UK Student Visa Funds Rise on 30 November 2026

The biggest number in the October 2026 UK rule changes for Pakistani student families: from 30 November 2026, the maintenance money a Student visa applicant must show rises to £1,570 for each month of study in London and £1,203 outside it. Whether your family files under the old figures or the new ones comes down to a single date, and misreading it costs real money or a refused file. Here is the whole money question, in the order the HTG Travel desk works it.

The Old Numbers and the New Numbers

• London, applications before 30 November 2026: £1,529 per month, maximum £13,761 for nine months
• London, applications on or after 30 November 2026: £1,570 per month, maximum £14,130
• Outside London, before 30 November 2026: £1,171 per month, maximum £10,539
• Outside London, on or after 30 November 2026: £1,203 per month, maximum £10,827
• The maintenance amount sits on top of any outstanding first-year course fees shown on your CAS

For a nine-month course the increase is £369 inside London and £288 outside, which is why some families are tempted to race the deadline. The Home Office lifted the rates to keep the Student route aligned with maintenance support for home students in 2026-27. The full process context sits in our UK student visa guide; this piece concentrates on the money mechanics around the date.

The Application Date Is the Switch

The transition rule is short and unforgiving: applications made before 30 November 2026 are decided under the rules in force on 29 November, and applications made on or after 30 November are assessed against the new figures. The course start date does not matter for this choice. What never pays is rushing an incomplete file to save £288: a refusal for mismatched CAS details or thin evidence costs an intake, as our UK visa refusal and appeal guide explains.

How the Sum Actually Builds

The calculation has three moving parts. First, take any outstanding course fees for the first academic year exactly as the CAS states them. Second, count the months of study, rounding any partial month up, so a course lasting six months and two weeks counts as seven. Third, multiply by the monthly rate for your application date, capped at nine months. A twelve-month master's outside London filed in December 2026 therefore needs £10,827 in maintenance, and with £5,500 of unpaid fees on the CAS the bank evidence must support around £16,327.

The 28-Day Discipline Still Decides Everything

The increase changes the amount, not the evidence rules. The money generally needs a continuous 28-day period at or above the required level, evidence must be dated within 31 days of the application, and a balance that dips below the line during the window can force the count to restart from the new low point. Rupee accounts carry an extra layer: foreign currency is normally converted at the OANDA spot rate on the application date, so the sterling value of an untouched balance can still shrink between printing and submission. Keep a deliberate buffer, park the money early, and resist withdrawals, the disciplines our bank statement guide teaches.

Timing Around the January 2027 Intake

Students may apply up to six months before the course begins. Work backwards: choose the application date first, let that date choose the maintenance rate, structure the funds into a clean 28-day window, then submit while the evidence is fresh. Priority services exist when the calendar tightens, but they speed the decision, never repair the evidence, and the general sequencing is laid out in our student visa overview. Once the visa is granted, the student flight booking guide keeps the same discipline going to the airport.

Paisa jodne se pehle tareekh jod lein, phir faisla karein.

Ek Dil Se Baat

Kitabon ki keemat sirf pound mein nahi hoti: Gaza ke bachon ne apni classrooms ki wallon mein se dobara dhoondi hain aur duniya ne fees barha di, magar un ki jaan ki qeemat nahi barhi. Ae Allah, un ki parhai ko wapas de aur un par reham karne walon ko sabr se nawaz. Sudan ke talaba ne apna campus jalte hue chhoda tha; wo ab bhi khali bakse umeed ke sath bhare baithe hain. Ae Allah, un ki taleem aur un ki jaan, dono ki hifazat kar. Ameen.

Aakhri Baat

A funds deadline is the rare immigration obstacle a family can fully control. HTG Travel structures student money files: application date chosen deliberately, maintenance sum built from the CAS rather than guessed, the 28-day window protected against dips and exchange-rate drift, every figure confirmed in writing before anything is paid. Students get a desk that answers at midnight before submission day, because that is when the questions come. Check your numbers against the 30 November line first, then bring the file to htg.com.pk.