UK raises student visa maintenance funds for international students

The UK Home Office has announced a rise in the minimum financial requirements international students must meet for a student visa.

To study in the UK, applicants must prove they can cover living costs before a visa is granted. The maintenance funds are separate from tuition fees, the student visa application fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, which gives access to the NHS during their stay under applicable rules.

For students based in London, the monthly maintenance requirement will rise from £1,529 to £1,570. Over a nine-month period, the total required will increase from £13,761 to £14,130. That is an increase of £369.

Students at institutions outside London will need to show £1,203 per month, up from £1,171. The nine-month cap for those outside London will move from £10,539 to £10,827, a difference of £288.

The new thresholds take effect on November 30, 2026 and apply to Nigerian students and other applicants seeking admission to British universities. 

The Home Office also changed immigration rules to allow foreign nationals formally identified as victims of modern slavery to leave exploitative employers and take up new jobs without losing their right to remain. The announcement was made on Thursday, September 3 and affects workers on Skilled Worker visas whose immigration status is tied to a specific employer. Under the previous arrangement, such workers risked losing their visa if they left their sponsoring employer, a situation critics said left many vulnerable to abuse.