What are the different ways I can meet the student visa financial requirements?

The information in this article was correct at the time it was published. If you are reading this at a later date please be sure to check the information on the Gov.uk links or contact studentimmigration@cranfield.ac.uk if you are unsure.

If you don’t plan in advance and understand what is accepted it is easy to get caught out by the student visa financial rules. Even if you have enough funds to cover all the costs of your study in the UK you must hold them in a way that is acceptable to the UKVI. It is important that this requirement is one of the first things you think about when you prepare for your visa application and travel to come and join us here at Cranfield. The rules are very complicated  so make sure you understand what is required and be sure to get in touch with us if you are unsure.

Firstly, read our blog on how much money you need to show so there is no risk being caught short and not having enough. Once you have the right amount there are various acceptable ways to meet the requirement.

You can show you have enough money using:

• an official financial or government sponsorship or grant
• a student loan from a government, government sponsored loan company, or a regulated student loans scheme
• your own money
• your parent’s money (if they provide a letter confirming they agree to you using it this way)
• your partner’s money if your partner is present in the UK or applying at the same time

Remember that not everyone can be an official financial sponsor – it must be the UK government or your own government, a university or an international company/ organisation. No-one else can be your sponsor for the visa. If it is an international company or organisation it must be able to show it has offices in more than one country. If your official financial sponsor is not covering all of your course fees and maintenance, you must show that you have the rest of the money required.

If you have a student loan then it must be provided by your government or a government sponsored loan scheme. Alternatively, it can be by a financial institution that is regulated in your country and offers specific educational loans. You must be able to show that your loan provider has unconditionally confirmed your loan (apart from a requirement to obtain a student visa) and will provide the funds to you before you come to the UK or pay them directly to Cranfield University.

Remember that overdrafts, bitcoin savings, stocks and shares and pensions are specified in the rules as not acceptable for your visa application and any bank you use must be regulated in your home country and use electronic record keeping.

Check out our visa application guide which goes through all the rules for your sponsor letter, student loan letter or bank statement because the requirements are very specific and even if you have enough money you don’t want your visa to be refused on a technicality. We also have a whole blog on checking that your bank statements meets the visa rules if you are showing the money you need in your bank account or your parent or partner’s. It is very important that if you are unsure at all about these requirements please contact us at studentimmigration@cranfield.ac.uk so we can help you with the best advice.