Your Student visa

As soon as you receive an email from the CAS Shield, please log in to CAS Shield using the link that was sent to you in the ‘Welcome’ email. You will need to create a password for your CAS Shield account.

Complete your information checks. You will need to confirm all information by clicking on the tick; you can also edit the information if it’s incorrect.

You’ll then be taken to the CAS Checklist summary. Please review the information before proceeding to the next step.

Complete your financial checks and upload any required documents. Please note: When selecting the funding options, please make sure to select all that apply (e.g., scholarship AND education loan). We understand you may not have all the relevant financial documents (e.g. bank statements, loan approval documents etc.) ready when completing this section. However, you should aim to provide as much detail as possible, as this section will act as a guide for your visa application and will provide you with the information on the financial documents/ funds needed when applying for your visa. We will not be checking your financial bank statement. Once you’ve completed the financial checks, your CAS Checklist is complete, and you can proceed to the next steps (‘Go to task list’).

General documents, you will need to upload:

• A colour copy of your passport. We would advise that you ensure your passport is valid for the duration of your course. If you are going to renew your passport, do this before you begin your CAS application.
• any UK visas (current or previous; stamped Entry Clearance, any expired Biometric Residence Permits, Share Code to verify your visa online, previous CAS letter, previous visa refusal letter from UKVI (if applicable).
• Your academic transcripts - colour scan copy that is legible.
• Evidence of your English language proficiency.
• Evidence of your tuition fee deposit payment (amount as specified in your offer letter), evidence of sponsorship/scholarship, ATAS certificate (if required). The deposit will be offset against your tuition fees.
• ATAS certificate, if required for the course you have applied for.

You may be asked to complete the Pre-CAS Questionnaire — this is not required for everyone. You don’t need to complete it all at once. For example, you can finish Step 1 now and return later to complete Steps 2, 3, and 4. Please note: Once you complete a step (e.g., Step 1), you won’t be able to edit your answers for that step.

• UKVI – the United Kingdom Visa & Immigration Service. UKVI will issue you with a Student Visa
• CAS – the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. This is your unique reference number that Hartpury will provide you, so that you can apply for a Student Visa with UKVI
• Maintenance – an amount of money that the UKVI states you will need to support your first year of study.

You will firstly need to successfully apply for a CAS from Hartpury before you will be able to apply for a Student Visa with UKVI.

If you hold a UK or a Republic of Ireland passport, you do not need a visa to study in the UK. If you are an EU passport holder (except Republic of Ireland), an EEA passport holder (Switzerland, Norway and Lichtenstein) or all other non-UK and non-EU passport holder, you will need to apply for a visa.

The earliest that you can make your Student visa application is six (6) months before the start date of your course as stated in your CAS. If you submit your visa application earlier than this time, it will be refused. If you leave your application too late, you could miss your start date. You should therefore prepare all the necessary documents so that you can make your visa application as soon as you are eligible.

This depends on the country in which you are applying from and can vary, from 4-8 weeks.  

Your visa will be valid for the duration of your course. For example, if you are studying a 3-year undergraduate degree, your visa will be valid for 3 years up until the course end date. It will state on your visa when you can enter the country and when you must leave by.  

You will need to apply for a separate visa before your course end date, whilst you are still in the UK. The Graduate Route Visa is an alternative visa, allowing you to stay in the UK for a further 2 years after you graduate.

You are permitted to undertake a full time work placement as part of their full-time degree programme, providing:

• It is an assessed and integral part of your programme - this means that it should be part of the design of the programme
• It is not more than 50% of the length of their programme
• You remain enrolled as a student at the University and will not take an interruption of studies

We will make a report to the Home Office to inform them about the placement and your visa will remain valid. You must continue to abide by the conditions of your visa and we will continue to  monitor your attendance.

If your work placement is based outside of the UK you will need to seek immigration permission from the country where you will work, unless it is your home country.

Remember you will need a National Insurance Number to work in the UK.

You can apply for your CAS when you have an unconditional offer to study at Hartpury and have paid a deposit of your first-year tuition fees. Please note that a CAS can only be issued a maximum of six months before your course start date.

No. You will need to wait until you have an unconditional offer, for which you will need to submit your exam results to our Admissions team. We recommend having all the other supporting documents required for your CAS application ready-to-go, so that you can apply for your CAS as soon as you have your exam results.

You will need to send all documentation to Hartpury's International team using the Qualification Collection form.

Once you have submitted your CAS application and provided all the supporting documents, we aim for 10 working days. Please note this can take longer in peak-times.

There are only two instances when an IELTS would not be required:

• For those students from countries that are on the list of ‘Majority English Speaking countries’ given at the UKVI
• For students who have completed a degree in the UK or a ‘Majority English Speaking Country’.

All other students will require an IELTS certificate (or equivalent) for their visa application.

Yes, we also accept TOEFL, Cambridge Advanced English, Pearson PTE for UKVI and LangaugeCert.

Students from the countries listed via the UK government page below will require a TB certificate as part of their visa application.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have access to enough money to pay for your tuition fees for the first year of your studies plus an amount to cover your living costs. This is what is generally referred to as the ‘maintenance test’.

The amount to cover your living costs is fixed by the UK Immigration Rules. For students studying at Hartpury, it is fixed at £10,539. The amount you will need to demonstrate show to pass the ‘maintenance test’ depends on the length of your programme.

• The amount you need to show can either be demonstrated in UK Pound Sterling (GBP) or any recognised world currency. If you are using a currency other than GBP, you must convert the amount into GBP and write the equivalent amount on your application. The UK Home Office use the following website for currency conversion.
  • www.oanda.com/convert/classic
• If converting from any currency to GBP (£), we advise you be aware of fluctuations in currency and to maintain some extra funds above the required amount to cover any fluctuations in currency.

• Your CAS will state your tuition fees for the first year of your course. If your course is 12 months or less, your CAS will state the total tuition fees for the course.
• You must show the UK Home Office that you have enough money to pay all the tuition fees as stated on your CAS letter plus your living costs, for a successful visa application.
• For us to issue your CAS, you will have needed to pay at least 50% of the tuition fees and the amount you have paid will be stated on your CAS. You can deduct this from the total amount you need to show to pass the ‘maintenance test’. You will therefore need to show the UK Home Office that you have the balance of your tuition fees plus £10,539. You must ensure that your CAS shows any payments you have made to Hartpury towards your fees or accommodation. Once you have made your visa application your CAS cannot be updated.

EXAMPLE: If your tuition fee stated on your CAS is £13,000 and you have already paid 50% of the tuition fees to Hartpury you must show that the remaining £6,500 for your tuition fees plus the required living costs of £10,539 is available to you.

£6,500 outstanding tuition fees + £10,539 living costs = £17,039.

If you have made a payment for Hartpury accommodation before making your visa application, you can use some of the money as evidence that you meet the financial living costs requirement. You can show Hartpury accommodation payments, up to a maximum of £1,483, as evidence of your maintenance and this will be deducted from your living costs.

Even if you have paid more than £1,483 towards your accommodation, the UK Home Office will only deduct £1,483 from your living costs (£10,539) and you will have to show the remaining £9,056 towards your living costs.

We can only state money paid towards Hartpury accommodation on your CAS. If you have paid for private accommodation, we will not be able to put this on your CAS.

Pre-payment of all tuition fees does not guarantee a successful visa application. It only reduces the amount you have to show to pass the ‘maintenance test’. Your visa application will be decided on all the evidence you provide.

The Student visa policy guidance gives full explanation of the documents required and what these documents must confirm. You should read this information carefully.

Students on full time degree-level courses holding a Student visa are permitted to work in the UK, up to 20 hours per week during term time, or full-time up to 40 hours per week in holiday periods. This work must be on a temporary basis and not on a permanent contract, or on a self-employed basis. UKCISA provide further information about working during your studies. 

Remember you will need a National Insurance Number to work in the UK.

Your biometric residence permit (BRP) is proof of your right to stay, work and study in the UK. It can also be used as a form of identification, for example when you go to open a UK bank account.

When completing your visa application form online, if you are presented with the question: ‘If you need a biometric residence permit (BRP) in the UK, where do you want to collect it from?’, please click the option ‘Collect from an alternative location (for example, our sponsor)’. You will then need to enter Hartpury’s Alternative Collection Location (ACL) which is 2FE252.

This will ensure that your BRP will be sent directly to Hartpury and you will be able to collect it at enrolment. If you do not enter this, your BRP will be sent to the local Post Office for you to collect.

• Whilst you cannot apply for your visa more than three months before the start date of your course, you must ensure that you do not leave it too late as you could miss the start of your course. Also remember there will be a time limit on how quickly you can travel to the UK.

• You must submit only original documents with your visa application, including your passport. Photocopies or scanned copies of academic or financial documents are not permitted. If you do not use original documents, your visa application will be refused.

• You must make your Student Visa application from your home country or your country of normal residence. If you travel to another country, for example on holidays, before making your Student Visa application, you must return to your home country or your country of normal residence to make your visa application. There are no exceptions.

• Do not submit your visa application until you meet the requirements You should read all Student Visa requirements carefully. If you do not score all the points, your visa will be refused. You will lose the application fee and have a visa refusal on your record.

• We would encourage you to hold some extra funds over the required amount in your account, just to cover any fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which may occur during the time your Student Visa application is made.

• We are happy to provide guidance to help you prepare for your UKVI Student Visa, but please remember that your visa application is your responsibility. You therefore need to ensure that you have read all the information provided as well as the full Student Visa policy guidance which can be found on the Home Office website