If you're starting a new course at the University of Manchester

Your Admissions team will issue your CAS after:

• you've accepted an unconditional offer
• you've completed any required pre-CAS checks and your applicant 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.

Your CAS can be issued up to 3 months before your course start date.

If you are continuing the same programme or elements to your course  

If you're:

• continuing on the same programme, or
• adding a placement year or other course element,

you'll need to request a CCR1 form from your academic school or Doctoral Academy.

Complete the student sections and return the form to your course administrator. Once approved, it will be sent to the Student Immigration Team to produce your CAS.

We recommend requesting your CAS 2–3 months before it is needed. Your school or Doctoral Academy will also need a copy of your passport and new ATAS clearance (where that is a course requirement) before your CAS can be issued.

Tuition and accommodation fee payments

If you've recently paid your tuition or accommodation fees, it may take time for your payment to appear on your CAS:

• UK bank card or bank transfer: up to 2 working days
• International bank transfer: up to 10 working days

If you're starting a new course and your payment hasn't appeared after these times, contact the Student Finance team using the enquiry form.

The UK government limits the amount of time most students can study in the UK on a Student visa at undergraduate degree level to five years.

There are no longer any time limits for most postgraduate courses, including Master's and PhD programmes.

When you apply, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will consider how long you've previously studied in the UK on a Student or Tier 4 visa.

This does not apply to:

• Architecture, medicine, and dentistry
• Law, 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're applying for a Student visa for a new course, your new qualification normally needs to be at a higher academic level than your current one.

In some cases, you may be able to study another course at the same level (for example, a second Master's degree) if:

• the courses are related, or
• together they support your career plans.

You cannot apply from within the UK to study a course at a lower academic level. If this applies to you, you'll usually need to apply for a new Student visa from outside the UK.

If you're an integrated Master's student moving to the Bachelor's qualification on the same programme, different rules apply. See our programme change guidance for more information.

Once you have:

• confirmed you're eligible to apply from within the UK
• prepared your supporting documents

you can complete your Student visa application online using our step-by-step guide and the UKVI application form.

You can access the Student visa application form through the UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) website.

Most students applying from within the UK only need to provide a small number of supporting documents.

Before you submit your application:

• check all the information you've entered
• make sure you've uploaded any required documents
• use our step-by-step guide to help you complete the application correctly

Step 6: Submit your application and verify your identity

Most students can verify their identity using the UK Immigration: ID Check app, so they won't need to attend a biometric appointment.

You can usually use the app if you have:

• an eligible biometric passport
• a current or expired Biometric Residence Permit (BRP)

If you can't use the app, you'll need to:

1. Upload your supporting documents.
2. Book an appointment at a UKVCAS/TLS Contact centre.
3. Attend your appointment to have your passport checked and your biometrics recorded.

The nearest TLS Contact centre is in Salford (15 minutes from campus by car and 30 minutes by public transport)

If appointments aren't available, try checking shortly after midnight when new appointments are released or search for appointments at other locations.

An additional biometric enrolment fee applies.

Visa application fees and processing times

Current fees for applications made in the UK are:

• Standard: £558 (decision within approximately 8 weeks from identity verification)
• Priority: £1,058 (decision within 5 working days from identity verification)
• Super Priority: £1,558 (next working day decision)

Digital visa status

Student visas are now issued as a digital eVisa. UKVI no longer issues Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs).

Only pay your application fee when you're ready to submit your application and you're confident you meet all the requirements.

After submitting your application, email visa@manchester.ac.uk with either:

• your final UKVI Document Checklist, or
• your UKVI payment confirmation email.

This allows the University to confirm your ongoing Right to Study while your application is being processed.

Once your application has been approved:

1. Sign in to your UKVI account.
2. Generate a Right to Study share code (it will begin with S).
3. Email your student ID number and share code to visa@manchester.ac.uk using the subject line: Right to Study - UK extension application

The University will then verify your new immigration status online.