UK to raise monthly maintenance cost for student visas from January 2025; how will it impact Indian applicants?

To study at a British university, you need to show some money in your bank account as living expenses that you will need when you are there. The money needs to be deposited in a bank account for a 28-day period before you can apply for a UK visa.

The money, as of now, stands at £1,334 per month for the courses in London and £1,023 per month for the courses outside London. This is done for nine months. The limit has now been raised, and it will come into force from next year onwards.

The new limits are as follows:

I. Visa applicants who want to study in London must now show that they have £1,483 a month for up to nine months, an increase of 11.2 per cent from the previous amount of £1,334.

II. Students who opt to study outside London must show that they have £1,136 per month for up to nine months, which is an increase of 11.1 per cent from the previous amount of £1,023.

How will it impact the students from India?

Students who want to apply for a student visa must have an amount equivalent to the fee plus living expenses in their bank account for a period of 28 days.

For instance, if a London-based university has a fee equivalent to £20,000, then the student must have 20,000 + 1483 X 9 = £33,347 in the bank account for a period of 28 days before applying for the visa within 30 days from the last day of the bank statement.

Likewise, if a non-London-based university has a fee equivalent to £20,000, then the student must show 20,000 + 1,136 X 9 = £30,224 in the bank account for a 28-day period before applying for the visa within 30 days from the last day of the bank statement.

Meanwhile, if the student avails some scholarship, then the equivalent amount is deducted from this total sum. At the same time, if s/he has made an advance payment, then the same amount is deducted from the total sum.

Besides, UK Visas and Immigration has developed a digital immigration system which is replacing physical documents. The documents that are being replaced are as follows:

A. Biometric residence permits (BRP).

B. Biometric residence cards (BRC).

C. Passport endorsements, such as indefinite leave to enter wet ink stamps.

D. Vignette stickers in passports, such as entry clearance or visa vignettes.