The financial requirement, in detail
This is where student applications are decided, so it is worth understanding precisely.
You must show course fees for the first year — or the whole course if shorter — plus maintenance to support yourself. Maintenance is currently £1,483 a month if studying in London and £1,136 a month outside it, for up to 9 months.
The money must be held for 28 consecutive days, and this is the part that catches people. It is not enough to have the money on the day you apply. The balance must not fall below the required amount at any point in that 28-day window, and the closing balance on the statement must be dated no more than 31 days before the application.
What counts as an acceptable account is also prescribed. Money in a current or savings account is fine. Some investment accounts, pension funds and shares are not, however liquid you consider them.
If funds are held by a parent or legal guardian rather than by you, that is permitted, but it requires evidence of the relationship and a letter of consent — and both must be in the prescribed form.
Maintenance rates, course requirements and route durations are reviewed regularly and the figures here were correct at August 2026. Confirm the current position on GOV.UK or with us before relying on any number.
The CAS, and matching it exactly
Your provider assigns a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies once you have an unconditional offer and have met their requirements. It carries a reference number, the course details, the fees, and any money you have already paid.
The application must be consistent with it. A course start date, fee figure or qualification level that differs between the CAS and the application creates a discrepancy the caseworker has to resolve, and the usual resolution is a refusal.
Two practical points. A CAS has a validity period and can only be used once — if an application is refused, your provider must issue a new one, which takes time and may not be automatic. And a CAS is not a guarantee of a visa; it confirms the offer, nothing more.
Check the CAS carefully the day you receive it. Errors made by the provider are far easier to correct before an application than after a refusal.
Working, and the rules that actually apply to you
Most students can work, and most breaches we see come from following a friend's understanding rather than their own grant letter.
The common position is 20 hours a week during term time for degree-level study at a Higher Education Provider, fewer for study below degree level, and full-time during vacations and after the course ends while your leave continues.
What is prohibited is prohibited regardless of hours: self-employment, engaging in business activity, professional sportsperson work, and permanent full-time roles.
The critical point is that your conditions are stated on your grant. Courses, providers and levels differ, and "20 hours" is not universal. Breaching work conditions is not a minor administrative matter — it affects extensions, switching and any future application, and employers are required to check.
Extending or switching in the UK
You can usually extend a Student visa from inside the UK where you are continuing to study, and switching into the route from certain other visas is possible.
Two requirements matter. Apply before your current leave expires — that keeps your existing conditions running while the decision is made. And the new course must normally represent academic progression: a higher level than the one just completed, with limited exceptions such as resitting or moving to a different course at the same level for a good reason.
Extensions are not a formality. The financial requirement applies again, from current evidence, and the English requirement applies to the new course.
Switching out of the Student route is where most people end up — usually to the Graduate route towards the end of a course, or directly to Skilled Worker if a sponsored job has been found. Both must be applied for from inside the UK while you still hold valid Student leave, so timing matters more than people expect.