UK Government Announces 2026 Student Visa Extension Fee, Sets New Conditions
- The UK government published the amount international students had to pay to extend their Student visa, with a specific figure published on its official portal
- Students had to meet an academic progress requirement, showing their new course was at a higher level than the one they currently held a visa for
- The UK government also outlined a change to the Graduate visa, with the length of stay available set to shorten from January 2027
The UK government updated the requirements and costs for international students looking to extend their Student visa, with new details live on the official immigration portal.
According to the the official website, the fee to extend a Student visa stood at £558 per person (₦1,020,097), in addition to the healthcare surcharge.
Source: UGC
Students also had to submit biometric information, though no separate fee applied for that process.
Applications had to be submitted online, and decisions were typically issued within eight weeks, with a faster-track option available for some applicants at an additional cost.
Who Could Apply to Extend a Student Visa
To be eligible for an extension, a student had to already be in the UK on a valid Student visa or a legacy Tier 4 (General) student visa, hold a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed sponsor, and in most cases demonstrate that their new course was at a higher academic level than their current one.
This was known as the academic progress requirement posted via the official website of UK Government.
There were several exceptions to the progress rule. Students who were resitting exams, repeating modules, completing a doctorate they began under a previous visa, or extending their stay due to a work placement or study abroad programme were not required to meet this condition.
Students who had held a valid UK visa for fewer than 12 months also had to provide evidence that they had sufficient funds to support themselves financially during their stay.
The guidance specified that applications could be submitted as early as three months before a new course began and had to be lodged before the existing visa expired.
The new course had to start within 28 days of the previous visa expiring.
Graduate Visa Change Affecting Students From 2027
The update also drew attention to a forthcoming change to the Graduate visa, which allowed students to remain in the UK after completing their studies.
Those who applied on or before 31 December 2026 were permitted to stay for two years. From 1 January 2027, that period was reduced to 18 months.
Students who completed a PhD or other doctoral qualification remained eligible for a three-year post-study stay regardless of when they applied.
Once an application was approved, students received an eVisa, a digital record of their immigration status, and had to create a UK Visas and Immigration account to access it.
Students whose applications were under review were permitted to remain in the UK until a decision was made, but could not travel outside of the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man during that period, as doing so resulted in the application being automatically withdrawn.
UK Government speaks about
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that UK government published an official guide outlining the valid grounds employers can use to dismiss workers, including Nigerians in the country.
The guide covers dismissals linked to poor performance, misconduct, and redundancy, with conduct issues ranging from lateness to gross misconduct.
Source: Legit.ng
