You may need to extend your Student Visa in order to start a new programme or give you more time in the UK to complete your current programme. This may be because you have intercalated, repeated a year, or added a placement.
Extending your Student Visa should be straightforward if you prepare well in advance.
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You should request a new Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) around three months before your visa expires. We will ask you to complete a CAS request form and then contact your academic department to request details of your academic progress and attendance records.
If you are eligible to extend your visa, we may request and review the financial and supporting documents that you will be submitting with your visa application before we issue your CAS. We will usually only request financial documents from students who are required by UKVI to submit evidence of their finances at the point they apply for their Student Visa.
If you are a classified by UKVI as a ‘low-risk’ national, you are not usually required to provide bank statements at the point you apply for your visa, although you do still need to meet the financial requirements. See our section on Student Visa financial requirements for more information.
The final step is that we will invite you to attend an appointment with us to submit your visa extension application. To find out more about making a Student Visa application from within the UK go to Applying from within the UK.
If you plan to apply from overseas you will need to plan the timing of your application to be sure that you leave the UK before your current visa expires and can arrive back in the UK in good time to continue with your studies. To find out more about making a Student Visa application from overseas go to Applying from outside the UK (entry clearance).
If you have been sponsored by a government or international scholarship agency for your studies, you are required to obtain their written consent before you apply.
Students coming back to study after a period of interruption
If you interrupted your studies and returned to your home country and now need a new Student Visa to return to study, you will need to make your new visa application from your home country or country of ordinary residence. During your interruption period, you will receive communication from the university, asking you if you intend to return to complete your programme. If you indicate yes, you will be sent instructions about how to get your new CAS statement.