If you are starting a new course at The University of Manchester, the Admissions Team in your department or school will create your CAS after your unconditional offer is confirmed and you have completed the Right to Study check. You must submit and pay for your new visa application before your new course starts even if you have time left on your previous visa. The earliest date that your CAS can be issued is 3 months before the start of your new course.

If you are already a student at The University of Manchester and are either applying to continue on the same programme or to add further elements to your course (e.g. a placement year), you will need to request a continuer CAS from your department or school. You need to ensure you complete all of the student sections of the form that is sent to you and then return the form to your course administrator so that they can complete their sections. Your completed CCR1 form will then be sent to the Student Immigration Team and we will produce your CAS. You should request your CAS at least 2 - 3 months before your current visa expires. Your school or department will require a copy of the main page of your passport before they can issue your CAS.

Tuition and accommodation fee payments

It can take 2 working days to receipt bank card payments and UK bank transfers and up to 10 working days for international bank transfers. So, it may take some time for your CAS to be updated with payments depending on how the fees were paid. If you are applying to start a new course and your payment is not showing after this time, then you should contact your admissions team in the first instance. 

The amount of time you can study at degree level on a Student visa is limited to five years. UKVI has removed the time limits on postgraduate study (e.g. single year masters, integrated masters and research qualifications).

When applying for a Student visa to study at degree level, the length of previous Student/T4 visas you have had to previously study in the UK will be considered. 

This does not apply to:

• Students studying architecture, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine & science, law (only where you have completed a degree level course in the UK and are moving to a law conversion course, legal practice course, or bar professional training course).

If you are not sure how this applies to you, please contact the Student Immigration Team for further guidance.

You can also find useful information about time limits on the UKCISA website.

If you are applying to study a new course, you must ensure that your new programme is at a higher academic level than your current course. In exceptional circumstances you may be permitted to study another course at the same level (e.g. a second masters course), provided the new course and your previous course are related or the previously completed course and your new course combined support a genuine career aspiration. You cannot make a visa application from the UK to start a new course at a lower academic level (e.g. PhD to MPhil). In these circumstances you would instead need to apply for a new Student visa from outside the UK.

Integrated masters students are permitted to downgrade to the lower level of their programme without having to apply for a new visa. This exception is covered in more detail in our programme change guidance. 

Once you have confirmed that you are eligible to apply from within the UK and prepared all the necessary supporting documents you need, you can start the online application process with the help of our step-by-step guide. You can access the Student visa application form through the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) website.

Due to the minimal documentation most applicants applying from within the UK are required to submit as part of their Student visa application, most applications should be straightforward and therefore not require any further checking from the Student Immigration Team before their submission online. You should use our step-by-step guide to help you complete the online application form. You can proceed for your visa application once you have double checked your answers and any documentation you are required to submit against our guidance.

However, there are still some circumstances where we would advise you to have your draft application checked by us before you pay for your visa application online:-

• you have previously had a Student visa application refused
• you hold a Student visa for a different institution
• you are applying with dependants
• you are switching from a different immigration category into the Student route

The Student Immigration Team will check your draft application and your supporting documents for you by email and inform you of any corrections that you should make. We will email you to advise you when you can pay for your application online. If you wish to make use of the Student Immigration Teams application support service then you should:

• Read our Terms and Conditions
• Send us your draft application form together with copy of your supporting documents and a signed copy of the attached Terms and Conditions by e-mail

We will check your form and documents and advise you of any changes that must be made before you complete your application.

IMPORTANT: In order for you to still be able to make any changes to your application form you must ensure that you do not proceed to the Immigration Health Surcharge payment. Once you do so the application from will lock the answers you have provided and you will be unable to amend the form further. It is very important, therefore, that you submit a draft copy of your application form to the team before you proceed past this point.

Please note: At very busy times of year we may not be able to check your draft visa application.

Most students applying in the UK should be eligible to use UKVI's ‘UK Immigration: ID Check’ app on a smart phone to verify their biometrics and avoid having to book and attend a biometric appointment.

• In order to make use of the app you must have one of the following:

  • your biometric passport from an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
  • your biometric British national (overseas) (BNO), Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) or European Economic Area (EEA) passport if you’re applying for a BNO visa
    
  • your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) if you have previously studied in the UK and your BRP card is still valid

Visa application fees and processing times

Applicants submitting a Student visa application from within the UK are able to select the following service options:

• Standard service (8 weeks from the date biometrics are veriefied to receive decision, cost £490).
• Priority service (5 working days from the date biometrics are verified to receive decision, cost £990).
• Super Priority service (next day service, cost £1490).

Digital visa status

If you are eligible to use the UKVI Immigration: ID Check app on your phone to apply for your Student visa, you will be issued with a digital visa instead of or in addition to a physical Biometric Residence Permit. 

UKVCAS application process

If you're not eligible or otherwise choose not to use the UKVI ID Check app to apply though, then you will need to follow the process set out below:

• You need to scan and upload your documents to the UKVI system as part of the online visa application. You will then need to book an appointment at a UK Visas and Citizenship Application Services (UKVCAS) centre to scan your passport and enrol your biometrics.
• The nearest UKVCAS Centre is at Manchester Central Library, St. Peters Square. View on Google Maps. The opening hours are Mon - Thursday 10am to 3pm. Check the UKVCAS website for more information about opening times. There is also an additional charge to book an appointment at an Enhanced Service Point (the nearest is Manchester – Oxford Street *subject to change).
• If you are having difficulties booking an appointment, you should log in shortly after midnight when new biometric appointments are released or widen your search and be willing to travel to a non-core centre to attend a biometric appointment. The UKVI has appointed a company called Sopra Steria to manage the booking of visa appointments so we cannot help you to book an appointment.
• You will have to pay an additional £19.20 to enrol your biometrics in addition to the application fees mentioned above.
• There is more information about the application process on the UKVI and UKVCAS websites.

You should only pay the application fee when you are ready to complete the application and you are sure you meet all the necessary requirements.

You must send through a copy of your final Document Checklist or UKVI payment confirmation email alternative evidence of your visa application submission and email this to visa@manchester.ac.uk so we have evidence of your right to study whilst your application is still pending a decision.

If you have are issued with a digital immigration status, then you will need to send through a share code to visa@manchester.ac.uk so we can verify your visa status online.

If you end up being issued with a BRP then you will need to sned through a photo or scan of both the front and back of your new permit once have received it so we can update your record.