Student Visa Extension UK 2026: The Complete Guide

Your visa expires in three weeks. Your university says they will not issue a CAS for your resit. You are already thinking about flights home.

You may still be able to extend from inside the UK. Under ST 14.4(a) of Appendix Student, the section of the Immigration Rules governing the Student visa route, resitting exams or repeating modules is a recognised exception to the academic progression requirement.

The problem is not the rule. The problem is knowing which exception applies and how to make your university act on it.

This guide covers everything: the two 28-day rules every competitor conflates, the complete academic progression framework with the correct ST 14.3 and ST 14.4 paragraph references, the 12-month financial exemption, Section 3C leave mechanics, and what to do if your extension is refused.

Can I Extend My Student Visa From Inside the UK?

Yes. If your current Student visa or Tier 4 General student visa is still valid, you can apply from inside the UK. There is no requirement to leave and reapply from abroad.

But a valid visa alone is not enough. You must meet every condition at the same time. You can extend in the UK if all of the following are true:

• You currently hold a valid Student visa or Tier 4 General visa
• You have a valid CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), a unique reference number issued by your educational institution confirming your unconditional offer of a place on a course from a licensed student sponsor
• You meet the academic progression requirement or qualify under an ST 14.3 pathway or an ST 14.4 exception
• You apply before your current visa expires
• You apply no earlier than 3 months before your new course starts
• You apply within 6 months of receiving your CAS
• Your new course begins within 28 days of your current visa expiry

Miss one of these and the application fails.

You cannot extend from inside the UK if your visa has already expired without Section 3C leave protection, or if you have overstayed.

You also cannot switch to a Student visa from a visit visa, short-term student visa, Parent of Child Student visa, seasonal worker visa, domestic worker in private household visa, or leave outside the Immigration Rules.

Being one day outside the timing window is not a small mistake. It changes your entire legal position.

What Are the Two 28-Day Rules for Student Visa Extensions?

There are two 28-day rules for the Student visa extension. They are completely different, and confusing them is the single most common reason for rejected extensions.

These two rules share the same number. They have nothing to do with each other. That confusion costs people their visas.

Rule 1: The Course Gap Rule (ST 4.3)

Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiry date. This is about the timing between your visa and your new course, not documents, bank statements, or any other evidence.

If your new course starts more than 28 days after your visa expires, because of a gap between courses, a deferred start date, or administrative delays, you cannot extend in the UK. You must leave. This is one of the most common reasons students are forced out mid-degree.

What this rule does not mean: you do not need to start your extension application within 28 days of anything. You can apply up to 3 months before your new course starts.

Rule 2: The Financial Evidence Rule (Appendix Finance)

Appendix Finance is the part of the Immigration Rules that specifies the evidence requirements for financial documents.

Your maintenance funds must have been held in your bank account for 28 consecutive days. The end date of those 28 days must be within 31 days of your application date.

A bank statement with an end date more than 31 days before your application date does not meet the financial requirement under ST 12. There is no general discretion.

The correct remedy after a Student visa refusal is an Administrative Review, not an appeal. Work backwards from your planned application date every time.

Identify the latest acceptable end date, 31 days before your application, then count back 28 days to find the earliest start date. Your statements must cover the entire window continuously.

One important exception: if you have held a valid UK permission for at least 12 months on the date of your application, you automatically meet the financial requirement under ST 12.1. No bank statements required. The next section covers this fully.

Do You Need to Show Funds If You Have Been in the UK for Over 12 Months?

No. If you have held a valid UK permission for at least 12 months on the date of your student visa extension application, you automatically meet the financial requirement under ST 12.1.

You do not need to provide bank statements or any financial evidence for yourself.

The exemption covers both the course fee evidence requirement and the maintenance funds requirement. Both are waived for you.

The 12-month exemption removes the financial evidence requirement for you. Your dependant has the same exemption available.

If your dependant has held a valid UK visa for at least 12 months on the date of their own application, they do not need to prove maintenance funds. Check the date of their first UK permission, not yours.

If your dependant has not held a UK visa for 12 months, they must still show their own funds, £845 per month in London, £680 per month outside London, for up to 9 months, even if you are personally exempt.

The Absence Myth

The absence myth is confirmed false. Short trips and holidays outside the UK during valid permission do not break the 12-month exemption.

What breaks it is a gap in lawful permission, overstaying, applying late without Section 3C leave protection, or permission on a route that does not count, such as a visit visa or leave outside the Immigration Rules.

The Differential Evidence Requirement

Students from a wide range of nationalities, including Australia, the USA, China, India, and most EU countries, are subject to ST 22 of Appendix Student (the differential evidence requirement) and do not normally need to provide financial evidence, even in their first year. UKVI reserves the right to ask for it; if asked, you must provide it.

Statements from UK-regulated digital banks, including Monzo, Revolut, and Starling, are acceptable as official bank-issued documents.

Request a formal statement from the bank directly, not an in-app export or screenshot. The statement must include all required information, including the account number, sort code, and a full transaction history for the 28-day period.

Two Offsets Worth Knowing

• Accommodation deposit offset: if you paid a deposit directly to your university for accommodation they provide, up to £1,529 can be offset against required maintenance funds, only for accommodation provided directly by the sponsor.
• Partially paid course fees: if you already paid part or all of your course fees before your application date, that amount can be deducted from the total financial evidence required.

Academic Progression: What if Your University Refuses a CAS?

The academic progression requirement under ST 14.1 (the academic progression paragraph within Appendix Student) requires that your new course be at a higher academic level than your previous course.

This rule only applies to in-country extensions; out-of-country applications have no academic progression requirement.

If you completed an undergraduate degree at RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework) level 6, your extension must be for a Master's at RQF level 7 or above.

If you completed a taught Master's at RQF level 7, your extension must be for a PhD at RQF level 8 or a course qualifying under one of the same-level routes below.

There are two distinct frameworks for getting an extension where straightforward progression does not apply. They sit in different paragraphs of the Appendix Student and must not be confused:

• ST 14.3 academic progress pathways: the same-level course route and the lower-award exit route. These are pathways that satisfy academic progression, not exceptions to it.
• ST 14.4 exceptions: specific situations where the academic progression requirement is disapplied (resits, sabbatical officer, intercalation, sponsor licence revocation, work placement).

Citing the wrong paragraph to your university compliance officer loses you credibility and potentially your CAS.

The structure below has been verified against the Appendix Student rule text on GOV.UK in April 2026.

ST 14.3 Academic Progress Pathways

Pathway A: Same-Level Course at HEP with Track Record of Compliance (ST 14.3(c))

• Course must be at degree level or above (RQF level 6 or above)
• Sponsor must be an HEP (Higher Education Provider) with a track record of compliance
• Sponsor must confirm on CAS that the new course is connected to the previous course, part of the same subject group, and combined with the previous course supports genuine career aspirations
• A caseworker may conduct a credibility interview before granting

Pathway B: PhD or Master's After Exiting an Integrated Master's Programme with a Lower Award (ST 14.3(c)(iv)(c))

• You left an integrated Master's / PhD programme with the lower award (typically a Bachelor's)
• You are now applying for a Master's or PhD programme

ST 14.4 Exceptions to Academic Progression

These are genuine exceptions where the progression requirement is disapplied for a specific, named situation.

A note on ST 14.4(c)

ST 14.4(c) is the PhD supervisor / doctoral-completion provision in Appendix Student (continuing a PhD or other doctoral qualification by moving to a new sponsor to follow an academic supervisor, or to complete the qualification for which study was undertaken during the last period of permission as a Student).

It is not addressed as a standalone exception above because its scope is narrow and supervisor-specific. If your situation involves following a PhD supervisor to a new institution, or completing a PhD begun under your current permission at a different sponsor, cite ST 14.4(c) specifically and seek regulated legal advice before relying on it.

Exception 1: Resitting Exams or Repeating Modules (ST 14.4(a))

• You need to resit failed assessments or repeat modules
• The university must confirm this on the CAS
• The Home Office permits an extension only where the resit requires your physical attendance in the UK

Exception 2: Completing Previous Qualification after Student Union Sabbatical Officer Role (ST 14.4(b))

• You served as an elected Student Union Sabbatical Officer
• You are returning to complete the qualification you were studying before

Exception 3: Medicine, Dentistry, or Medical Science Intercalated Course (ST 14.4(d))

• You are on a medicine, dentistry, or medical science degree
• You are intercalating and will return to complete the original course
• No new application required for intercalation at the same sponsor
• New sponsor: current sponsor must notify their Account Manager

Exception 4: Completing a Course at a New Institution after the Previous Sponsor Lost Its Licence (ST 14.4(e))

• Your original university lost its student sponsor licence
• You are applying to complete the same course at a different licensed institution
• See the refusal section for what happens if a sponsor licence is revoked after your application is submitted; a 60-day protection applies

Exception 5: Adding Work Placement to Original Course OR Returning After Placement (ST 14.4(f))

• Adding an approved work placement to your current course
• Returning from a completed work placement to finish the course
• The placement must form an integrated, assessed part of the course under ST 17
• The placement must not exceed 50% of the overall course

Your university refusing to issue a CAS is not the end. It is the beginning of a conversation about which ST 14.3 pathway or ST 14.4 exception applies to your situation.

When a university refuses a CAS, it is not always because the rules block you. Sometimes it is because the rules have not been applied correctly.

However, some students will genuinely not meet any pathway or exception and must leave the UK to apply for entry clearance from abroad.

What to Do When Your University Refuses: Four Steps

1. Identify which pathway or exception applies. Print the paragraph reference for the same-level route: ST 14.3(c), not ST 14.4(g).
2. Email your university's international student office, citing the specific paragraph. Example: "I am applying under ST 14.4(a) of Appendix Student, which explicitly permits extensions for resitting exams or repeating modules. Please confirm whether you can issue a CAS under this provision."
3. If the international office cannot help, escalate to the university's compliance officer or UKVI liaison. Sponsors have obligations to UKVI. Refusing a CAS for a student who meets the rules creates a compliance risk for the sponsor.
4. If the university still refuses, seek legal advice from a regulated lawyer. A solicitor can formally write to the university, citing its sponsorship duties. In many cases, a formal legal letter resolves the refusal where student emails did not.

The Resit without Attendance Grey Zone

Exception 1 under ST 14.4(a) permits extensions for resitting exams or repeating modules, but universities frequently decline to issue a CAS for resits that do not require physical attendance, and they may be entitled to do so.

If the resit requires no presence in the UK, no Student visa is needed, and the university's position may be entirely correct. Do not assume a refusal is an error before seeking regulated legal advice.

PhD-Specific Situations

Dissertation corrections, viva delays, and PhD continuation periods are not named exceptions in the caseworker guidance.

PhD students need to discuss CAS issuance with their supervisor and the international student office as early as possible, ideally months before the original visa expires.

What are the Eligibility Requirements for a Student Visa Extension?

To extend your student visa in the UK, you must meet all of the following:

Current Visa Status

You must hold a valid Student visa or Tier 4 General student visa. If your visa has expired without Section 3C leave protection, you have overstayed and cannot extend in-country.

Valid CAS

Your institution must issue a valid CAS, no more than 6 months old on the date of application, single-use only, from a sponsor who holds a current student sponsor licence on the Register of Student Sponsors. Verify the licence on the date of the decision, not just the date of the application.

Course Requirements

Your course must be at RQF level 3 or above full-time, or RQF level 7 or above part-time. Your new course must begin within 28 days of your current visa expiry.

You must apply within 3 months before your new course starts and within 6 months of receiving your CAS.

Academic Progression

The new course must be at a higher level than your previous course unless an ST 14.3 pathway or ST 14.4 exception applies.

Financial Requirement

You must show sufficient funds unless exempt under the 12-month rule. If you need to show funds, you must show £1,529 per month in London or £1,171 per month outside London for up to 9 months, plus full course fees for the first year.

The end date of the 28-day holding period must fall within 31 days of your application date.

English Language

For most in-country extensions, you do not need to re-prove English if you already demonstrated it for a previous UK Student visa at the same or higher level. Your CAS will confirm if additional evidence is required.

Genuine Student Requirement (ST 5.1)

UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration, the operational arm of the Home Office) must be satisfied on the balance of probabilities that you are a genuine student, as required by ST 5.1 of Appendix Student.

Time Limits

Degree level: maximum 5 years total. Below degree level: maximum 2 years total. Above degree level: no maximum.

The following have no time limit: medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and science, music at Conservatoires UK member institutions, architecture, and law conversion courses.

Suitability

No outstanding issues under the suitability requirements: criminal convictions, deception, or breach of conditions are assessed.

Suitability is assessed under Part 9 of the Immigration Rules regardless of how strong your academic or financial evidence is.

If any suitability concern applies, prior convictions, previous deception findings, or visa breaches, seek regulated legal advice before submitting. A Part 9 refusal cannot be corrected by improving your documents.

Visa Break: New From 26 March 2026

Nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan cannot obtain new out-of-country entry clearance as Students from this date. In-country extensions are not affected.

If you are already in the UK on a valid Student visa, you can still extend in-country under the normal rules.

Verify the current status of this policy on GOV.UK before relying on it, as immigration restrictions of this kind are subject to change.

The visa break from 26 March 2026 applies only to out-of-country entry clearance. Students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan who are already in the UK can still extend their visa in-country.

How Caseworkers Actually Assess Your Application

Before you look at the fee table, understand how your application will actually be read. Three points about caseworker decision-making shape every other fix in this guide:

• Caseworkers assess consistency across all documents, not individual items in isolation. A date discrepancy between the application form and a personal statement raises doubt about the entire application.
• They do not fill gaps or make assumptions in the applicant's favour. If a document is missing, they assess what is there and refuse if it falls short.
• They are trained to refuse based on what is submitted, not to request what is missing.

This is why the fix for a weak application is preparation, not explanation. The caseworker will not ask you to clarify.

How Much Does a Student Visa Extension Cost in 2026?

UKVCAS (UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services) is the commercial partner operating biometric enrolment service points, run by Sopra Steria.

The IHS is not the same as the extension fee. They are two separate payments made at the same stage of the online application. A failed IHS payment can stop your application in its tracks.

Each dependant, partner or child pays £558 plus IHS separately. They apply using your GWF (Global Web Form) or UAN (Unique Application Number) from your Home Office decision emails.

Immigration fees change without warning. If you rely on outdated figures, you risk an invalid application and the cost that comes with it.

How Long Does a Student Visa Extension Take in 2026?

Standard processing time is up to 8 weeks from submission of your online application, biometrics, and supporting documents. This is the Home Office target, not a guarantee.

Real-world experience shows standard cases taking 6 to 10 weeks. During peak periods, July to October for September intakes, December to January for January intakes, 10 to 12 weeks or longer is common.

Priority service targets 5 working days from your biometric appointment and costs an additional £500. Super priority targets the next working day and costs an additional £1,000. Neither improves your approval odds.

Paying for priority does not improve your chances. It only shortens the waiting time.

UKVCAS slots fill up quickly during peak periods. Book your biometric appointment as soon as the application flow allows.

If your application has been pending for more than 8 weeks with no update, submit an enquiry via the UKVI contact form on GOV.UK.

If your course start date is at risk, contact your international student office; some institutions have direct UKVI liaison contacts for urgent cases.

What is Section 3C Leave, and What Can You Do While Waiting for a Decision?

Section 3C leave is the legal provision under Section 3C of the Immigration Act 1971 that automatically extends your existing leave on the same conditions while your in-country application is being decided.

You do not apply for it; it activates automatically when you submit a valid in-time application.

What You Can Do Under Section 3C Leave

• Continue studying under your existing sponsor's course
• Work up to your existing permitted hours: 20 hours per week during term time at a degree-level HEP, 10 hours per week at below degree-level, work placement only at non-HEP institutions
• Access NHS services as before

One important addition: work placements are not counted as work for your work conditions under ST 26.

Students without general work rights can still undertake work placements that meet the requirements of ST 17.

Placement year students who assume their placement is suspended while awaiting a decision are wrong. Work placement is not counted as work under ST 26.

To prove your right to work or study during Section 3C, use the UKVI online status service or generate a share code from your UKVI account.

Where your immigration status cannot be confirmed online, your employer may need to use the Employer Checking Service to verify your right to work. Direct them to gov.uk/employee-immigration-employment-status.

What You Cannot Do

You cannot travel outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man (collectively, the Common Travel Area) while your application is pending.

Section 3C leave continues your existing conditions, including your work rights, automatically. You do not need to apply for it. But the moment you cross outside the Common Travel Area, your application is withdrawn.

Section 3C leave ends on the date a decision is made. If refused, it ends immediately, unless you apply for Administrative Review within 28 days, in which case Section 3C continues until the AR decision.

Section 3C leave is not a separate visa. Successful applicants now receive an eVisa, a digital record of their immigration status accessible via their UKVI account.

The Home Office has been moving away from physical documents as part of the eVisa rollout, and physical BRP (Biometric Residence Permit) cards were phased out from October 2024.

Step-by-Step: How to Apply for a Student Visa Extension in the UK

Before You Apply: Timing

• Apply no earlier than 3 months before your new course starts
• Apply before your current visa expires
• Apply within 6 months of receiving your CAS
• Start preparing 4 months before expiry
• Your university needs at least 10 working days to process a CAS request; do not leave this until the final week

Step 1: Check Your CAS

Verify every detail before submitting: course title, start and end dates, RQF level, sponsor licence number, course fee amount, and academic progression confirmation.

You cannot amend the CAS yourself. Contact your university immediately if anything is wrong. Also, verify your sponsor holds a valid licence on the Register of Student Sponsors on the date of decision, not just the date of application.

Step 2: Gather Your Documents

Step 3: Complete the Online Application

Apply via the GOV.UK visa and immigration service. Sign in to, or create, your UKVI account. Pay the £558 extension fee and the £776 IHS per year (£388 per 6-month block).

Verify the current rate on GOV.UK before paying. Keep all payment confirmation receipts.

Step 4: Upload Documents

Ensure all documents are clearly scanned and legible. Poor-quality uploads can delay processing or result in refusal.

Step 5: Biometrics Appointment

Book your biometric appointment at UKVCAS as soon as possible after submitting your application. Slots fill rapidly during peak periods, particularly July to October and December to January.

Use the UK Immigration ID Check app if your passport is eligible; it is faster and avoids an in-person appointment.

Step 6: Wait for Decision

Stay in the UK. Continue under your existing conditions under Section 3C leave. Your decision arrives by email. If successful, your eVisa is updated.

Can My Partner and Children Extend Their Visas With Me?

From 1 January 2024, the rules changed. Only the following students can bring dependants:

• Government-sponsored students on a full-time course lasting 6 months or longer
• Students on a PhD or doctoral qualification at RQF level 8 at an HEP (Higher Education Provider) with a track record of compliance on a course lasting 9 months or longer
• Students on a research-based higher degree at RQF level 7 at an HEP with a track record of compliance on a course lasting 9 months or longer

Students on taught Master's programmes at RQF level 7 (non-research) starting from 1 January 2024 cannot bring dependants.

Students on any course below postgraduate level, part-time students, and Child Students also cannot bring dependants.

If your course started before 1 January 2024 and you are extending, previous dependants may continue to extend under transitional provisions; check this with your university or a regulated adviser.

Dependant Fees and Evidence

Dependants apply using your GWF or UAN reference number, and each pays £558 plus IHS separately.

Their 28-day holding period end date must be within 31 days of their own application date, not yours.

Even if you are personally exempt from the financial requirement, your dependants must still show £845 per month in London or £680 per month outside London for up to 9 months, unless your dependant has themselves held a valid UK visa for at least 12 months on the date of their own application.

In that case, your dependant has their own 12-month financial exemption and does not need to provide proof of maintenance funds. Check the date of their first UK permission, not yours.

Dependant Work Rights

Dependant partners of eligible students can work in the UK under their existing conditions. If your new course is below degree level or less than 9 months, your dependant partner may lose work rights; check this before submitting your own extension application, not after.

What Happens if Your Student Visa Extension is Refused?

Your refusal notice must identify which requirement was not met. These are the codes you will see:

Refusal Paragraph Codes

• ST 4.3, Timing: Application submitted after visa expiry, or new course starts more than 28 days after current visa expiry. No discretion available.
• ST 7, Invalid CAS: CAS withdrawn by sponsor, already used in a previous application, more than 6 months old on the application date, or sponsor's licence revoked before the decision date.
• ST 12, Financial requirement: Funds not held for 28 consecutive days, end date of 28-day period more than 31 days before application date, incorrect amount, or wrong type of evidence.
• ST 14, Academic progression: New course not at a higher level and no ST 14.3 pathway or ST 14.4 exception confirmed on the CAS. The sponsor did not justify a same-level course, even though ST 14.3(c) was relied on.
• ST 5.1, Genuine student requirement: Caseworker not satisfied on the balance of probabilities. Usually follows a credibility interview.

Option 1: Administrative Review

Use this only if the caseworker made a legal error in applying the rules, not because you want to submit new documents or get a different assessment.

The fee is £80. You must request within 28 days of refusal. Section 3C leave continues during AR if applied for within 28 days of the refusal. AR does not allow new documents.

Best used when: the caseworker misapplied an ST 14.4 exception or ST 14.3 pathway, calculated financial dates incorrectly, or misread the CAS.

Not useful when financial evidence was missing, the CAS had expired, or corrected documents would fix the problem.

The Home Office does not publish a specific processing time for the Administrative Review of student visa decisions. In practice, decisions typically take several weeks. Section 3C leave continues throughout if an AR was applied for within 28 days of the refusal.

Option 2: Fresh Application

Required when you have new or corrected evidence, a new CAS, corrected bank statements, or a new ATAS certificate. This is the only viable route after most document-based refusals.

Refused: What Next?

If your sponsor's licence is revoked after you apply, you have 60 days to find a new sponsor. The caseworker cannot refuse immediately. Most students in this situation do not know this protection exists.

Withdrawing your application ends Section 3C leave immediately. If your original visa has already expired and you withdraw, you are an overstayer from that moment. Never withdraw without advice.

The Graduate Visa Impact after Refusal

The Graduate visa requires a valid Student visa at the time of application and successful completion of an eligible course.

Graduate visa durations (confirmed from GOV.UK March 2026):

• 2 years if applied on or before 31 December 2026
• 18 months if applied on or after 1 January 2027
• PhD = 3 years

One refusal does not permanently end Graduate visa eligibility, but the sequence matters. If AR succeeds, the refusal is corrected.

If AR fails, you must leave unless you hold another permission. For Graduate visa eligibility, what matters is whether you hold a valid Student visa at the time you apply.

If your extension is refused and Section 3C leave ends, you no longer hold a valid Student permission.

You must get a new Student visa granted before you can apply for the Graduate visa. Any gap in lawful residence during this period affects eligibility.

If you apply for Administrative Review within 28 days and AR succeeds, continuous lawful residence is preserved.

If AR fails, the gap stands. Time in AR does not count as lawful residence if AR is ultimately unsuccessful.

One refusal does not permanently kill your Graduate visa. But it creates a lawful residence gap that you must close before applying for the Graduate visa. The order matters.

Conclusion

Everything comes down to three things: your timing, your evidence, and your exception.

Know which 28-day rule applies to your situation; they are not the same rule. Know your financial evidence window is 31 days, not 28. Know which ST 14.3 pathway or ST 14.4 exception covers your situation if your university is refusing your CAS, and know the four escalation steps before you accept that refusal as final.

Remember that some students will not meet any pathway or exception and must leave the UK to apply for entry clearance from abroad; knowing this early is better than finding out at the deadline.

Know your exception, know your deadline, know your evidence window. Everything else follows from these three things.

Your visa expiring is not the same as your options expiring. But your margin for error is smaller than you think. Act before the deadline, not after it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I extend my student visa for resits or repeating modules?

Yes. Resitting exams or repeating modules is a recognised exception to the academic progression requirement under ST 14.4(a) of Appendix Student.

Your university must confirm this on your CAS. Universities may legitimately decline to issue a CAS for resits that do not require physical attendance in the UK, as no Student visa would be required in that situation.

Seek regulated legal advice if you are unsure whether your circumstances qualify.

What is the 28-day rule for student visa extensions?

There are two completely separate 28-day rules. The first, under ST 4.3, is the course gap rule: your new course must start within 28 days of your current visa expiry.

The second, under Appendix Finance, is the financial evidence rule: your maintenance funds must be held for 28 consecutive days, with the end date within 31 days of your application date.

These rules are unrelated; confusing them is the most common cause of preventable refusals.

Can I work while my student visa extension is being processed?

Yes. Section 3C allows your existing visa conditions to continue automatically while your application is pending.

If you were permitted to work 20 hours per week during term time before you applied, you can continue on those same terms while waiting for the decision.

Do I need to show funds if I have been in the UK for more than 12 months?

No. If you have held a valid UK permission for at least 12 months on the date of your application, you automatically meet the financial requirement under ST 12.1.

Short holidays and absences during valid permission do not break this exemption. Only gaps in lawful permission break it.

Can I travel outside the UK while my extension application is being processed?

No. Travelling outside the Common Travel Area while your extension application is pending automatically withdraws your application. There is no exception. Your application is withdrawn, not paused.

What happens if my CAS expires before I apply?

Your application will be rejected as invalid if the CAS is more than 6 months old on the date you apply. You must request a new CAS from your university before submitting.

My university refuses to issue me a CAS. What can I do?

If your university refuses a CAS, you may still have options under the academic progression provisions in Appendix Student. First, identify which pathway or exception applies to your situation.

If an ST 14.3 pathway or ST 14.4 exception applies, identify the specific paragraph and email your university's international student office, citing it directly. If they still refuse, escalate to the compliance officer.

If still unresolved, a regulated immigration solicitor can write formally to the university citing its sponsorship obligations.

Note that some refusals, such as those for resits requiring no attendance in the UK, may be entirely legitimate.

What if I make a mistake on the application form?

Do not withdraw immediately. Contact UKVI first to understand whether the error can be corrected without withdrawal.

Be aware that UKVI contact centres may not always be able to resolve errors, and that withdrawal may ultimately be unavoidable.

Withdrawal ends Section 3C leave at that moment. If your original visa has already expired and you withdraw, you become an overstayer.

Treat any IHS payment error with particular caution, and seek regulated legal advice before taking any action.

Does extending my student visa affect my eligibility for the Graduate visa?

Not if the extension is granted and you complete your course. A refused extension that results in a gap in lawful residence does affect Graduate visa eligibility; you must obtain a new valid Student permission before applying.

Time in Administrative Review does not count as lawful residence unless AR succeeds. Graduate visa durations are 2 years if applied on or before 31 December 2026, 18 months if applied on or after 1 January 2027, and 3 years for PhD holders.

How much does a student visa extension cost in 2026?

The extension fee is £558 per person, plus the Immigration Health Surcharge at £776 per year of visa granted (£388 per 6-month block).

Verify the current IHS rate on GOV.UK before applying, as rates change. Priority service costs an additional £500. Super priority costs an additional £1,000.

Can my partner and children extend with me?

Yes, but only if you are on a PhD, doctoral qualification, research-based higher degree at an eligible HEP, or are a government-sponsored student.

Students on taught Master's programmes from 1 January 2024 cannot bring dependants. If you qualify, dependants can apply at the same time as you or separately before their own visas expire.

What if my sponsor's licence is revoked while my application is pending?

The caseworker must give you 60 days to find a new licensed sponsor and vary your application.

They cannot refuse your application solely because the sponsor's licence was revoked after you submitted it. Contact UKVI immediately if you receive a revocation notification.