Visa requirements

Visa requirements

Do I need a visa?

As a study abroad student, you will require either a Student visa, a Visitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This depends on your nationality, the length of your course and whether you will be taking an internship. 

If you're studying for one semester and not working at an internship organised by London Met, you can enter the UK on a Visitor visa. If you have a nationality on the visa national list, you must apply in advance for a Visitor visa. If you have a nationality that is not on the visa national list, then Visitor status will be granted automatically at the border (sometimes written as not needing a visa) up to certain dates:

Eligible* non-Europeans visiting the UK will need an ETA from 8 January 2025. Find out more at GOV.UK

Eligible* European visitors will need an ETA from 2 April 2025. Find out more on GOV.UK

_{* Eligible means i) not having a nationality on the visa national list   ii) not being a national of the following countries who can already apply for an ETA: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates   iii) staying for less that six months   iv) not working or taking an internship}

An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.

An ETA is not a visa, it does not permit entry into the UK – it authorises an individual to travel to the UK. Once there, Visitor status will normally be granted to eligible travellers.

Applying for an ETA

Information on who can get an ETA and how to apply before coming to the UK is available on GOV.UK

The easiest way to apply for an ETA is through the ‘UK ETA app’, which can be downloaded from the Google Play or Apple App Store. People can apply on GOV.UK if they do not have access to a smartphone. The application process is quick and simple. Applicants usually get a decision within three working days but may get a quicker decision if they use the UK ETA app.

To apply for an ETA, applicants need to:

• Pay a fee
• Provide contact and passport details
• Provide a valid photo, complying with our rules for digital photos on GOV.UK 
• Answer a set of questions
• Visitors must travel using the same passport they used when they applied for an ETA.

An ETA costs £10. As with all UKVI fees, the cost of an ETA is kept under review.

If you have a nationality that's not on the visa national list, you have the option of applying for a Student visa if you wish to work.

Visitor visa

A Visitor visa allows you to enter the UK for up to six months either for tourism or for study. Prior entry clearance (an application made online in advance) will be required for students with a nationality on the visa national list.

For non visa nationals there will not be a charge to enter the UK on a Visitor visa, and you can get this visa at the border with no paperwork requirement, although you should be prepared to show evidence that you can support yourself financially for the length of your stay (£1,334 per month in London, less any accommodation already paid for).

The charge for visa nationals who must apply in advance of travel will be £115 and you will have to attend a visa centre. Full details of this process can be seen on the UKVI website.

On a Visitor visa, no work is allowed, there is no recourse to public funds and you may not use the National Health Service (NHS) except in an emergency. You should, therefore, ensure that you have adequate health insurance.

Student visa

A Student visa is required if you are:

• studying for a whole academic year
• participating in an internship if staying for one semester (arranged by London Met only)

Visa application fees are £490 and there will additionally be a health surcharge of £776 if you are staying for the whole academic year. You may apply for your visa up to six months before the start of your course and you may enter the UK, once granted the visa: 

• up to one week before the start of your course, if your course lasts six months or less
• up to one month before the start of your course, if your course lasts more than six months

You must not travel to the UK before the start date given on your visa, no matter when your course starts.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you apply in good time for a visa.

Although non visa nationals will not have to show financial evidence, it is recommended that you have the correct amount of money to show in case you are asked. Visa nationals will have to provide evidence of funds held and this is detailed below.

You may work up to 20 hours per week (Monday to Sunday) during term time and you may use the National Health Service (NHS) if you have paid the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Our role as your sponsor

Under the points-based system, students who come to the UK to study for more than six months must be sponsored by a specific educational institution. This means that the university you are studying at must monitor your attendance and progress, and report students who fail to attend classes to the Home Office. Under the points-based system, universities are known as Student sponsors.

Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) numbers

The University will issue a CAS to:

• all students who hold an unconditional offer for a full year programme
• all students who hold an unconditional offer for one semester and who will participate in an internship
• students studying for one semester who specifically request a Student visa in order to be able to work in the UK while they study

Applying for a Student visa

The points-based system requires you to score 70 points in order to be successful in getting a visa to study in the UK.

Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) – 50 points

Financial requirements, such as course fees and maintenance costs (£1,334 in London) – 10 points

English language requirements, such as B2 when studying a course at degree level – 10 points

Maintenance requirement

The maintenance requirement is evidence that you have sufficient funds to live in the UK (in addition to the cost of your tuition fees if applicable). This level is set at £1,334 per month in inner London (which includes Holloway and Aldgate campuses) for up to a maximum of nine months. Please check the UKVI website for the most up-to-date information. Please note that the monthly figure for study in London will increase to £1,483 per month for applications on or after 2 January 2025.

The total amount of money that you need to show for the maintenance requirement must remain in your bank account for 28 days before you make your visa application and must not go below the required amount at any time during the 28 days.

Please note: If you cannot show the funds in your own bank account, the only other relatives you can use as a sponsor are your parents (unless you have an official financial sponsor, eg. a government or international organisation). If you want to use your parents' account you will need additional documents.

You can deduct the following from the total amount of money that you need as part of your immigration application:

• money that you have already paid to your Student sponsor towards your course fees, and
• up to £1,334 that you have already paid to your Student sponsor for your accommodation fees, if you will be living in university or college accommodation (please note that this figure will increase to £1,483 for applications on or after 2 January 2025)

You cannot deduct any advance payment for any other type of housing, nor can you adjust the amounts if you will have no housing costs (for example if you will be living with a relative free of charge).

Information on the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

Those who need immigration permission to travel to or stay in the UK for longer than six months will be charged an additional sum as part of their immigration application. This will entitle them to receive free health services under the National Health Service.

The Student visa online application form will automatically calculate how much of the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) you have to pay and you'll be able to make the IHS payment as part of your visa application. Please note, once you have entered the IHS portal you will have 30 minutes to complete the payment and return to the visa application. If you fail to complete the payment within 30 minutes, you will have to restart the visa application and make a new IHS payment.

The IHS for students staying for an academic year is £776. If this period of leave is six months or less then there is no charge.

Further details of the Immigration Health Surcharge can be found on the UKVI website. 

English language requirements

The Home Office requires proof of English language ability for students applying for a Student visa who are not from a majority English speaking country.

We are unable to issue a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) until an approved test has been taken by incoming students and a copy of the results sent to us (the original certificate must be kept for your visa application). The test must be run by one of the providers on the approved list so contact us before taking a test to check if we will accept it. Only five test providers are considered to offer secure English language tests for UK visa purposes - IELTS SELT Consortium, Trinity College London, LanguageCert, Pearson and PSI Services (UK) Ltd - Skills for English (UKVI). Trinity College London tests must be taken in the UK only. PSI Services (UK) Ltd - Skills for English (UKVI) tests must be taken overseas only. The three other providers' tests may be taken in the UK or overseas. A list of approved test centres can be found on the Home Office website.

Rather than merely meeting a certain overall level, there are minimum requirements in the different components – speaking, reading, writing and listening – that must be met. Further information about minimum requirements can be found on the UKVI website.

If taking an IELTS exam, you must achieve a minimum of 6.0 overall and at least 5.5 in each of the four components. If taking a Trinity College ISE II test, you must achieve a B2 level in each component.

Please note that if you do not achieve the required level in all of the components, the test will not be valid for use in your visa application. Test results are valid for two years.

Further information and how to apply

More information can be found on the following web pages:

• the Home Office website
• the UK Council for International Student Affairs website (which also gives advice on other subjects concerning international students in the UK)

If you have any questions, please email the advice team. Please note, we do our best to ensure the information provided here is accurate, but please check the Home Office website for the most up-to-date information and regulations.