UK Student Visa Cost from Sri Lanka: What You Pay and What You Show

TL;DR: The UK student visa cost from Sri Lanka has two parts that families often mix up. Money you pay: the £558 visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge, which is £1,164 for a typical one-year master's. Money you show: living costs of up to nine months, which rise to £1,203 a month outside London and £1,570 in London from 30 November. Plan both, but budget them differently.

When families ask what a UK student visa costs, they usually get one large number. That number mixes fees that leave your account with funds that only need to sit in it. The result is either a budget that looks far too high or, worse, one that misses a fee entirely.

This guide separates the two, using the Home Office figures now in force, so you can see what you will actually pay and what you will only need to show.

Not sure whether your family's funds and your offer are ready for a UK visa application? Check your eligibility with Prosper.

What you pay: the visa fee and the health surcharge

The visa fee. The Student visa application fee from outside the UK is £558 per person. UKCISA, the UK Council for International Student Affairs, confirmed this figure took effect on 8 April. The same fee applies to each dependant where dependants are allowed.

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS). This gives you access to the National Health Service while you study. The student rate is £776 for each full year of your visa, and £388 for a shorter extra period, as university guidance from the University of Huddersfield explains.

The detail families miss is that your visa is longer than your course. For a 12-month master's, the Home Office adds four months after the course ends, so the visa runs for about 16 months. That means a one-year master's student pays £776 plus £388, which is £1,164 in IHS, paid online when you apply.

Priority services. Most visa application centres offer a faster decision for an extra fee. The University of Edinburgh notes that these fees vary by country and centre, so check the current price at your centre before you count on it.

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What you show: your maintenance funds

The largest number in any UK visa budget is not a fee. It is the maintenance requirement: the living costs you must show are available to you.

The monthly figures rise for applications made on or after 30 November:

• Outside London: £1,203 a month, up from £1,171
• In London: £1,570 a month, up from £1,529

You show up to nine months. For a course outside London, that is £10,827 for applications from 30 November, or £10,539 before it. In London, it is £14,130, or £13,761 before 30 November. Our guide to the UK student visa maintenance funds increase explains which January intake applicants are affected and how the money must be held.

This money is not paid to anyone. It stays yours, and in practice it funds your first months of living in the UK. It still has to be real, in the right account, and held correctly.

The full UK student visa cost for a one-year master's

Here is how the costs sit together for a student starting a 12-month master's outside London, applying on or after 30 November. Tuition is left out because it varies so widely by university.

So the money that actually leaves your account for the visa itself is about £1,722, plus the TB test. The money you must show can be more than six times that.

Three mistakes that cost families time

1. Budgeting maintenance as spending. Families sometimes delay an application because the total looks too high. Separate paid from shown, and the picture often changes.
2. Forgetting the extra four months of IHS. The surcharge is based on visa length, not course length. A budget built on £776 alone will be £388 short.
3. Counting on the new levy as a student cost. The £925 international student levy is charged to universities in England, not to you. Our article on the UK international student levy explains why.

When to apply

If your course starts in January and you can apply before 30 November, you are assessed against the lower maintenance figures. That is a real saving of £288 outside London, but it should never push you into applying with an incomplete file. A refused visa costs far more than the difference.

Applying from Sri Lanka

• The TB test is required for applicants from Sri Lanka and is done only at IOM in Colombo, before you apply. Our guide to the IOM Colombo TB test for a UK student visa covers booking and what to bring.
• If you want the optional priority service, check the current price at the visa application centre in Colombo before you count on it.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the UK student visa fee from Sri Lanka? £558 per person when you apply from outside the UK, in effect from 8 April.

How much is the IHS for a one-year master's? Usually £1,164. Your visa runs about 16 months, so you pay £776 for the first year and £388 for the extra four months.

Do I pay the maintenance funds to the UK government? No. You show them in an account you can access. They are not paid to anyone.

How much maintenance do I need to show outside London? £1,203 a month for up to nine months, which is £10,827, for applications on or after 30 November.

Is there a TB test fee? Yes. Applicants who need the TB test pay IOM's fee before applying.

Do students pay the new £925 levy? No. It is charged to universities in England.

PS: A UK visa budget is easier to plan once you separate what you pay from what you show. If you want us to check your funds, your course choice and your timeline together, check your eligibility with Prosper.

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Team Prosper