From 30 November 2026 UK Student visa applicants must show GBP 1,203 per month outside London or GBP 1,570 in London, up to nine months — totals of GBP 10,827 (about NPR 21.11 lakhs) and GBP 14,130 (about NPR 27.55 lakhs). For Nepali students that is roughly NPR 56,160 more outside London. Applications submitted on or before 29 November 2026 use the current figures. Confirmed in Statement of Changes HC 584, laid 3 September 2026.
UK Student Visa Funds Rise on 30 November 2026 — What Nepali Students Must Now Show
The Home Office has raised the maintenance requirement for the second year running. For a Nepali student applying to the January 2027 intake, the change lands squarely inside the application window — and the date that decides which figure you pay is not the one most people assume.
From 30 November 2026, a Nepali student must show £1,203 per month outside London or £1,570 in London, for up to nine months — £10,827 (about NPR 21.11 lakhs) or £14,130 (about NPR 27.55 lakhs). Apply on or before 29 November 2026 and the current figures still apply: £10,539 and £13,761. The increase is NPR 56,160 outside London and NPR 71,955 for London.
How Much Bank Balance Do Nepali Students Need for a UK Visa in 2026?
The Home Office confirmed the change in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584, laid before Parliament on 3 September 2026. It takes effect on 30 November 2026. Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules, HC 584, 3 September 2026
| Requirement | On or before 29 Nov 2026 | From 30 Nov 2026 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside London, per month | £1,171 | £1,203 | £32 |
| Outside London, 9-month total | £10,539 — NPR 20.55 lakhs | £10,827 — NPR 21.11 lakhs | NPR 56,160 |
| London, per month | £1,529 | £1,570 | £41 |
| London, 9-month total | £13,761 — NPR 26.83 lakhs | £14,130 — NPR 27.55 lakhs | NPR 71,955 |
| Accommodation offset (maximum) | £1,529 | £1,570 | £41 |
| Each dependant, outside London (9 months) | £6,120 | £6,120 — unchanged | — |
Sources: Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584, laid 3 September 2026; UKVI financial evidence guidance; Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate.
Not your course start date. Not your CAS date. Not the date you opened the account. If you press submit on 29 November you pay the old figure; on 30 November you pay the new one. There is transitional protection for applications already in progress.
What This Actually Changes for a Student Applying from Nepal
Most coverage of this announcement converts the figures to Indian rupees and stops there. Three things are different if you are applying from Kathmandu or Pokhara.
1. The money has to sit in a Class A commercial bank
UKVI publishes no approved-bank list for Nepal — named lists exist only for Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Nigeria. The actual requirement is an institution regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank with electronic record keeping, which all 20 of Nepal’s Class A commercial banks satisfy. A co-operative, a finance company or a development bank can be rejected even when the amount is exactly right. Full list of qualifying banks →
2. The NOC has to come before the transfer
The No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology costs NPR 2,000 and takes one to five working days through noc.moest.gov.np. It is required before the overseas tuition transfer and before the visa application. Students who leave it to the end lose weeks they did not budget for. NOC step-by-step → Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Nepal
3. The exchange rate can move against you mid-hold
UKVI converts your NPR balance at the OANDA spot rate on the day you submit, not the rate on the day you deposited. If the rupee weakens during your 28-day hold, a balance that was compliant on day one can fall below the threshold by day 28. Deposit five to eight percent above the converted figure. This is one of the most common avoidable refusal causes from Nepal, and the higher thresholds make the margin larger in absolute terms. UKVI financial evidence guidance — currency conversion
Not sure which figure applies to your timeline?Send us your intake and CAS status and we will tell you whether applying before 30 November is realistic — free, and we will say plainly if it is not.
Free WhatsApp checkShould You Rush to Apply Before 30 November 2026?
Only if your CAS and 28-day balance are genuinely ready. Saving NPR 56,160 is not worth a refusal, which must be declared on every future UK application and on many other countries’ applications too. You cannot submit without a CAS, and you cannot get a CAS without an unconditional offer and usually a paid deposit.
For the January 2027 intake the timing is genuinely tight. Working backwards from a submission on 29 November, the 28-day clock must start by 1 November at the latest, which means the NOC and the offer must both be settled in October. If any part of that is not already in motion, plan for the higher figure and apply properly.
| Your situation | Figure that applies | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| CAS in hand, funds already held, submitting in October or November 2026 | £10,539 / £13,761 | Submit before 29 November and save NPR 56,160 |
| January 2027 intake, offer confirmed but no CAS yet | Depends on CAS timing | Chase the CAS now; if it lands after mid-November, plan for the higher figure |
| January 2027 intake, still choosing universities | £10,827 / £14,130 | Budget for the new figure — the timeline will not compress that far |
| September 2027 intake | £10,827 / £14,130 or higher | Budget above the new figure; another review is due around November 2027 |
| Already in the UK, extending after 12+ months | No financial evidence required | Exempt from providing evidence at application |
- Now: confirm your offer and pay the deposit. Any tuition already paid is deducted from the maintenance you must hold, so a paid deposit lowers the balance.
- By mid-October: apply for the MoEST NOC at noc.moest.gov.np.
- By 1 November: deposit the full amount plus a five to eight percent currency buffer into a Class A commercial bank account, and stop using that account.
- Early November: take the TB test at a UKVI-approved clinic. The certificate is valid six months, so this is the right window rather than earlier.
- By 29 November: submit with a statement covering the full 28 days, dated within 31 days of submission.
A dipped balance, a missing NOC or an expired TB certificate all invalidate the application. Applying in December at the higher figure with complete documents is a better outcome than applying in November at the lower one with a gap.
Why the UK Keeps Raising This Figure
The Home Office ties the Student route maintenance requirement to the maintenance loans available to home students, which the Department for Education reviews every year. Since that mechanism was formalised the figure has moved annually Statements of Changes, HC 217 (2024), HC 1333 (2025), HC 584 (2026):
| Effective from | Outside London | London |
|---|---|---|
| 2 January 2025 | £1,136 | £1,483 |
| 11 November 2025 | £1,171 | £1,529 |
| 30 November 2026 | £1,203 | £1,570 |
The practical conclusion for anyone planning a 2027 or 2028 start: budget above the published figure. Another increase around November 2027 is the base case, not a risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
NPR 21.11 lakhs (£10,827) for study outside London, or NPR 27.55 lakhs (£14,130) for London. That is nine months at the new monthly rates of £1,203 and £1,570. If you submit on or before 29 November 2026 the current figures still apply: £10,539 (about NPR 20.5 lakhs) and £13,761 (about NPR 26.8 lakhs). UKVI financial evidence guidance
30 November 2026. The change was laid before Parliament in the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584 on 3 September 2026. What decides which figure applies to you is the date you submit the visa application — not your course start date, not your CAS date, and not the date you opened the bank account.
Outside London the increase is £288 over nine months, about NPR 56,160 at the Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate of NPR 195 to the pound. For London it is £369, about NPR 71,955. This is money you must hold and show, not money you spend — but it has to be genuinely in the account for 28 consecutive days.
Only if you can do it properly. You cannot submit without a CAS, and you cannot get a CAS without an unconditional offer and usually a paid deposit. Rushing an incomplete application to beat the deadline is a far more expensive mistake than NPR 56,160 — a refusal must be declared on every future application. If your CAS and 28-day balance are genuinely ready before late November, applying early saves money. If not, plan for the higher figure.
No. The change applies to applications submitted on or after 30 November 2026. There is transitional protection for applications already in progress, and if you have been in the UK on a valid visa for at least 12 months you do not need to provide financial evidence for an extension at all.
Any of Nepal’s 20 Class A commercial banks. UKVI publishes no approved-bank list for Nepal — named lists exist only for Bangladesh, India, Ghana and Nigeria. The actual requirement is that the institution is regulated by Nepal Rastra Bank and keeps electronic records. A co-operative, finance company or development bank can be rejected even when the amount is correct. Full bank list →
The dependant rates published in current UKVI guidance remain £680 per month outside London and £845 in London, up to nine months — £6,120 and £7,605. Note that since January 2024 most taught master’s students cannot bring dependants at all; the route is restricted to PhD, doctoral and research programmes and to government-sponsored students on courses of six months or more.
The OANDA spot rate on the day you submit, not the rate when you deposited and not your bank’s rate. Because that rate moves, hold five to eight percent above the exact converted figure. A rupee that weakens during your 28-day hold can push a compliant balance below the threshold, and this is one of the more common avoidable refusal causes from Nepal.
Yes, and it is easy to miss. The maximum that can be offset against the maintenance requirement where you have paid an accommodation deposit rises from £1,529 to £1,570 on the same date. If you have paid a university hall deposit, that amount is deducted from the balance you must evidence.
The Home Office ties the Student route maintenance figure to the maintenance loans available to home students, which the Department for Education reviews annually. Since the mechanism was formalised the figure has moved every year: £1,023 to £1,136 in January 2025, to £1,171 in November 2025, and now to £1,203. Expect another increase around November 2027 and budget for it.
No. The No Objection Certificate from MoEST still costs NPR 2,000 and takes one to five working days, and TB screening at a UKVI-approved clinic is still required for any stay over six months. The sequence is unchanged — the NOC must come before the overseas transfer, and both must be complete before you submit. NOC guide → · TB test guide →
No. House of Admissions is free to students at every stage — shortlisting, applications, SOP review, CAS and visa guidance. We will calculate your exact figure, tell you whether applying before 30 November is realistic for your timeline, and check your bank statement against the 28-day rule before you submit.
Work out your exact figure — free
We will calculate what you need from your course, city and paid deposit, tell you whether applying before 30 November is realistic for your timeline, and check your bank statement against the 28-day rule before you submit. House of Admissions is free to students at every stage — we are paid by universities after enrolment, never by you.
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Sources
- Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 584, laid before Parliament 3 September 2026 — primary instrument.
- UKVI — Financial evidence for Student and Child Student visa applicants (current thresholds and the 28-day rule).
- GOV.UK — Student visa.
- MoEST Nepal — No Objection Certificate portal.
- Nepal Rastra Bank — reference exchange rate used for NPR conversions.
- Effective date corroborated in trade and national coverage including The CSR Journal, The Economic Times and India Today, 5 September 2026.
Figures verified against the primary instrument on 6 September 2026. Page last updated 6 Sep 2026. The pre-30 November figures remain current until 29 November 2026 and are published here alongside the new ones deliberately — GOV.UK guidance still lists them. NPR conversions use the Nepal Rastra Bank reference rate and are indicative.