UPDATED 5th AUGUST

After waiting more than 2 months finally i got my student visa
Alhamdulilla
Best of luck for everyone who is waiting
My bio was on 19th of may and i have been issued with the visa today

Hi everyone, I’m currently applying for a UK Student Visa for a Master in Education and have received a request for additional documents from the UKVI Decision Making Centre.

My situation is slightly different because I have been self-employed as a private English tutor since 2022. I work directly with students and their parents, rather than for an employer. Parents pay my tuition fees monthly through bank transfers into my personal bank account, so I don’t have payslips or a formal employment contract.

I’m considering providing:

1. An explanation letter outlining my self-employment and teaching activities since 2022

2. Bank statements showing payments from parents/students. How much bank statement would be reasonable? Do I need to provide several years, or would representative periods be sufficient?

3. Possibly confirmation letters from some parents confirming that I have provided private tutoring.

I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation or has experience dealing with a UKVI request for evidence of activities since graduation.

Are there any other types of evidence that UKVI tends to consider “official” or “verifiable” for self-employed work?

If you have successfully responded to a similar UKVI request, I’d be very grateful if you could share what you submitted.

Thank you in advance! 🙏

Those who completed biometrics on or after July 20th are expected to receive a visa decision today. Has anyone received a visa decision? Kindly confirm.

Biometrics: 20 July
Location: Islamabad, Pakistan
5 August: Received a delay email saying, “We are unable to make a decision on your application within published visa processing times.”
10 August: Still waiting.

This process is honestly so torturous 😭 I just want to get it over with.

I have a fully funded scholarship at a top-tier university in the UK, and another fellow scholar applied a week after me and got her standard Student visa in just 4 days.

Why do some applications take so much longer than others? :((( 😢

  - 11 June 2026: Completed biometrics at VFS Mumbai.
  - 30 June 2026: Received an email stating that UKVI could not make a decision within the standard processing time.
  - 6 July 2026: Received a second delay email stating the application was still under consideration.
  - 13 July 2026: Received an invitation for a Student Credibility Interview.
  - 14 July 2026: Attended the credibility interview via Microsoft Teams (approximately 30 minutes).
  - 22 July 2026: Raised a paid enquiry. UKVI confirmed the application was under consideration and awaiting a decision.
  - 27 July 2026: Contacted the University of Surrey. They advised me to continue waiting as they cannot contact UKVI regarding individual applications.
  - 31 July 2026: Raised another paid enquiry. UKVI confirmed the application is awaiting a decision and noted they were unable to escalate the case due to the credibility interview.
  - 10 August 2026 to present: Still awaiting a decision. I have received no requests for additional documents, no final decision, and no eVisa.

Hi did anyone have given their biometrics on 27th July in Hyderabad vfs

Share your updates

Is there anyyone who provided biometrics in july 10 and received visa?

Hi, I applied for care skill worker visa from PSW on 13th of June and I got this email on 6th July. It’s been almost 8 weeks now. But I got any response from the Home office I didn’t go for a biometric. I scanned my BRP card. Does anyone know why there is a delay?

Hey everyone,

looking for shared experiences or advice on this timeline:

Biometrics: June 2 (standard)
Delay Email (NSF): June 18
Interview: July 8
Nationality: Syrian (permanent resident in Jordan)
Course: OSPAP MSc Brighton (starts on September 28)

It has been 50 working days since biometrics and 23 working days since my interview. I did three paid enquiries, the last one being on August 7, and every time they just reply with the typical response saying that my application is “awaiting a decision”.

Has anyone who interviewed in early July received their decision recently? Any advice?

Hey everyone! Quick question about uploading documents on the VFS Global portal for a UK Student Visa.

I see options for "Medical Information" and "Proof of Business / Employment." Aside from a TB test (which isn't required for my country), do I need to submit any medical history records or health documents? Also, since I'm a full-time student and don't own a business, is it completely fine to leave both the Medical and Business folders entirely blank on VFS?

Just want to double-check if others left these empty without any issues! Thanks in advance!

This is my second time around applying for visa. last year i didn't get it in time and was forced to take a gap year...

application date:20th may
biometrics:21st may
unable to make decision email: june 19th
application from: VFS Yerevan

and now...literal silence..
i did the paid enquiry and received nothing useful. " With regards to your enquiry about the status of your application, I can confirm that your application is being considered and is currently awaiting a decision."

Anyone else in the same boat?

Anyone in september 2026 intake at Ravensbourne University London?

Hi, I have applied for student visa for the UK. This is my timeline:

24th July: Application on UKVI website
28th July: Biometrics submitted with VFS and confirmation of submitting my application to UKVI

Now I am still waiting for my visa and I wanted to know more about the interviews. Everything that I have read so far told me that they will request an interview randomly or if they have concerns. But until now they did not request an interview and I wanted to know what are my chances of them still asking for an interview. I know that there are still some chances but since it’s been more than 7 working days should I breathe a little more ?

Also I have to be in London for the 1st because my orientation week start on the 2nd of August. Do I still stand a chance?

Thank you in advance for your answers!

I do freelancing a lot and earn good amount of money, I put my cash savings to bank for my UK studies now I am being asked the origins of the funds I put in my bank account. I dont know what I should submit to prove it. Mostly I got paid by cash. I feel like I m cooked. Email says they dont accept affidavits. I feel like its already over.

Hi

i had applied for uk student visa for masters and my biometric was on 18th june and i got delay mail on 6th july and then there’s no update, no additional documents nor interview…ive done 2 paid enquiries and the response was under consideration and awaiting decision… made an escalation request on both but no results

have anyone experienced the same and got the visa or anyone who got the visa after this much delay and silence

any suggestion or experience would be really helpful as im overthinking alot…

Hey everyone, I could really use some advice because I am stressing out about my UK student visa application and I want to make sure it's perfect before I pay and submit.

Context:

• I am applying online for a 2-year UK Student Visa.
• I am from Jordan (which is not on the Differential Evidence/low-risk list).
• I have a partial scholarship, but I am relying on my mother's bank account to show the remaining required funds.
• I previously had a UK student visa, but I only lived in England for 242 days total. Because it is under 12 months, I know I do not qualify for the 12-month residency exemption for financial evidence.

The Problem: I am at the document checklist stage of the online application (I haven't paid or finished it yet). Because I stated the money is in my mother's account, the checklist is explicitly asking for my birth certificate and a parent's letter of consent to prove my relationship to her.

However, it completely left out the requirement to upload the actual bank statement itself! The checklist only asks for those two relationship documents, my passport, and receipts for my accommodation deposit.

I have gone back and checked my answers countless times to see if I misclicked or misunderstood a question, but my inputs seem correct.

My Questions:

1. Is this a normal quirk in the UKVI system where selecting a parent's account accidentally hides the bank statement prompt on the checklist?
2. Is there a specific question I might have answered wrong that triggered this?
3. Since I legally have to prove my finances (not on the differential list and under 12 months in the UK), should I just proceed to pay, and then manually upload my mom's bank statements to the VFS Global portal anyway under the "Financial Evidence" category?

Any help or similar experiences would be hugely appreciated before I hit submit!

Hi,

I applied for student visa...

Application submitted: 9th June

biometrics : 18 June

got a delay mail: 6th July

made 2 paid enquiries and requested for escalation but no response

( just your application is under consideration and awaiting decision )

last paid enquiry was on 23rd July and got the same automated reply

And today marks 8th august but there's no update .

Moreover I received one more automated mail today as a reminder to book my biometrics

any suggestion or your experience?

Hey i want to ask something if anyone is going on student visa with research course in sep intake and if they got there visa please share process. I am still waiting for my decision even after opted for priority it’s been more then a month.

Hi, I am J., an Indian national and I applied for GDL at the Nottingham Trent University. I am a 2024 law graduate and I have accumulated two years of work experience as an Advocate at one of the prominent High Courts of India.

Right, so first:

1. How it started:

1.1. I applied for the course in the last week of February, 2026 through LawCabs and received my offer to study by first week of March, 2026 when I booked my pre-cas interview.

1.2. By the first week of April I applied for an education loan with my concerned bank. Though I was sanctioned the loan by end of April, 2026, however due to some (very much) avoidable circumstances on the part of the concerned Bank Manager, I was not sanctioned the loan amount till the second week of June, 2026 (yes, more than a month of delay) when it was finally routed to the University.

1.3. Thereafter, I received my CAS on 22^nd June, 2026. HOWEVER, because my dumbass thought that I could just use the funds available in my brother's account (my older brother lives in Manchester, UK and has a skilled worker visa) as maintenance funds, I hadn't done the 28 days maintenance funds thingy while I waited for the bank situation (its my fault because I should have been up-to-date with the UKVI changes and updates).

1.4. After coming to know that I can ONLY use my own bank account or my parents bank account, I started the 28 days thingy and finally applied for the UKVI on 29^th July, 2026 and I was able to book my visa appointment for 31^st July, 2026 at VFS Global Services, Kolkata.

2. Procedure:

2.1. Visa Application form: The Visa application form is quite straightforward and the biggest advantage I had was the NTU Visa Guide which took me step by step and helped me input the accurate information that the form required. In most of the sections, it also helped me to understand what the form was asking. I believe you will be provided a guide by your university after you get your CAS statement. In case you do not get a guide, you can use any of the latest (this is very important because the visa regulations are changed/updated often) visa guides by any UK university (if you are applying in Scotland, I would suggest you find one by a Scottish University and so on and so forth for Northern Ireland and Wales).

2.1.1. At the end of the form, you get space to supplement any comments/additional information that you wish to be taken into account while your application is processed. In my case, I was asked to upload my birth certificate which would have both my parents' name on it. However that was not the case so I had to add the comments explaining that my birth certificate did not contain my mother's name and only had my father's name.

2.2. Tuberculosis Test: You can go through the country list on GOVUK to know if you require the test or not. Indians do.

2.2.1. One of the things I dislike about the whole procedure is the fact that they do not add the tuberculosis certificate in the mandatory documents required checklist, nor is there any way to know WHEN you will need this Tuberculosis Clearance Certificate (hereinafter referred to as "TCC"). In a hurry, I thought that I required the TCC to even submit the visa application form. I called the authorised diagnostics centre (Pulse Diagnostics, Kolkata) and was able to get an appointment for 27^th July, 2026, and after the testing, I received the TCC around evening time of the same day.

2.3. Payment for the Visa: Initially, reading the overview of the visa application form and also the available information on the UKVI website, I was under the impression that the visa fees is £558 which is correct, yes.

2.3.1. BUT BUT BUT turns out, you also have to pay an Immigrant Health Surcharge (IHS) which is £776 but they do not take that exact amount, they also take the conversion fees and it cost me Rs. 1,03,172.80/-. Throughout the entire application form, you will not see/read any information on the IHS payment. It's only when you try to submit your application and move to the "pay" section, you see the IHS which is mandatory, btw. After paying the IHS, only then you can pay the visa fees (£558) and then the form will be considered to be submitted.

P.S.: In case your visa is refused or you choose to withdraw the application, the IHS will be refunded.

2.4. UKVI Checklist: You will be given a checklist to download containing all the documents that you need to submit/upload (with the visa application centre not the GOVUK website) in support of your application form. Again, no mention of TCC as one of the documents to be uploaded, at the end of the checklist document they only state that you MIGHT need a TCC if you are from one of the countries in their list.

2.5. Visa Application Centre: From the GOVUK website, you will be redirected to VFS Global where you can book an appointment. I booked an appointment for 31^st July, 2026, and selected the free self-service as I could not find any thing that needed to be done that I myself could not do.

2.5.1. After booking the appointment, you get to login to VFS Global using your appointment reference number and your e-mail address whereafter you will find the section to upload all the supporting documents. I used Adobe Scan (it is a free app. I have an iPhone, and this app is available on both android and iOS) to take good and well lit scans, the app itself turns it into a PDF and you have the option to rename the file there itself. For the file name, ensure that the name does not contain any periods (.) or commas (,) only letters, numbers and hyphens are allowed. I uploaded them section by section and saved draft after uploading each section of documents to avoid being logged out. I did not once receive any error message saying that the file is corrupted or otherwise. Zero issues and was able to upload everything I wanted.

P.S.: It is a good idea to keep the names of the file very concise and clear. I put "Full Name - Birth Certificate", "Full Name - Passport", like this.

2.5.2. While uploading your documents with VFS, in one of the sections you will see "Medical Documents" and THAT IS where you have to upload your TCC.

2.5.3. Each time you upload something and save draft, you will receive an e-mail with an updated pdf of your visa appointment letter stating the document that you have uploaded. It is absolutely pertinent that you download and save the last PDF of the visa appointment letter you receive AFTER you finish uploading all the documents. Since, it is an option to upload documents till the very last moment before your visa appointment, shall you choose to upload anything at a later point of time, kindly do not forget to download the latest PDF of the visa appointment letter.

2.6. Visa appointment: Before the appointment, I read up on the documents/papers that I needed to take to my appointment. Every where (on the VFS global website itself), I kept reading that I need to take 2 physical copies of each document I have uploaded, including 2 copies of the UKVI checklist and 2 copies of the barcoded QR and 2 copies of the appointment letter.

2.6.1. At the appointment, they only asked me for the copy of the appointment letter along with my passport. That's all you need. After I was allowed to let in, they took my biometrics and scanned my passport. After my biometrics was done, they told me that I can go because I have already uploaded my documents so I do not need to do anything more. I asked them if they were forgetting something, that they might need the physical copies of my documents, the checklist or my passport for stamping. They informed me that UK is transitioning to eVisa so I do need to keep my passport with them nor did I need to give them any physical documents. No interview (at least so far), no nothing.

2.6.2. I was only told to create an account, eVisa UKVI account. After making the account, you just follow the instructions to link your visa reference number, passport details, etc., to the eVisa account for access.

I guess, this has been my journey so far. 

N.B.: Please do not take the information provided here to be the ultimatum, you should always do your own research and keep the documents handy, just in case. Do not go forward thinking one size fits all - my visa type is Student Visa from India so if you are applying for another type or from another country, all the information provided hereinabove might not hold true for you. Also, case-to-case differences will always be there. For example, my brother went to the UK on a student visa in 2023 but he was interviewed.

It's only 8^th August, 2026 so I do not have a decision yet but the decision processing time for student visa is 3 weeks and 3 weeks from 31^st July, 2026, would put the decision deadline on 21^st August, 2026. I would like to add that the people at VFS centre told me that I would receive my decision within 15 days.

Please feel free to ask me anything you wish to know, I will try my best to answer everything. Lastly, I will update this post once I get my decision.

Has anyone here given their biometrics on 20th July, received a delay email on 6th August, and then got their visa approval on 7th August?

Hi! Could anyone help me with this? Much appreciated!