Before you apply for your visa you should ensure you have the required supporting documents. You should refer to the Student visa section of the UK Government website and Home Office Student and Child Student Guidance for full details on applying for a Student visa. 

The more prepared you are before making your visa application the less risk there is of making a mistake. In order to become more familiar with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requirements you can also refer to the advice from the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website. 

If you are currently enrolled at the University of East London, you should refer to the Student Visa Guidance on the Intranet for further information.

Passport

You must submit a valid passport in support of your visa application. Your passport will need at least one full page that is blank on both sides. 

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) 

You must have a CAS, for the University of East London, before you make your Student visa application. When you receive your CAS check that the information is correct, and your personal details match your passport. 

More information about 'What is a CAS?' can be found on our Student visa page.

Qualification documents 

Your CAS will state any qualifications used as part of the assessment for your admission to your course. 

As the University of East London is a Higher Education Provider (HEP), if you are applying to study a course at degree level (RQF 6) or above you are not required to provide evidence of your qualifications.

If you are a national of a country listed on the UKVI list of 'low-risk' nationals, you qualify for differentiation arrangements for your Student visa application and are not required to submit your qualifications with your application.

However, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may request this evidence during the application process, so it is important to have your qualifications available and in the required format. Please refer to our section 'Differentiation arrangements' for more information.

English Language documents 

Your CAS will state any English language document used as part of the assessment for your admission to your course, which you need to submit to make your Student visa application. 

If your CAS states that you are a national from a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) or the University, as a Higher Education Provider (HEP), has assessed your English language ability and it is at the required level, you are not required to submit evidence of your English language document. 

Financial documents

The Student visa application requirements are very strict, it is important to ensure that your financial documents contain all the required information.

Please refer to the 'Financial requirements' and 'Financial Documents' tab for more information. 

Tuberculosis (TB) test certificate 

You will need to take a TB test and submit your TB test certificate with your visa application, if you are coming to the UK for more than six months and you have been living for at least six months in one of the countries specified by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). 

The test must be taken at a TB test clinic that has been approved by UKVI. The test will involve having a chest x-ray and if your test shows that you do not have TB, you will be issued with a certificate which is valid for six months. You must include this certificate in support of your visa application. 

Please note the requirement to have this test, and provide evidence with your visa application, is dependent on where you are, or have been, resident and not on your nationality.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate 

You may require an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate if you are undertaking a certain course in subject areas such as, but not limited to, engineering, technology and science at Master's or PhD level. Your offer letter and your CAS will tell you if you need an ATAS certificate. 

The ATAS certificate is issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for permission to study the course. You must be issued with an ATAS certificate before you make your Student visa application. 

Students and researchers who are nationals of EU countries, the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the United States of America do not need an ATAS certificate. 

You can find more information about the ATAS certificate on the UK Government website.

Translations 

If your documents are not in English, you will need to submit the document in your language and include a fully certified translation by a professional translator or translation company of these documents.

The translation must provide the following:

• A statement from the translator or translation company confirming that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• The date of the translation
• The translator or an official of the translation company's full name and signature and,
• The translator or translation company's contact details. 

You can find more information under the 'Translating Documents' section of the Student Route Caseworker Guidance.

Under 18 

If you are under 18 years old at the time of application, you will need to provide a letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian(s) to show that they support your application. You will also need to provide a copy of your birth certificate (or another government issued document) that shows the names of your parents. 

You can find more information under the 'Parental Consent of Students and Child Students under 18' section of the Student Route Caseworker Guidance.

Differentiation arrangements 

The differentiation arrangements means that some nationals are not usually required to submit their qualifications or evidence of their money with their Student visa application.

However, if you qualify for differentiation arrangements, it is important that you have your qualifications and financial documents available and in the required format, as UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may request this evidence during the application process. Failure to provide these documents, when asked, will lead to your application being refused.

As outlined in Appendix Student (paragraph ST22) of the Immigration Rules you can benefit from the differentiation arrangement when making your Student visa application if:

• You hold a passport which shows you are registered as a British National (Overseas), or which was issued by the competent authorities of Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, or Taiwan (which includes the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority of Taiwan); OR
• You are a national of any of the following:

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, The Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United States of America.

You are considered a low-risk applicant if you are applying for a Student visa (inside or outside the UK), and you are a national listed above as outlined in paragraph 22 of Appendix ST of the Immigration Rules.

This means you will not normally need to submit your qualifications or evidence of your money with your Student visa application. In all situations, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) may request this evidence during the application process, so it is important to have your qualifications available and in the required format. Please refer to our section 'Differentiation arrangements' for more information.