UK Student Visa Funds Rise on 30 November 2026: What Pakistani Students Must Show
From 30 November 2026 UK student visa applicants must show £1,570 a month in London or £1,203 outside, up from £1,529 and £1,171. Work out your total funds.
From 30 November 2026, a UK Student visa applicant must show £1,570 a month for living costs in London and £1,203 a month outside London, for up to 9 months. Today the figures are £1,529 and £1,171. If you apply before 30 November, the old amounts apply to you.
The change is in the UK's Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules HC 584, laid on 3 September 2026. Most of it took effect on 8 October 2026, but the student money rise was set for 30 November. For a Pakistani student planning a January 2027 intake, that date decides how much must sit in the bank.
The new UK student visa living cost amounts from 30 November 2026
The monthly amount goes up by £41 in London and £32 outside London. Over the usual 9 months, that is £369 more for London and £288 more for the rest of the UK.
| Where you study | Now, per month | From 30 November, per month | 9 months now | 9 months from 30 November |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £1,529 | £1,570 | £13,761 | £14,130 |
| Outside London | £1,171 | £1,203 | £10,539 | £10,827 |
| Accommodation deposit you can deduct, maximum | £1,529 | £1,570 |
"London" means the City of London and the 32 London boroughs. A course in any other town or city uses the lower figure. The 9 month totals are our multiplication of the monthly rule figures.
The Home Office explains the reason in its memorandum. The student amount is tied to the maintenance loans that UK home students get, and those rise each year. This is the annual update for the 2026 to 2027 academic year.
Your application date decides which amount applies
The rule turns on the day you apply, not the day your course starts. HC 584 says an application made before 30 November 2026 is decided under the rules in force on 29 November 2026. So the old, lower amounts still apply to anyone who applies by 29 November.
From outside the UK, the earliest you can apply is 6 months before your course starts. A student starting in late January 2027 can therefore apply in November if their university has issued the CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies), the reference number your university gives you.
- Apply on or before 29 November 2026: show £1,529 or £1,171 a month.
- Apply on or after 30 November 2026: show £1,570 or £1,203 a month.
- In the UK on a visa for 12 months or more: you do not need to show living cost funds at all.
Do not rush an application just to save £288. A refused visa costs you the £558 fee and a mark on your history. If your documents are ready before 30 November, apply then. If not, simply plan for the higher amount.
How to work out your total UK student visa funds
Your total is your unpaid first-year course fee plus the living cost amount. You show both together, for 28 days in a row.
- Find your unpaid fee. It is written on your CAS. Any fee you have already paid to the university is deducted.
- Count your months. Use the length of your course, up to a maximum of 9. A part month counts as a full month.
- Multiply by the right rate. £1,570 or £1,203 a month if you apply on or after 30 November.
- Deduct an accommodation deposit, if you paid one to your university for housing it arranged. The maximum deduction becomes £1,570.
- Hold the total for 28 days in a row. The 28 days must end no more than 31 days before you apply.
Here is a worked example. Say your CAS shows £15,000 of unpaid fees for a one-year master's in Manchester, and you apply on 1 December 2026. You need £15,000 plus £10,827, which is £25,827, held for 28 days in a row. If you paid a £500 housing deposit to the university, you can show £25,327 instead.
Money held in Pakistani rupees is converted on the day you apply
Most Pakistani students show funds in a rupee account. Under the UK's Appendix Finance rules, money in a foreign currency is converted into pounds using the spot rate on oanda.com for the date of your application.
That matters because the rupee moves. If the pound gets stronger between your 28 days and your application date, the same rupees count for fewer pounds. Keep a cushion of a few per cent above the target, and check the rate again on the day you submit. A balance that falls short by even a small amount can lead to refusal.
Your bank statement must cover the full 28 days. The steps to get a bank statement online in Pakistan work for most banks, but ask the branch for a stamped copy if the visa centre wants one.
What the 30 November change does not affect
HC 584 changes only the main student's living cost amounts and the accommodation deposit cap. Other parts of the Student visa stay as they are.
- The visa fee stays at £558 from outside the UK.
- Dependant funds stay at £845 a month in London and £680 outside, where a dependant is allowed at all.
- Most master's students still cannot bring family, only PhD and research degree students and government-sponsored students.
- Decisions still usually take 3 weeks from outside the UK.
The TB test, the CAS and the other steps of the UK Student visa from Pakistan are unchanged. After your degree, the UK Graduate visa for Pakistani students is the next step. If a study abroad agent in Pakistan is handling your file, remember that the funds must be your own or your sponsor's, never borrowed for the 28 days.
Common questions
How much money do I need for a UK student visa from 30 November 2026?
£1,570 a month in London or £1,203 a month outside London, for up to 9 months, plus any unpaid course fee.
If I apply before 30 November, which amount applies?
The old amounts, £1,529 or £1,171 a month. Applications made before 30 November are decided under the rules in force on 29 November 2026.
How long must the money stay in my account?
At least 28 days in a row, ending no more than 31 days before you apply.
Has the UK Student visa fee changed?
No. It is £558 from outside the UK, as listed on gov.uk.
Do I need to show funds if I am already studying in the UK?
Not if you have been in the UK with a valid visa for at least 12 months on the date you apply.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 10 October 2026, about 7:45 am PKT. The new amounts and the 30 November start date are from the Statement of Changes HC 584 and its explanatory memorandum, paragraphs ST 12.3 and ST 12.4. The current amounts, the 28 day rule, the fee and the dependant amounts are from gov.uk/student-visa and Appendix Student. The currency rule is from Appendix Finance, FIN 1.1. The Manchester example is ours, for illustration.
About the author
Global Affairs & Political Economy Writer
Muhammad Hatim is a book lover who started writing because he enjoys it. At Pakistan Era he writes about international relations, geopolitics and the global economy, with a particular interest in South Asia and the forces behind current events.
