Student visa application guide

Where you are applying from

Select ‘No’, as you are applying from outside of the UK.

Next, please select your country.

You should choose the country in which you are living (if you are in a country that is not your home country, you may be able to attend a Visa Application Centre if you are resident, for example, due to studies, but not if you are there as a visitor).

Check local visa centres

Once you have checked the link provided, ‘Find a visa application centre’, you can select  ‘I have identified the location where I will provide my biometrics (or I am unable to provide my biometrics at any location)’.

If you want to choose a different location, select this option and go through the steps.

Apply now

Now you are ready to begin your application.

Please click ‘Apply Now’.

Register an email

Register your email address and create a password for your account.

Your password must be 10 characters or longer and must contain at least 3 of the following:

• uppercase letter
• lowercase letter
• a number
• a symbol

Make a note of your password somewhere safe.

Select ‘Save and continue’.

Contact by email

Select ‘You’ if the email address belongs to you, or select ‘Someone else’ if the email address doesn’t belong to you.

You will also be asked if you have an additional email to contact you through.

Telephone number

You will also be asked to confirm telephone number details for your application.

Please enter the information that is relevant to you.

Scholarships

The Fulbright Scholarship, known as ‘Fulbright Awards’, offer grants and support to British and American students seeking to do a postgraduate degree, teaching or research.

The Marshall Scholarship is a postgraduate scholarship for ‘intellectually distinguished young Americans [and] their country’s future leaders’ to study at any university in the United Kingdom.

The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship, funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that lets foreign students with leadership qualities study at universities in the United Kingdom.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for candidates from least developed and lower middle income Commonwealth countries, for full-time Master’s study on selected courses, jointly supported by UK universities.

If you are not in receipt of any of the above scholarships – select ‘No’.

Your CAS

Your CAS number is 14 digits long and usually starts with the letter E. It was sent to you in a PDF by us.

You should not use the same CAS number that you have used previously. Any Student Visa application you make needs a new CAS number, even if you are applying for a student visa to continue the same course previously.

We advise that you have your CAS information to hand for completing the majority of this visa application form.

Name

Please enter your first name and family name (surname) as shown in your current passport.

If you have any other names, you will be asked to complete further questions.

If you have legally changed your name, you must click ‘Yes’. For example, you may have legally changed your name if you got married or changed your gender.

You do not need to mention unofficial nicknames. 

Sex and relationship status

Choose your sex and your relationship status, as in your passport.

Your address

Enter your current home address and contact details.

This will usually be your normal residence in your home country or where you are currently living, and should be the address where you can be contacted about your application.

You will be asked how long you have lived there.

If you are not completely sure, you should choose the number of years or months that is closest to what you believe.

Your passport

Include your passport number as listed in your current passport. 

It should match the passport number on your CAS statement - please let us know as soon as possible if it doesn’t.

You may also be asked if you have a valid identity card. If you do, please fill in the relevant details.

Nationality, country and date of birth

Enter your nationality, date of birth, and country of birth, exactly as they appear on your passport.

You will be asked if you have any other nationalities. Please fill in the information that is appropriate for you.

If you are not applying in your home country, you will be asked what permission you have to apply from this country.

If you are under 18 years old at the time of your Student visa application, you may be asked more questions in the visa application form about your accommodation arrangements/care in the UK. Please contact IAS if you are unsure of how to proceed.

English language ability

‘Previous application’ means a previous application for a UK visa.

You should only answer ‘Yes’ here if you have previously provided evidence of your English language ability at the required level in a previous UK visa application.

If you answer ‘Yes’ here, you will not be asked any further questions about English language and will be taken to the next section of the application form.

You can check your CAS document to see how your English language ability was assessed.

(Students from Majority English speaking countries will not be asked this question).

UK English qualification

Only select ‘Yes’ if this is applicable in your case.

If not, select ‘No’.

Then click ‘Save and Continue’.

English language assessment

Please select ‘Yes’ for the first question as Goldsmiths is a higher education provider with a track record of compliance.

Select ‘Yes’ for the second question as your CAS document will confirm that the English language ability has already been assessed.

Financial dependants

If anyone relies on you for financial support, please select ‘Yes’.

Parents’ details

Provide details of both of your parents in this section, if possible.

You will be asked about your first parent, and then about the second.

If you don’t have the details about your second parent (e.g. you do not have a relationship with them), then you can tick the box ‘I only have the details of one parent’ to skip this question.

UK family and travel to the UK

Family who live in the UK

This question is asking about your family and any partner that lives in the UK. If you answer ‘Yes’, the next screen (not shown) asks questions about your family or partner in the UK, including their immigration status.

Travelling

These questions is asking if you will be travelling to the UK as part of an organised group or as an individual. Most students coming to study at the University will be travelling individually.

Enter the required information.

Answer these questions with the best of your ability.

If you are confused about any of these questions, please let us know.

Address in the UK

If you do not yet have a UK address confirmed, please select ‘No’ for this question. You will then be asked where you plan to stay in the UK.

If you do not have a UK address, you can put the Goldsmiths’ address. This can be found on your CAS document.

If you do have accommodation arranged, please fill in the address details.

UK travel history

Please answer the following questions about your travel history as best as you can.

List as much information as you can - don’t worry if you can’t remember exact dates.

You will be asked about previous UK visa applications, and your world travel history.

You may need to check your passport(s) for any visa stamps you received to help you remember or look in your email account for any flight bookings.

Planned travel information

Select your intended date of arrival.

If you don’t know exactly, just put an estimate – your arrival date should not be more than 1 month before the start date of your course (listed on your CAS document).

Immigration history

Please provide any relevant details as accurately as possible.

This includes things like being refused a visa at the UK border.

Convictions

Declare any criminal convictions - if you are not sure whether to declare something, contact us before submitting your application.

War crimes

Declare any War crimes - if you are not sure whether to declare something, contact us before submitting your application.

Terrorist activities

Declare any terrorist activities, organisations and views - if you are not sure whether to declare something, contact us before submitting your application.

Extremist views

Declare any Extremist organisations and views - if you are not sure whether to declare something, contact us before submitting your application.

You will also be asked questions on your character.

Employment history

Please provide any relevant details as accurately as possible. This includes work anywhere in the world.

Place of study

Please select: Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance

Sponsor license number and address

This information is on your CAS statement.

The sponsor licence number is AG868A1E7

Sponsor’s address: Goldsmiths College, 8 Lewisham Way

Town/City: London

Postcode: SE14 6NW

Primary site of study and UCAS

Please select ‘Yes’ for this question.

If you used UCAS to apply for your course, select ‘Yes’. Your UCAS number will be on your CAS document.

If you did not use UCAS to apply for your course, select ‘No’. You will not have a UCAS number on your CAS document.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

If you need to obtain permission from the ATAS for your course, select ‘Yes’.

You will be prompted to enter your ATAS reference number, which is on the ATAS clearance certificate issued to you.

If you did not need to obtain permission from the ATAS, select ‘No’.

Future official financial sponsor

If you are receiving an official financial sponsorship, your letter confirming this would have been checked and approved as part of your CAS process.

Federal Student Aid (US Loans) or FAFSA is not considered as an Official Financial sponsor.

If you select ‘Yes’, you will be asked if you are being wholly sponsored and how this will be proved.

Select ‘No’ if you will not be receiving money from an official financial sponsor.

Course information

The qualification you will get is listed on your CAS next to the course level section.

Please be careful when selecting the correct course level (RQF level).

Make sure to copy details exactly from your CAS document.

Course dates

Enter the course dates that are on your CAS document.

It is very important that you record these accurately, as it could affect the length of the visa that you are issued.

If your course dates are wrong on the CAS, please contact IAS team before you pay for your visa application.

Accommodation payments

If you will be staying at accommodation directly arranged through Goldsmiths and you have paid money towards this, you can select ‘Yes’.

You will be asked the amount paid and how this will be proven.

We will record any payments that you have made on your CAS document.

If a payment is missing from your CAS document, please contact us so that we can amend this.

Course fees

Your CAS will show the amount of tuition fees for your first year and the amount you have already paid.

If you have paid more towards your tuition fees and it is not reflected on your CAS statement, please let us know so that we can update that information for you.

Student loan

Only select ‘Yes’ if you have a student loan provided by one of the following:

• your national government or state
• government sponsored student loan company
• academic or educational loans scheme

If you are receiving US Federal Loans, please select ‘Yes’ to this question.

Maintenance funds

Information on visa financial requirements.

Low risk nationals will have to fill in the details of your financial documents. However, you do not usually need to include documentation to show you meet the financial requirements with your visa application so please do not upload any financial documents at the initial stage.

Additional information

Add any further information that you want to include here.

After this page, you will be prompted to check your answers, where you can change any sections that you need to.

Conditions

Next, you will be informed of the following conditions.

Please read through carefully, and then tick the box to confirm that you understand and accept these conditions.

Documents

Next, you will be asked to provide documents.

Please tick all the boxes to confirm that you will provide these documents when requested.

Please provide whichever documents are requested from you, as a caseworker will need to check these.

Declaration

You will then be asked to read through the declaration and confirm that you accept the terms.

You will not be able to make any further changes to your application form once you accept the declaration.

You will then be asked to check your answers.

Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS)

You need to make an IHS payment.

You will be directed to the IHS website to get an IHS number.

There will be a question where it asks if your course is NQF Level 7. The ‘NQF’ level is the same as ‘RQF’ level, it is just that the Home Office have not yet updated the terminology on the IHS payment website.

IHS payment

You will need to add some details before you can proceed to the payment page. You will need to click ‘Add where you are planning to stay’ and on the next screen (not shown), confirm that you are not applying in the UK and that you are not planning to live in Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey.

You will then need to complete the rest of the missing information using the information listed on your CAS.

If you’re extending your visa because you previously repeated a year and need the extension to complete your course, then you must confirm that you’re continuing on the same course and provide the original course start date (see this in your CAS email from when it was issued to you when you started your course).

You must carefully read and answer these questions correctly. Failure to do so may mean that you have to restart your application.

IHS payment and visa fee

Select ‘These details are correct’ once you have checked your answers.

Read the declaration, and once you understand it, click ‘I agree’.

You will then be directed to the payment page.

After you have completed the IHS payment, you can return to the visa application, which you will now need to pay for.

You will then book your biometric appointment.

BRP collection

Please note that this page may look a little different to you, but the important information is:

BRP Collection

ACL Code: 2HE537

Once you have paid your health surcharge, you should be asked to select a delivery location. You must use the Goldsmiths code (2HE537) so that your visa is delivered to Goldsmiths.

If you don’t, your enrolment will be delayed.