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Financial evidence

Home / Help and advice / Info for international students / Immigration compliance / Financial evidence

Frequently asked questions

How much are ‘maintenance fees’?

The minimum you must show, if you are applying for studies outside of London for your maintenance fees is £1,023 per month, for a maximum of nine months (£1,023 x 9 months = £9,207).

For those making a visa application on or after 2 January 2025, the maintenance level will change from £1,023 to £1,136 per month. The current maintenance levels will remain in place up until that point.

If you're applying to study at our London Campus, see our London Immigration Compliance pages.

How long do funds need to be held in my account?

Funds must be held in your account for a 28-consecutive day period. Your money must not dip below the overall amount required (outstanding tuition fees and maintenance fees) during this time.

How old can my bank statement be to be used for my visa application?

Your bank statement must be submitted to the UK Home Office as part of your visa application up to a maximum of 31 days from the date it was printed by your bank. If your bank statement will be older than 31 days before your CAS is assigned, the Immigration Compliance Team will advise you to provide a more up-to-date statement for assessment.

Can I bring dependants with me? How much money do I need to show for them?

From January 2024, international students can no longer bring dependants on their Student visa, unless they are studying a postgraduate research programme. Until then, you may be allowed to bring dependants with you to the UK if you are studying above undergraduate level. You must hold an additional £6,120 (£680 per month over nine months) for each dependant you want to bring to the UK with you. This is an additional amount on top of your own tuition fees and living expenses.

Will my financial evidence be verified?

The University of Sunderland has a zero-tolerance approach to applicants who provide us with altered or non-genuine documents to gain entry to the University and the UK.

As stated in our Tuition and Fees policy, if you are found to have submitted non-genuine documents your offer will be withdrawn, you will not be permitted to apply for any other course within the University and £1,500 of your deposit payment will be retained by the University.

I have been in the UK lawfully for 12 months or more, do I need to provide financial evidence?

If you are an applicant who has been granted permission to be in the UK legally for 12 months or more at the point of submitting a new visa application, the UK Home Office no longer requires you to provide financial evidence for any further Student visa applications. However, the University of Sunderland will still request to see this financial documentation to ensure that the maintenance requirements are met.

Where can I go for further information on financial evidence?

For further information, visit the government website or ukcisa.org.uk websites.

What documents do I need?

The UK Home Office is very strict when it comes to financial evidence for your Student Visa application. They will typically accept the following documents:

Published: 18 September 2024

Your Bank statement must show:

  • Your name
  • Account number
  • Date of statement
  • Name and logo of bank/building society
  • The required funds have been held consistently in your account for 28 days and have not fallen below the minimum amount needed
  • That the funds in this account must be present until the closing balance of the statement or the production date of the statement
  • This statement must be no older than 31 days. There must also be enough time left on this limit to then allow you to make your visa application.

In line with UK Home Office requirements, your bank statement must be stamped and signed on each page by your bank.

Microfinance, shares, bonds, overdrafts, credit cards, pension funds, and similar savings accounts will not be accepted.

Joint bank statements must show all of the same information as money in your own bank account, outlined above. These statements must also show names of both the account holders. If this is your parents then your name will not need to be shown – see section on cash in parent’s account for more information.

If this is a joint account with your spouse, both your name and your spouse’s names must appear on the statement.

If you don’t have a bank statement, you can provide a letter from your bank which has been stamped and signed by a staff member in your local branch. This can also be printed on letterhead paper from the bank. This letter must also include the following information:

  • Your name
  • Your account number
  • Production date (date letter was written)
  • Name and logo of bank/building society
  • Confirmation of amount held in the account
  • That the funds in this account have not fallen below the minimum amount required for the full 28 consecutive day period
  • That funds are freely and immediately available to you at any given time

You can use money in a bank account held by one, or both of your parents instead of your own personal account. If you are relying on funds provided by your parents, you must also show evidence of your relationship to them and that they have given you their permission to use/have access to this money for your studies.

If using a parent’s bank statement, you must also provide the below as additional evidence:

  • An original copy of your birth certificate. If needed, this must also be translated into English and this must be done by an official translator (Affidavits cannot be used as these are not accepted by the UK Home Office or the University of Sunderland).
  • A letter from your parents, signed by them, that confirms they are happy for you to use/have access to funds in their account

Please see our parent's consent letter (.pdf) template.

If you are using your spouse’s bank statement to demonstrate proof of funds, their bank statement must meet all the criteria listed under ‘Money in your own bank account’.  

The bank statement must be accompanied by proof of relationship (eg marriage certificate) and a letter of consent stating your spouse has granted you permission to use their funds to support your studies. We can only accept a spouse’s bank statement as your financial evidence if the spouse is travelling with you to the UK as a dependant. 

If you wish to use an educational loan for your financial evidence, this must be:

  • In your name, not in the name of your parents or legal guardian
  • From a bank that is regulated by an official regulatory body for providing educational loans in your country
  • Dated no more than 6 months before the date of your student visa application

As additional evidence for your educational loan, you must provide a supporting letter from the bank confirming the loan has been approved. The letter must be an original and must show:

  • Your name
  • The date the letter was produced
  • The financial institution's name and logo
  • The money available as an educational loan is provided by your national, state government, a government-sponsored student loan company, or is part of an academic or educational loan scheme
  • The start date of the loan

The funds for the loan must be available to you before you travel to the UK, unless the loan is an educational or student loan from your country’s national government and will be given to you, or the University directly, when you arrive in the UK.

There must be no conditions placed on the release of the loan funds to you, other than your Student Visa application being successful.

The UK Visas and Immigration defines an official sponsor as one of the below:

  • The UK Government or your government in your home country
  • The British Council
  • An international organisation
  • An international company

If your official financial sponsor is paying your tuition fees and living expenses, you do not have to provide separate evidence of your savings.

However, you must provide a letter from your official financial sponsor confirming that your sponsor will pay all your tuition fees and living expenses.

This letter must be on official letterhead paper showing the below information:

  • Your name
  • The names of your dependents (if applicable)
  • The name and contact details of the official sponsor
  • The date of the letter (this should not be more than six months old)
  • The length of the sponsorship – start and end date
  • The amount of money the sponsor is giving you, or confirmation that they will pay your tuition fees and living expenses
  • The official stamp of the organisation

If your sponsor only pays some of the costs, you will need a letter from them, and proof that you have enough money yourself to meet the rest of the maintenance requirements (such as personal bank statements).

All financial evidence can be submitted for the Immigration Compliance team to assess via the ‘MyApplication’ portal.

Please also be aware that we may ask you to supply us with additional financial evidence at any point to carry out further verification checks on your financial evidence.