Applying for your visa

UKVI introduced a new Student visa which replaced the previous Tier 4 visa on 5 October 2020.

If you applied for your visa before 5 October 2020 you will have applied for a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa and the guidance below indicates if it refers to the Tier 4 visa.

We have updated some of the guidance to provide information pertinent to Student Visa applications. Chevening Scholars don’t need to pay the visa fee or the Immigration Health Surcharge. Please read the guidance and follow the instructions carefully so that you can bypass the fees.

Please note, there may be different visa requirements for Chevening Fellowships which will be communicated to you in your pre-departure Fellowgram after you receive your Final Award Letter.

You must:

• Check that you meet all the requirements before you apply
• Provide evidence in the exact format required by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)
• Complete all sections of the form fully, honestly, and accurately
• Allow plenty of time to collate the documents required to make your application
• Ensure that your application does not come under the general grounds for immigration refusal

Please be aware that depending on your circumstances, there may be other suitable immigration options for you. To find out more about immigration or get confirmation of the visa type you should apply for, contact the Welfare and Immigration team at [email protected]

In this section you will find information and resources on the following:

• Applying for a Tier 4 student visa (PDF) (for applications made before 5 October 2020)
• Applying for a Student visa (PDF) (for applications made on or after 5 October 2020
• Step-by-step visual guide to making your visa application (PDF) (please note that although this does refer to Tier 4 applications, you can still use this guide to help you with the Student Visa application)
• Protect your visa (PDF) (for applications made before 5 October 2020)
• Protect your visa (PDF) (for applications made on or after 5 October 2020)
• Tier 4 document checklist (PDF) (for applications made before 5 October)
• Student visa checklist (PDF) (for applications made after 5 October)

Accessible versions:

• Applying for a Tier 4 student visa for applications made before 5 October 2020)
• Applying for a Student visa (for applications made on or after 5 October 2020
• Step-by-step guide to making your visa application (please note that although this does refer to Tier 4 applications, you can still use this guide to help you with the Student Visa application)
• Protect your visa (for applications made before 5 October)
• Protect your visa (for applications made on or after 5 October 2020)
• Tier 4 document checklist (for applications made before 5 October)
• Student visa checklist (for applications made after 5 October)