Visa
Planning a UK student visa from Nepal? Learn how the CAS, 28-day funds rule, English (B2), TB test, VFS Kathmandu appointment, work rights, dependants and the Graduate visa work in 2026.
"What is a CAS?" "How long must the money stay in the bank?" Nepali students and parents planning study in Britain ask our counsellors these questions every week. This guide explains the UK student visa from Nepal step by step: the CAS, tuition and living-cost funds, the 28-day rule, English, the TB test, documents, the VFS appointment in Kathmandu, work rights, dependants and the Graduate visa. Everything below is based on GOV.UK and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) guidance. Fees, funds and processing times change, so always check the current figures on gov.uk before you apply.
You can apply for the Student visa if you are 16 or over and you:
have an unconditional offer on a course with a licensed student sponsor, shown by a CAS
have enough money to pay your course fees and support yourself
can speak, read, write and understand English to the required level
have parental consent if you are 16 or 17
If you are 18 or over and studying at degree level, you can usually stay for up to five years; below degree level, usually up to two years.
After you accept an unconditional offer, your university or college issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), a reference number you enter on your visa application. The CAS shows your course details and the fees you still owe. You must apply for your visa within six months of receiving your CAS, and from Nepal you can apply up to six months before your course starts.
Always check that your provider appears on the Home Office register of licensed student sponsors. Sponsor licences can be suspended, as our post on the Buckinghamshire New University sponsor licence suspension explains, so do this check before paying any deposit.
ATAS: some master's and PhD courses in sensitive science or technology subjects also need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate. Your university will tell you if it applies.
Nepal is not on the UK's "differential evidence" list, so Nepali applicants must submit financial evidence with the application. You need:
Course fees: the unpaid fees for your first academic year (up to nine months), as shown on your CAS. Any deposit you have paid should appear on the CAS.
Living costs: a fixed monthly amount for up to nine months. This is currently higher for London (the City of London and the 32 London boroughs) than for the rest of the UK. The Home Office has announced higher amounts for applications made on or after 30 November 2026, so check gov.uk for the current figures in the month you apply.
The 28-day rule: the full amount must be in the account for at least 28 days in a row, and the closing balance date on your latest statement must be no more than 31 days before you apply. If the balance drops below the required amount even for one day, the evidence can fail.
Whose money counts: your own money, your parents' money (with their consent letter and proof of relationship, such as a birth certificate), a regulated education loan or an official financial sponsorship. Overdrafts, shares, crypto, pensions and accounts at unregulated banks are not accepted, and the Home Office may verify statements with your bank.
Many Nepali families combine savings with an education loan. A loan letter must be dated within six months of your application, be in your name, state the amount and confirm the money will be released before your course starts. Our education loan in Nepal guide explains how Nepali banks prepare these letters; it was written for Australia, but most of the paperwork is the same. You will also need a Nepal-side No Objection Letter (NOC) before you can send fees abroad.
For study at degree level or above, you need English at CEFR level B2; for courses below degree level, you need B1. There are two common routes for Nepali students:
University assessment: a UK university (Higher Education Provider) can assess your English itself for degree-level study, for example by accepting IELTS Academic or another test it chooses, as long as the level is equivalent to B2.
Secure English Language Test (SELT): for below-degree courses, pathway programmes or where your provider asks for it, take a SELT from an approved provider. Outside the UK, these are currently PSI Services (UK) Ltd, the IELTS SELT Consortium (IELTS for UKVI), LANGUAGECERT and Pearson (PTE Academic UKVI). Book only a test on the approved list.
Nepal is on the UK's list of countries where a tuberculosis (TB) test is needed if you are coming for six months or more. You must use a Home Office-approved clinic. The current list for Nepal includes the IOM Migration Health Assessment Center in Lazimpat (Kathmandu), the IOM centre in Damak (Jhapa) and Norvic International Hospital in Thapathali (Kathmandu).
The test is a chest X-ray, and your certificate is valid for six months from the X-ray date. Appointments can take up to about 10 days in the June to October peak season, so book early and pay the clinic fee directly.
Valid passport
CAS reference number from your licensed sponsor
Financial evidence: bank statements or letters, loan letter, or sponsorship letter
Parent consent letter and birth certificate if using your parents' funds
TB test certificate
ATAS certificate, if required
English evidence, if your CAS lists it
Academic documents listed on your CAS, with certified English translations of anything in Nepali
Be ready to explain any study gap honestly, as universities and UKVI check that you are a genuine student and UKVI may ask you to attend an interview. Our article on whether a study gap is accepted in the UK covers how to document work experience and other gap activities.
You apply online on GOV.UK and pay the visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS), which gives you access to the NHS during your stay. The IHS is charged per year of your visa at a student rate, so a longer course costs more. Check gov.uk for current fees.
After paying, you book an appointment with VFS Global, which runs the UK Visa Application Centre in Kathmandu (Rotary Complex Building, Thapathali). You give your fingerprints and photograph there and submit or scan your documents. You must attend within 240 days of submitting your application. VFS only collects your details; UKVI makes the decision.
UKVI says you will usually get a decision within three weeks if you apply from outside the UK. A priority service may be offered for an extra fee, and cases needing document checks or an interview can take longer.
If approved, you get an eVisa, an online record of your status. Create a UKVI account and link the passport you will travel with. You can arrive up to one month before a course longer than six months, but never before your visa start date.
Degree-level students at a university with a track record of compliance can usually work up to 20 hours a week in term time and full-time during official vacations. Below-degree students at a university are limited to 10 hours a week in term time, and many other courses allow no work at all. You cannot be self-employed. Your exact conditions appear on your eVisa, and part-time income should never be your plan for paying tuition.
Since January 2024, most international students cannot bring dependants. You can only bring a partner or children if you are a government-sponsored student on a course longer than six months, or on a postgraduate course of nine months or longer that is a PhD, other doctorate or research-based higher degree. Taught master's students (such as an MSc or MBA) usually cannot bring family. Where dependants are allowed, each needs extra funds, a visa fee and the IHS.
The Graduate visa lets eligible graduates stay and work or look for work in the UK without a sponsor. You must apply from inside the UK while your Student visa is still valid, after your university reports that you have completed your course.
Length: two years if you apply on or before 31 December 2026, and 18 months if you apply on or after 1 January 2027. PhD graduates get three years.
What this means for Nepali students: if you start a one-year master's in 2026 or 2027, you will most likely finish and apply in 2027 or later, so plan around 18 months, not two years. The visa cannot be extended, but you may be able to switch to a Skilled Worker visa if an employer sponsors you.
If you are comparing destinations, read our New Zealand student visa from Nepal guide. Both countries ask for funds, an English level and health checks, but the rules on family, work rights and post-study work differ a lot.
You need your unpaid first-year tuition (shown on your CAS) plus the Home Office's monthly living-cost amount for up to nine months, which is higher for London. The money must be held for 28 consecutive days. Amounts change, including from 30 November 2026, so check gov.uk before you apply.
Not always. For degree-level study, your university can assess your English at B2 level itself and may accept other evidence. Below degree level, or if your provider requires it, you need a Secure English Language Test such as IELTS for UKVI or PTE Academic UKVI.
UKVI usually decides applications made outside the UK within three weeks of your biometrics appointment. Apply early, especially for September intakes, as TB test and VFS appointments get busy from June to October.
Everest Global Education helps Nepali students shortlist licensed UK universities, prepare for IELTS or PTE, plan the 28-day funds and loan documents, and prepare CAS, TB test and genuine-student paperwork, always checked against current GOV.UK guidance. Our counselling is delivered from our offices in Nepal and Australia.
Kathmandu: Putalisadak, Opposite of MIT College
Pokhara: Pushpa Ratna Bhawan Siddharthachowk-4, Pokhara 33700
Beni: New Road Beni bazar Myagdi
Dhangadhi: Boradadi Road, Dhangadhi 10900
Janakpur: Girija Path Muralichowk Janakpur
Perth (Australia): 102 James St, Northbridge WA 6003
Sydney (Australia): Level 1 / 483 Princes Highway, Rockdale, NSW 2216
Share your transcripts, English score, preferred course and budget, and we will help you plan your UK student visa application step by step.
Submit an enquiry at https://everestglobaledu.com/enquiry and our team will contact you by phone or email.
Everest Global Education
Phone: +61 8 6157 0080
Email: info@everestglobal.com
Website: https://everestglobaledu.com/
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