News and updates

14 October 2026: ISSAC nominated for UKCISA award!

The International Student Support, Advice & Compliance (ISSAC) team at the University of Sheffield are delighted to announce that we're a finalist at the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) #WeAreInternational Awards 2026 in the 'Outstanding Support (Visas and Immigration) category. 

Colleagues from the team will be attending the award ceremony in London on Wednesday 18th November, and we thank you all for your support! 

#WeAreInternational Awards 2026

2 October 2026: Upcoming changes to the immigration rules affecting students

On 3 September, the UK Home Office announced a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules. Below is a summary of the main changes that will affect students. We aim to update our individual webpages in line with these once these changes come into effect.

Student visa financial requirement

If you submit a Student visa application on or after 30 November 2026:

Where you need to meet the financial requirement the amount you will need for living costs will go up from £1171 per month (up to a maximum of 9 months: £10539) to £1203 per month (up to a maximum of 9 months: £10,827)

Where you are staying in University owned accommodation (not private) and you have paid fees to the University for this, the maximum you can deduct from the amount of living costs will go up from £1529 to £1570.

Biometric deadline if you vary a visa application

Some students ‘vary’ applications, often when their circumstances change during the visa application process. ‘Varying’ is when an applicant submits a visa application when they already have another visa application outstanding for which they are still waiting for a decision. This usually results in UKVI voiding and refunding the fee for the first application, but still considering the application submission date to be the date the first application was submitted. Currently, the deadline for completing biometrics (and therefore validating the application) re-sets in line with the date the second visa application is submitted.

 Our 'Applying for a Student visa inside the UK' web page has more information on the usual deadlines for completing this step.

If you submit a Student visa application on or after 8 October 2026 the deadline for completing this step for the new application will not be re-set and will remain the same as the first application.

If you’re studying a course at Sheffield under the ERASMUS+ Programme

There are a number of changes that have been announced to the Student visa and Visit immigration rules on Erasmus+. The UK Council for International Student Affairs have released a useful digest of this. Our immigration webpages will be updated soon, when we know whether this will change anything in practice from a visa perspective for our incoming students.

24 June 2026: Foreign secretary statement on support for students in Gaza

On 24 June 2026, the UK foreign secretary released a written statement outlining support in 2026 for students in Gaza studying courses at UK universities. Similar to support the UK government provided in 2025, it is stated that these arrangements will apply to students with 'fully funded scholarships' covering both tuition fees and living costs.

For more information on the statement, refer to the GOV.UK press release.

We will continue to check for updates to the guidance and monitor any further updates published by the UK government so we can any advise students who will be eligible for these arrangements on next steps.

Update on refunds for Student visa applications

We are aware of recent reports that those who submitted Student visa applications from Autumn 2023 to May 2026 may be due a partial refund of their visa application fee. 

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) have contacted education institutions on 5 June 2026 to confirm that they will reject any refund request made in relation to these fees.

18 March 2026:  Increases to visa application fees from 8 April 2026

The Home Office has announced increases to visa application fees for applications submitted on or after 8 April 2026. These include:

• Student visa (both main applicant and dependants) increasing from £524 to £558
• Graduate route (both main applicant and dependants) increasing from £880 to £937
• Visit visa (up-to six months) increasing from £127 to £135
• Short-term Student increasing from £214 to £228
• Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) increasing from £16 to £20

You can find a full list at the following page:

Home Office immigration and nationality fees, 8 April 2026

If you're planning on submitting an application soon and, you're eligible under the immigration rules to submit the application before 8 April, you may wish to consider this.

Contact ISSAC if you need further advice.

4 March 2026: UK government to stop Student visas for four nationalities (Updated 06/03/2026)

On 4 March 2026, the UK government announced it will stop student visas for students from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan, as well as Skilled Worker visas for Afghan nationals.

A statement of changes to the immigration rules was released on 5 March 2026.

• The changes will affect all Student visa applications submitted outside the UK by Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan nationals from 12:01 on 26 March 2026. We expect UKVI to refuse any such applications made after this point.
• Nationals of these countries can expect their applications to be refused even if they live and/or submit their application in another country outside of the UK.
• The changes will not affect Student visa applications submitted inside the UK, or the ability for Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar and Sudan national students who are already here switching to the Graduate visa after completing their course.

If you have submitted a request to change your studies or if you are expecting to have a change to your studies in the future, contact ISSAC.

This is because some changes to study may require you to leave the UK and/or submit your next visa application from outside the UK, which would then be affected by these changes to the rules.