If you are a student planning to pursue higher studies at a UK university, you need to apply for a student visa. Applying for a student visa can be a little intimidating for most students. No one wants to go through the extensive application process only to get UK student visa rejection. If you are wondering how to avoid UK Student visa refusal, we are here to help. Follow the tips below to ensure that your student visa gets accepted.

Tip 1 – Apply for Your Visa as Early as Possible

If you are planning to apply for a UK student visa in the summers, know that it’s one of the busiest times of the year. Keep in mind that it takes time to process a student visa application. In most cases, you’ll get a decision within three weeks.
To improve the chances of visa acceptance, we recommend applying as early as possible. If you’re applying from outside the UK, you can apply for a visa six months before starting your studies. There is a priority visa process available that lets you know about your application within five working days but this is limited to certain application centres because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tip 2 – Ensure You Have Sufficient Funds
One of the major reasons why UK student visas get rejected is because of insufficient funds in the account. All applicants are supposed to share their bank statement or their parent’s or guardian’s bank statement. The bank account needs to have sufficient funds covering the visa fee, tuition fee, and living expenses. The cost of applying for a student visa from outside the UK is £348.

How much money you need depends on where you’re studying. As a general guide, you will require £1334 per month for courses in London and £1023 per month for courses outside of London. It’s essential to make sure you have enough money to last through one academic year, i.e., 9 months. It should be noted that ‘in London’ refers to not only the city of London but also the 12 boroughs of London.

You must also ensure that these funds are available in the account for a minimum of 28 consecutive days from the 31 days before the submission of the application. This is mandatory unless you have received a student loan or financial sponsorship. In this case, you will need documentation from the loan or sponsorship company. Check out this page for additional information on financial requirements.

Tip 3 – Ace Your Credibility Interviews
Credibility interviews are an important part of the visa process to avoid UK visa refusal. Many individuals come to the UK under the guise of studying and instead, fail to either register at the university or attend their classes. Therefore, credibility interviews are conducted to ensure that you’re coming to the UK as a genuine student instead of a worker.

This will likely be a 20-30 minute interview between you and an admissions representative and may involve questions related to your personal and financial history, your study and post-study plans, immigration history, education history, and more. To ace this interview, make sure to go over your answers to all of these questions and focus on the reasons you chose the UK and a particular university for higher education.

Helpful tips include using specific information instead of generic responses, knowing your visa and student responsibilities, and knowing about your education and course programme. You should also review all financial information beforehand as you’ll likely have to explain how you plan to support yourself during your stay in the UK.

The key to successfully nailing the credibility interview is your understanding of the application form. You need to ensure that you have added all information and answered all questions confidently and accurately.

Tip 4 – Make a Documents Checklist
To avoid UK visa refusal, it’s essential to ensure that submit all the required documents. Here, we have narrowed down the documents you will require:

Passport or other travel documentation
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
Financial documents and proof of income
ATAS certificate (if required)
Parental or legal guardian’s consent (for those under 18)
Proof of relationship to parent or legal guardian (for those under 18)
Tuberculosis test results
Consent letter from a financial sponsor (if applicable)
English language requirement documents
Before submitting your application, go over this list and ensure that all of your documents have been translated into English. Always re-check your application before final submission.

Tip 5 – Prove Your English Skills
You need to provide proof of your knowledge of the English language as required by your institution or course to avoid UK student visa rejection. This means that you have to show your ability to read, speak, and write in the English language as ascertained by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages scale. This can be done by passing the Secure English Language Test (SELT) and submitting your results.

However, if you’re studying with a Higher Education Provider (HEP), they may choose to assess your English skills themselves and ask you to complete different tests. That being said, these must be equivalent to the CEFR at the B2 level. If this is done, it is mentioned on your Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

You should check specific requirements beforehand to ensure a smooth application process. It should also be known that citizens from certain countries are exempt from proving their knowledge of English – check if you’re from one of these countries here.
Tip 6 – Consider Health Surcharge Costs
How to avoid uk student visa refusal
If you are visiting the UK as a non-EEA national, you will have to pay the health surcharge if your stay is going to exceed six months. This depends on whether you’re applying alone, how long you’re planning to stay in the UK, where you’re staying, and a few other factors. To make sure that you pay the correct amount, it’s best to visit this webpage to calculate your exact health surcharge. If you’re a non-EEA national, make sure to pay this surcharge when you’re applying for your visa to avoid any delays or UK student visa rejection.

Tip 7 – Get Biometric Residence Permit
While applying from abroad, which is outside of UK, you will need to make an appointment at the visa application centre for your fingerprints and photos. This will allow you to get your biometric residence permit that will serve as evidence of your immigration status in the UK.

It’s important to collect your biometric residence permit in a timely manner. This has to be done within 10 days of arriving in the UK or before the vignette sticker in your passport or travel document expires. Please do not break your quarantine in order to do this. The Post Office will keep your BRP for 90 days and you will be able to collect it after you have finished self-isolating.

Tip 8 – Plan your Bookings Smartly
All visa applicants must not make any bookings until they have been granted a visa. The visa processing time may vary for different types of visas; it may vary for many other reasons, including busy periods but not limited to it. Hence, there is no definitive visa application processing time; it may differ from case to case and person to person.
Tip 9 – Ask for Help
Connect with UKVI anytime and receive a response within 24 hours in your preferred language through International Enquiry Service to avoid UK student visa rejection. If you wish to speak with a representative, you may call the helpline.
Final Thoughts
We hoped that the information in this blog helped address all your concerns regarding UK student visa refusal. If you’re still worried about missing out on important information or documentation, don’t worry. Our team of experts can help you with any and all application needs. Reach out to us today and we can get started.