UK Student Visa From Nigeria: CAS, Funds and IHS (2026)

A UK student visa needs four things beyond your own paperwork. A CAS issued by your university. Maintenance funds held for 28 consecutive days. The Immigration Health Surcharge paid upfront. And, on most courses, a clear TB test. The visa fee is £558, about ₦1,114,000 at ₦1,996/£ (24 July 2026); the student-rate IHS adds £776 a year, about ₦1,549,000/yr. This page covers the visa step only — not which course or university to choose. Once you hold an offer and a CAS number, this is what UKVI checks next.

What a UK student visa actually requires — the visa step, not admissions

In short: five things clear a UK student visa application — a CAS, 28 days of maintenance evidence, the IHS, a TB test where required, and biometrics. This page does not cover course selection or admissions. Source: gov.uk, “Student visa: Overview.”

Nigerian applicants searching uk student visa — or its old name, the Student visa (Tier 4) — are usually past the admissions decision and into the visa mechanics. University and agency “study in the UK” pages cover which course to pick. This page assumes that decision is made. It covers only what UKVI checks once you apply: a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from a licensed sponsor, the financial evidence 28-day rule, the Immigration Health Surcharge, a TB test where your course triggers one, and biometrics at a visa application centre.

The CAS — what it is and who can issue one

In short: a CAS is a reference number, not a document. Your UK university issues it once you accept an offer and meet its conditions — there is no separate CAS fee. Source: gov.uk, “Student visa: Documents you’ll need.”

Your university generates the CAS inside its own licensed-sponsor system. This happens once you accept your offer and meet every attached condition — a deposit paid, an English-language score submitted. You enter the CAS number on your application. UKVI checks it against the sponsor’s own record. No agent issues a CAS. Anyone selling one, or offering to “arrange” one outside your university, is running a document scam — see how to avoid visa scams in Nigeria before paying anyone.

The 28-day maintenance rule, worked in ₦

In short: unless your sponsor has already certified your finances on the CAS, you must hold £1,334 a month if studying in London or £1,023 a month outside London, for up to 9 months. Hold it for a continuous 28-day period, on a statement dated within 31 days of your application. Source: gov.uk, “Student visa: money you need.”

Source: gov.uk, “Student visa: money you need,” published rates — this scan did not run a fresh 2026 pull confirming them unchanged; verify before relying on them. ₦ column matches the canon on UK visa fees from Nigeria.

Two things void otherwise-genuine evidence. First, a balance that dips below the required figure on any single day inside the 28-day window resets the clock. You start again from the day it recovers. Second, a statement dated outside the window. The 28-day period must end no more than 31 days before you submit. A bank letter printed too early is void, even if the money was always there.

Two points cut the number for many applicants. If your CAS already states your sponsor certified your funds — common at large UK universities — you skip separate bank evidence. And the figure is a living-costs number. If you’ve already paid your first year’s tuition deposit in full, you only evidence living costs. If not, add the outstanding first-year tuition shown on your CAS. A large one-off deposit close to your application date reads the same way it does on the visitor route. See the sudden-lump-sum trap for how that evidence is weighed, and why borrowed money is never proof of funds.

The 2026 dependant restriction, stated plainly

In short: only a student on a PhD or doctoral research course of 9 months or more can bring a partner or child. That rule has been in force since January 2024. Every shorter course — including a one-year taught Masters — cannot bring a new dependant. Source: gov.uk, “Student visa: Your partner and children.”

This is the most misunderstood student-route rule, and it predates 2026 rather than starting in it. From January 2024 a dependant on student visa terms has been limited to postgraduate research programmes, with no exceptions for existing family circumstances. The full eligibility grid, the ₦ cost stack for a family, and the relationship evidence a Nigerian couple needs sit on UK dependant visa from Nigeria instead.

IHS, TB test and biometrics — the remaining steps

In short: pay the IHS first — it issues the reference number the visa fee step needs — at £776 a year for a student. Then pay the £558 visa fee. Book a TB test if your course grants over 6 months, and biometrics separately. Source: gov.uk, “Pay for UK healthcare”; gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test.”

1. Get your CAS. Accept your offer and meet every attached condition; your licensed sponsor issues the reference number. There is no CAS fee.
2. Evidence your funds for 28 consecutive days, on a statement dated within 31 days of the day you submit.
3. Pay the IHS, then the visa fee. The IHS issues the reference number the fee step needs. Pay out of order and the application stalls.
4. Book a TB test if your course grants over 6 months' leave, at an IOM-approved clinic in Lagos or Abuja, before you apply.
5. Attend biometrics at VFS Global Lagos or Abuja once your application and payment are complete.

The student IHS is discounted to £776 a year against the standard £1,035 rate — pay it upfront for your whole course length, or the fee step won’t accept payment. Full mechanics: Immigration Health Surcharge from Nigeria. Clinics report a TB test at $130-$150, about ₦200,000-₦231,000 at ₦1,540/$ — see the TB test requirement.

Paying from Nigeria: UKVI bills the IHS and the visa fee in foreign currency, so a naira card usually declines. Use a dollar card, a domiciliary account with a prepaid card, or someone abroad — the full decision tree.

The credibility interview — what it actually tests

In short: UKVI’s Genuine Student check weighs three things. Does your course logic fit your background? Is your funding source credible? Is your post-study intent consistent? It is not a test of a scripted right answer. Source: gov.uk Genuine Student requirement guidance.

Not every applicant is interviewed. But every application is assessed against the same Genuine Student rule. Where an interview happens, a caseworker tests consistency, not performance. A truthful answer that’s uncertain about long-term plans reads as normal. A fluent, rehearsed answer that avoids specifics — especially on funding source or course choice — gets probed further. No agent can coach you past this test. A scripted answer that doesn’t match your own documents carries the same Part 9 deception consequences as a fabricated bank statement.

Red flag: no one can guarantee your CAS, your funds evidence, or a visa outcome for a fee. An “agent” offering to fabricate a bank statement, coach a scripted answer, or sell you a CAS number is running a scam. See how to avoid visa scams in Nigeria before you pay anyone.

Your next step: wait for your CAS to be issued, then price the whole application in ₦ on UK visa fees from Nigeria before you book a test or a biometrics slot. Unsure what CAS, IHS or the Graduate route mean on your offer letter? The visa glossary defines each one in a line.

FAQ

Sources

• CAS, maintenance funds, IHS and TB test requirements: gov.uk, “Student visa” (checked 25 July 2026).
• Dependant restriction dates and route grid: gov.uk, “Student visa: Your partner and children”, reconciled with UK dependant visa from Nigeria (checked 25 July 2026).
• Visa fee, IHS rate and the ₦1,996/£ conversion basis: visa-fees.homeoffice.gov.uk and gov.uk — pay for UK healthcare, matching the canon on UK visa fees from Nigeria (checked 24-25 July 2026).
• TB test clinics and cost estimate: gov.uk, “Check if you need a TB test”, reconciled with the TB test requirement page (checked 24 July 2026).
• Naira figures use this site’s stated conversion of ₦1,540/$ × $1.296/£ ≈ ₦1,996/£ (24 July 2026) — our own arithmetic, not an official price.