Oct 04, 2024
In a significant announcement aimed at aligning international student support with local standards, the UK has revised the maintenance requirement for international students. This is an important change that prospective students planning to apply for a visa to study in UK must take note of.
Effective from 2nd January 2025, the UK Government will raise the required maintenance funds for international students. This change will bring the required financial support closer to the updated maintenance loans available for UK-based students.
Given below are the details of the upcoming changes:
This adjustment means students applying for visas from January 2025 onwards will need to demonstrate the revised funds. However, the change will not affect those applying for student visas before this date.
The maintenance requirement is an essential part of the student visa application process in regard to the cost of studying in UK. It ensures that international students have enough funds to support themselves during their studies in the UK. As per the student visa norms, international students need to show funds for up to nine months of their course.
In addition to revising the maintenance requirements, the UK Government has also updated the accommodation offset. This allows students to reduce the amount of maintenance funds they need to demonstrate if they have already made payments towards their UK housing.
Currently, students can offset up to one month’s worth of maintenance costs set at £1,334 for those in London. From 2 January 2025, this will increase to £1,483 in line with the new maintenance levels.
This is great news for students who secure housing early, as it allows them to adjust the total funds they need to show during their visa application process.
The UK Government has also signalled a review of the maintenance requirements for dependants. While no final decision has been announced, further updates are expected soon.
With the cost of living rising globally, especially in large urban centres like London, it’s no surprise that the UK is reassessing these figures. These changes will help ensure that international students are financially secure while studying and living in the UK, thereby preventing any potential hardships that could arise from underestimating living expenses.
Given that these changes will take effect from January 2025, now is the time for prospective international students to act. If you’re planning to apply to any of the top universities in UK, there’s a window of opportunity to still apply under the current maintenance levels for the student visa.
Plan ahead to avoid higher costs and stay tuned for more such updates on the latest changes pertaining to international students in the UK!