Introduction

If you intend to study in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2024, staying current on the latest visa requirements is crucial, as they may affect your visa application. In this article, we will discuss all the latest changes to the UK Student visa.

Given the dynamic nature of UK immigration policies, it is highly recommended that you commence your postgraduate studies this year rather than next. The rapid policy changes may result in higher student visa application fees, higher Immigration Health Surcharges (IHS), and missed opportunities to secure a more straightforward path to remain in the UK following course completion. Let Ahead Achiever handle the time-consuming task of applying for the appropriate master’s courses, allowing you to focus your attention and time on more vital tasks!

Increase in the Immigration Health Surcharge

An Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) is a healthcare surcharge that is part of an immigration application. Students, their dependants, and those on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa will need to pay £776 for IHS per applicant per year if they submit their visa applications on or after 6 February 2024, an increase from the previous fee of £470 (GOV.UK, no date – a; University of Oxford, 2024). It is worth noting that there is no change in the student visa application fee (more details in Table 1 below).

Table 1. Immigration Health Surcharge and visa application fee for UK Student visa applicants

Sources: GOV.UK (2024a); University of Oxford (2024).

New restrictions on student dependant rules

Another change is that international students can no longer bring their dependants to the UK on their student visa unless they are studying for a research master’s degree or a doctoral degree (Braverman, 2023). In other words, international students enrolled in a taught master’s course cannot apply for a dependant visa starting from 1 January 2024 (Bhardwa, 2024).

No change to the Graduate visa

Graduate visa, an unsponsored work permit, remains unchanged, which has been welcomed by the tertiary sector. That is, international students who studied a UK bachelor’s degree, postgraduate degree or other eligible course with a Student visa can remain in the UK for two years after completing their course, while PhD graduates can remain in the UK for three years after completing their degree (GOV.UK, no date – b). Nevertheless, in December 2023, the UK government requested that the Migration Advisory Committee review the Graduate visa in January 2024 (may run until late 2024) as part of new measures to reduce net immigration to the UK, prevent abuse, and protect the integrity and quality of UK higher education (GOV.UK, 2024b).

Please comment below if you have questions about the UK Student visa application. If you are interested in doing a master’s degree in the UK, complete the form today for Free Master’s Degree Advice. We can guide you through postgraduate options, recommending universities, programmes, and cities tailored to your background and aspirations. Ahead Achiever offers Postgraduate Admission Application and UK Student Visa Application to make the entire postgraduate and visa application process a lot easier and faster for you.