the entire course duration
• It is 15,00,000/- for most of the post graduate programmes
What are the acceptable sources of fund for British embassy?
• Liquids funds available with eligible sponsors are considered as an acceptable source of fund.
What are the valid sources of liquid fund?
When your application is being assessed by an ECO they must be satisfied that you have sufficient liquid funds to cover the entire cost of your studies. Liquid funds can come in many forms but the main sources of liquid funds accepted by the British High Commission are:
• Bank Savings in a recognized bank
• Fixed Deposits
• Study loan from a recognized bank (contact your local bank with the Unconditional offer letter)
• post office savings if any
• Scholarship from the British Council/University or other official body
• Voluntary Retirement Scheme account funds if any
• Bank Loan( mortgage loan, demand loan , personal loan)
• Bonds and any other kind of funds saved with the bank.GPF
• Shares
• Sponsorship
• Recognized chit fund savings
(Your source of liquid fund can be any one of the above or it can be a combination of the above, the origin of Liquid funds available should be supported by documentation.)
Who can sponsor me?
• A sponsor is anyone giving you funds in order to meeting the cost of studying and living. Sponsors are normally parents, grand parents, brothers and sisters.
• The British high commission will accept financial support from relatives of Indian students when considering applications for students entry clearance visas.
• in order for the entry clearance officers to approve this sponsorship they must be satisfied that
Guidelines for sponsors:
The British High Commission will accept financial support from relatives of Indian students when considering applications for student entry clearance visas. In order for the Entry Clearance Officers to approve this sponsorship they must be satisfied that:
• The sponsor is genuine in their intentions to give financial support to the student
• The sponsor is able to give financial support to the student without causing unnecessary financial hardship to themselves or their immediate dependants(e.g. children).
• There is a logical reason for this sponsorship.
1. The Sponsor is Genuine
The Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied that the Sponsor is definitely going to give financial support. To be satisfied of this the Sponsor must write a formal letter addressed to the British High Commission stating.
• Who they are sponsoring
• Why they are sponsoring
• How much they are sponsoring the student for
If the Sponsor is living in India it is strongly advised that the money they are giving to the student is transferred into the student’s bank account. The sponsor should then give their pass book or bank statements to the student to take to the High Commission to prove that the sponsorship has been given
2. The Sponsor is able to give financial support.
The Entry Clearance Officer must be further satisfied that the sponsor is financially able to give sponsorship to the student. The sponsor must therefore show.
• They have the liquid savings to give the sponsorship eg a bank book, bank statements for the last 6 month period
• Proof of their financial status summarized by a CA Statement detailing their savings, annual income properties etc along with supporting documents.
• IT returns for the last 2 years.
3. A Logical Reason for Sponsorship
• The Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied that there is a logical reason for WHY the sponsor (close family members) is willing to give a large amount of money to the student to allow them to study in the UK.
Sponsors Living Outside India:
• Sponsors living outside India need to follow all of the above guidelines however they do not need to send their original bank statements to the student – photocopies or fax copies will be accepted. They should provide bank statements for the last 6 months. The sponsor should provide the student with a photocopy of their passport and, the visa stamp allowing the sponsor to live and work in the overseas country.
• If the Overseas Sponsor is a salaried employee then they should obtain a letter from their employer confirming their job profile with length of service and salary details. They should also make a photocopy of their employment contract and salary statements for the last 6 months.
• Overseas sponsors do not have to transfer the amount of the sponsorship to the student’s bank account in India. It is however strongly recommended that they either prepare a bank draft in UK Pounds in the student’s name or the University’s name or send this to the student to show to the Entry Clearance Officer as this is additional proof that the sponsorship is genuine
Overseas Sponsors living in the UK:
• If the sponsor lives in the UK then it is strongly advised that the sponsor prepays some, if not all, of the tuition fee to the University before the student applies for their Entry Clearance Visa. The University will provide the sponsor with an official receipt, this can then be shown to the British High Commission as evidence that the sponsorship is genuine.
• If the sponsor is providing accommodation they should provide proof that they own a house e.g. a letter from their Building Society or Bank along with a copy of a an electricity or gas bill. They should also state in their sponsorship letter the number of bedrooms in their house, the number of people and their ages living in the house and that they will be providing you with a single bedroom
Sponsors who are not related to the student:
• Sponsorship from individuals who are not close family members of the student will still be considered by the British High Commission but there will have to be strong evidence of why a ‘Family friend” is willing and would want to spend a large amount of money on another friend
• It is strongly advised in these cases the student using the money they have received from their “family friend” to prepay some or all of the tuition fees to the their UK institution. This will demonstrate to the High Commission that the sponsor is genuine in their intentions. Receipts for prepayment of tuition fees will be given by the UK institution, as well as refunds if the visa is refused
Company Sponsors:
• Public Limited Company
A letter from the Director or relevant Head of Section should be shown to the Entry Clearance Officer explaining the reason for the sponsorship and the amount. A profile of the Company should also be provide such as a copy of their recent Annual Report.
• Private Limited Company
A letter from the Director of the Company explaining the son for the sponsorship and the amount to the Entry Clearance Officer along with proof of the Company’s business activities. Copies of the Company’s Balance sheet and Bank Statements from the last 2 years should be shown along with the corresponding IT returns. Prepayment of tuition fees is strongly advised in this case.
Verification of documents and statements
The British High Commission may contact your sponsor to verify that the sponsorship is genuine and that the funds are available.If your sponsor is not willing to provide full information on their financial status then it may cast doubt on their ability and willingness to financially support you and hence your visa may be declined.
Prepaying tuition fees:
You are recommended to prepay 100% of your tuition fee to your chosen institution before applying for your student visa. Students who do this are unlikely to be refused a visa as long as they have no adverse immigration history and have evidence to prove that they can cover the living costs and can afford to spend the money on studying in the UK without undue financial hardship to themselves, their families and their sponsors. It also increases your chance of not being called for an interview at the British High Commission before your visa is issued.
If it is not possible for you to prepay your full tuition fees then please try and prepay at least 5000 GBP towards your tuition fee before applying for your visa to help prove that you will be a genuine student.
Why should you prepay their tuition fee before applying for your visa?
Students who prepay their full tuition fees have a much higher chance of being granted a visa, as there are few other ways to prove you will be a genuine student. Visa rejection rates are as high as 46% in some areas of India and this is because it has been found that there are a lot of non-genuine individuals who have gained entry to the UK under a student visa but have not turned up at their University. If you have prepaid all of your tuition fees to your University then this is strong evidence that you will study at your chosen institution.
How to prepay your tuition fees:
There are 2ways to prepay the tuition fees:
An electronic wire transfer from your bank or Thomas cook to the university’s bank account. If you are wire transferring the tuition fees, please send a message to the university with the transfer confirming the following:
• Full name
• Date of birth
• Course name
• University reference number
• Purpose of payment
A demand draft has to be made in the name of the university in sterling pounds and given to the Impel office, which would be forwarded to the corresponding university. When the university receives the demand draft, you will be provided an unconditional offer letter granting the admission(also called as Visa Supporting Letter). The university facilitates an official receipt from the university, which can be included in your visa application as proof that you have prepaid your tuition fees.
How much and where should I pay the visa fee:
The student visa fee is currently Rs 7650. The fee should be paid by demand draft and submitted with your application to the VFS Center. This will allow you multiple entries to the UK. The fee should be paid by demand draft and submitted with your application to the VFS Centre. Alternately your may be able to obtain a Demand Draft from the VFS centre by paying a small additional sum. Demand drafts should be made payable accordingly.
British High Commission – Chennai (if applying in Southern India)
British High Commission (if applying in north India)
British high Commission- Mumbai (If payable at Western India)
British high Commission- Kolkata (If payable in Eastern India)
At the time of submitting your documents to the VFS you can also choose to have your documents and passport returned to you by courier, there is an additional fee for this service.
Additional handling charges of Rs.565 per application will be levied by VFS .For this fee the VFS offices offer lounge facilities for applicants to relax, leave their luggage and take light refreshments before going to the BHC for an Interview.
Where should I drop my papers?
After finishing all the Visa documentation the student has to approach the DROP BOX or VFS (Visa Facilitating service), Hyderabad (for all the students who applied from Andhra Pradesh) and drop their documents. With in two or three days the student will get the response whether the student got the VISA or REJECTION or INTERVIEW. If the students get the interview, he has to go to Chennai visa embassy to attend the interview.
How do I track my visa status?
VISA Tracking through SMS, United Kingdom visa applicants can now access their visa application status by sending an SMS to 7333 from any mobile phone across all service providers on both GSM and CDMA platforms.
Visa Facilitation Services, the out-sourcing partners for the Visa Department of the British High Commission, has announced a unique service for Indians traveling to the United Kingdom, which will allow them to track their visa applications over their mobile phone.
Simply SMS the following message: visa<space>uk<space><passport number> to know where you stand.
Will I require an interview at the British High Commission?
The final decision on whether you will require an interview will be taken by an ECO at the British High Commission, no one else can make this decision. However students may not require an interview if they have.
• Traveled to the UK in the last ten years, and have evidence of this travel
• Traveled to the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland or Schengen countries within the last 5 years, and have evidence of this travel.
• Prepaid 100% of their tuition fees and have a receipt to prove it.
To receive a Visa the Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied….
• That you are going to be a genuine student only going to the UK for the purpose of studying
• That you have arranged the liquid funds to cover all your tuition fees and living costs in the UK and that you and your sponsors can afford to spend this money.
• That you will leave the UK on completion of your course and will not overstay your visa unless you have been given a visa extension or have been granted a TWES or Business & Commercial work permit
Visa refusals and Refunds
If your visa is refused and you have prepaid tuition fees to your institution, then you will receive the refund. To receive a refund on any prepaid tuition fees please give the impel office the following documents:
• Original visa refusal letter from the British High Commission
• Original unconditional offer letter from the university
• Your passport
Your original visa refusal letter will returned to you once a photocopy has been made and attested. Your passport will be checked and then immediately returned to you.If impel has been allowed by the university to hold your demand draft then you will receive your refund within 1-2 days. If you have sent your tuition fees directly to the University then it will take 1-2 months for refund to processed and return to you in India.
Changing Institution after the visa is issue and refunds
Each institution has its own refund policy. Consequently if you are not sure whether you wish to study at that institution you should think carefully before applying for your visa and prepaying any tuition fees. Refunds may be given but the institution may decide to send the refund back to India for you to collect personally or they may consider transferring it to the institution you now want to study at as long as it is recognized. Please check the refund policy of your institution before prepaying your tuition fees.
You are advised not to prepay any tuition fees unless you have made your final decision about where and what you want to study.
Study In USA
Study In UK
Study In Australia
How to apply for your visa:
To apply for a student visa you must submit your application through an office of the Visa Facilitation Service. VFS will check your documents, receive your visa fee and send off your visa application for a decision by an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) from the nearest visa issuing centre of the British High Commission. The British High Commission aims to make decisions on visa applications within 2 working days, although this may take slightly longer during the very busy periods. If an interview is required then the application process will take longer and students are therefore strongly advised to apply for their visa at least 1 month before their course commences. There are 11 VFS offices throughout India and the address of the VFS offices in South India, Hyderabad is as given. These offices do not have a public telephone enquiry number. There is however one central public call centre number which is 044-5585033 Email:vfsuk.south@visa-services.com.
How much funds do I need to show?
• Should cover the tuition fee & Living expenses for the entire course duration
• It is 15,00,000/- for most of the post graduate programmes
What are the acceptable sources of fund for British embassy?
• Liquids funds available with eligible sponsors are considered as an acceptable source of fund.
What are the valid sources of liquid fund?
When your application is being assessed by an ECO they must be satisfied that you have sufficient liquid funds to cover the entire cost of your studies. Liquid funds can come in many forms but the main sources of liquid funds accepted by the British High Commission are:
• Bank Savings in a recognized bank
• Fixed Deposits
• Study loan from a recognized bank (contact your local bank with the Unconditional offer letter)
• post office savings if any
• Scholarship from the British Council/University or other official body
• Voluntary Retirement Scheme account funds if any
• Bank Loan( mortgage loan, demand loan , personal loan)
• Bonds and any other kind of funds saved with the bank.GPF
• Shares
• Sponsorship
• Recognized chit fund savings
(Your source of liquid fund can be any one of the above or it can be a combination of the above, the origin of Liquid funds available should be supported by documentation.)
Who can sponsor me?
• A sponsor is anyone giving you funds in order to meeting the cost of studying and living. Sponsors are normally parents, grand parents, brothers and sisters.
• The British high commission will accept financial support from relatives of Indian students when considering applications for students entry clearance visas.
• in order for the entry clearance officers to approve this sponsorship they must be satisfied that
Guidelines for sponsors:
The British High Commission will accept financial support from relatives of Indian students when considering applications for student entry clearance visas. In order for the Entry Clearance Officers to approve this sponsorship they must be satisfied that:
• The sponsor is genuine in their intentions to give financial support to the student
• The sponsor is able to give financial support to the student without causing unnecessary financial hardship to themselves or their immediate dependants(e.g. children).
• There is a logical reason for this sponsorship.
1. The Sponsor is Genuine
The Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied that the Sponsor is definitely going to give financial support. To be satisfied of this the Sponsor must write a formal letter addressed to the British High Commission stating.
• Who they are sponsoring
• Why they are sponsoring
• How much they are sponsoring the student for
If the Sponsor is living in India it is strongly advised that the money they are giving to the student is transferred into the student’s bank account. The sponsor should then give their pass book or bank statements to the student to take to the High Commission to prove that the sponsorship has been given
2. The Sponsor is able to give financial support.
The Entry Clearance Officer must be further satisfied that the sponsor is financially able to give sponsorship to the student. The sponsor must therefore show.
• They have the liquid savings to give the sponsorship eg a bank book, bank statements for the last 6 month period
• Proof of their financial status summarized by a CA Statement detailing their savings, annual income properties etc along with supporting documents.
• IT returns for the last 2 years.
3. A Logical Reason for Sponsorship
• The Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied that there is a logical reason for WHY the sponsor (close family members) is willing to give a large amount of money to the student to allow them to study in the UK.
Sponsors Living Outside India:
• Sponsors living outside India need to follow all of the above guidelines however they do not need to send their original bank statements to the student – photocopies or fax copies will be accepted. They should provide bank statements for the last 6 months. The sponsor should provide the student with a photocopy of their passport and, the visa stamp allowing the sponsor to live and work in the overseas country.
• If the Overseas Sponsor is a salaried employee then they should obtain a letter from their employer confirming their job profile with length of service and salary details. They should also make a photocopy of their employment contract and salary statements for the last 6 months.
• Overseas sponsors do not have to transfer the amount of the sponsorship to the student’s bank account in India. It is however strongly recommended that they either prepare a bank draft in UK Pounds in the student’s name or the University’s name or send this to the student to show to the Entry Clearance Officer as this is additional proof that the sponsorship is genuine
Overseas Sponsors living in the UK:
• If the sponsor lives in the UK then it is strongly advised that the sponsor prepays some, if not all, of the tuition fee to the University before the student applies for their Entry Clearance Visa. The University will provide the sponsor with an official receipt, this can then be shown to the British High Commission as evidence that the sponsorship is genuine.
• If the sponsor is providing accommodation they should provide proof that they own a house e.g. a letter from their Building Society or Bank along with a copy of a an electricity or gas bill. They should also state in their sponsorship letter the number of bedrooms in their house, the number of people and their ages living in the house and that they will be providing you with a single bedroom
Sponsors who are not related to the student:
• Sponsorship from individuals who are not close family members of the student will still be considered by the British High Commission but there will have to be strong evidence of why a ‘Family friend” is willing and would want to spend a large amount of money on another friend
• It is strongly advised in these cases the student using the money they have received from their “family friend” to prepay some or all of the tuition fees to the their UK institution. This will demonstrate to the High Commission that the sponsor is genuine in their intentions. Receipts for prepayment of tuition fees will be given by the UK institution, as well as refunds if the visa is refused
Company Sponsors:
• Public Limited Company
A letter from the Director or relevant Head of Section should be shown to the Entry Clearance Officer explaining the reason for the sponsorship and the amount. A profile of the Company should also be provide such as a copy of their recent Annual Report.
• Private Limited Company
A letter from the Director of the Company explaining the son for the sponsorship and the amount to the Entry Clearance Officer along with proof of the Company’s business activities. Copies of the Company’s Balance sheet and Bank Statements from the last 2 years should be shown along with the corresponding IT returns. Prepayment of tuition fees is strongly advised in this case.
Verification of documents and statements
The British High Commission may contact your sponsor to verify that the sponsorship is genuine and that the funds are available.If your sponsor is not willing to provide full information on their financial status then it may cast doubt on their ability and willingness to financially support you and hence your visa may be declined.
Prepaying tuition fees:
You are recommended to prepay 100% of your tuition fee to your chosen institution before applying for your student visa. Students who do this are unlikely to be refused a visa as long as they have no adverse immigration history and have evidence to prove that they can cover the living costs and can afford to spend the money on studying in the UK without undue financial hardship to themselves, their families and their sponsors. It also increases your chance of not being called for an interview at the British High Commission before your visa is issued.
If it is not possible for you to prepay your full tuition fees then please try and prepay at least 5000 GBP towards your tuition fee before applying for your visa to help prove that you will be a genuine student.
Why should you prepay their tuition fee before applying for your visa?
Students who prepay their full tuition fees have a much higher chance of being granted a visa, as there are few other ways to prove you will be a genuine student. Visa rejection rates are as high as 46% in some areas of India and this is because it has been found that there are a lot of non-genuine individuals who have gained entry to the UK under a student visa but have not turned up at their University. If you have prepaid all of your tuition fees to your University then this is strong evidence that you will study at your chosen institution.
How to prepay your tuition fees:
There are 2ways to prepay the tuition fees:
An electronic wire transfer from your bank or Thomas cook to the university’s bank account. If you are wire transferring the tuition fees, please send a message to the university with the transfer confirming the following:
• Full name
• Date of birth
• Course name
• University reference number
• Purpose of payment
A demand draft has to be made in the name of the university in sterling pounds and given to the Impel office, which would be forwarded to the corresponding university. When the university receives the demand draft, you will be provided an unconditional offer letter granting the admission(also called as Visa Supporting Letter). The university facilitates an official receipt from the university, which can be included in your visa application as proof that you have prepaid your tuition fees.
How much and where should I pay the visa fee:
The student visa fee is currently Rs 7650. The fee should be paid by demand draft and submitted with your application to the VFS Center. This will allow you multiple entries to the UK. The fee should be paid by demand draft and submitted with your application to the VFS Centre. Alternately your may be able to obtain a Demand Draft from the VFS centre by paying a small additional sum. Demand drafts should be made payable accordingly.
British High Commission – Chennai (if applying in Southern India)
British High Commission (if applying in north India)
British high Commission- Mumbai (If payable at Western India)
British high Commission- Kolkata (If payable in Eastern India)
At the time of submitting your documents to the VFS you can also choose to have your documents and passport returned to you by courier, there is an additional fee for this service.
Additional handling charges of Rs.565 per application will be levied by VFS .For this fee the VFS offices offer lounge facilities for applicants to relax, leave their luggage and take light refreshments before going to the BHC for an Interview.
Where should I drop my papers?
After finishing all the Visa documentation the student has to approach the DROP BOX or VFS (Visa Facilitating service), Hyderabad (for all the students who applied from Andhra Pradesh) and drop their documents. With in two or three days the student will get the response whether the student got the VISA or REJECTION or INTERVIEW. If the students get the interview, he has to go to Chennai visa embassy to attend the interview.
How do I track my visa status?
VISA Tracking through SMS, United Kingdom visa applicants can now access their visa application status by sending an SMS to 7333 from any mobile phone across all service providers on both GSM and CDMA platforms.
Visa Facilitation Services, the out-sourcing partners for the Visa Department of the British High Commission, has announced a unique service for Indians traveling to the United Kingdom, which will allow them to track their visa applications over their mobile phone.
Simply SMS the following message: visa<space>uk<space><passport number> to know where you stand.
Will I require an interview at the British High Commission?
The final decision on whether you will require an interview will be taken by an ECO at the British High Commission, no one else can make this decision. However students may not require an interview if they have.
• Traveled to the UK in the last ten years, and have evidence of this travel
• Traveled to the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland or Schengen countries within the last 5 years, and have evidence of this travel.
• Prepaid 100% of their tuition fees and have a receipt to prove it.
To receive a Visa the Entry Clearance Officer must be satisfied….
• That you are going to be a genuine student only going to the UK for the purpose of studying
• That you have arranged the liquid funds to cover all your tuition fees and living costs in the UK and that you and your sponsors can afford to spend this money.
• That you will leave the UK on completion of your course and will not overstay your visa unless you have been given a visa extension or have been granted a TWES or Business & Commercial work permit
Visa refusals and Refunds
If your visa is refused and you have prepaid tuition fees to your institution, then you will receive the refund. To receive a refund on any prepaid tuition fees please give the impel office the following documents:
• Original visa refusal letter from the British High Commission
• Original unconditional offer letter from the university
• Your passport
Your original visa refusal letter will returned to you once a photocopy has been made and attested. Your passport will be checked and then immediately returned to you.If impel has been allowed by the university to hold your demand draft then you will receive your refund within 1-2 days. If you have sent your tuition fees directly to the University then it will take 1-2 months for refund to processed and return to you in India.
Changing Institution after the visa is issue and refunds
Each institution has its own refund policy. Consequently if you are not sure whether you wish to study at that institution you should think carefully before applying for your visa and prepaying any tuition fees. Refunds may be given but the institution may decide to send the refund back to India for you to collect personally or they may consider transferring it to the institution you now want to study at as long as it is recognized. Please check the refund policy of your institution before prepaying your tuition fees.
You are advised not to prepay any tuition fees unless you have made your final decision about where and what you want to study.
Study In USA
Study In UK
Study In Australia