Student Visa Checklist: Documents by Country for 2026

Visa files fail on small things: a statement in the wrong format, a name spelled two ways, a medical booked a week too late. The lists below are the working shape of each country's student-visa file — current as of our last review. Rules move without notice; before you file, verify against the official checklist for your intake, or let us run the file — this is the part of the process we handle end to end, and where checklists earn their keep. When Ayush hit a snag on the way to Glasgow, knowing the current requirement and acting fast was the whole difference.

Every country, every file

• Passport valid well beyond your course start (renew now if it's close)
• The university's admission document — each country names it differently (CAS, LOA, CoE, I-20)
• English test result, valid on the filing date (validity rules)
• Academic transcripts and certificates, Class 10 upward
• Financial evidence in that country's exact format (the full money guide)
• Passport-format photos to spec, and every form answered consistently with every document

United Kingdom

• CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) — file the visa within its validity window
• Financials meeting the 28-day rule, or a qualifying loan sanction letter
• TB test certificate from a UK-approved clinic (required for Indian applicants)
• ATAS certificate — only for certain sensitive science/tech postgrad courses
• Parental consent + relationship documents if funds sit with parents

Canada

• LOA (Letter of Acceptance) from a DLI — and since the 2024–25 tightening, confirm your program's PGWP eligibility before filing, not after
• GIC certificate + first-year tuition payment receipt
• Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) where applicable — introduced in 2024, issued via the institution
• Upfront medical exam from an IRCC-panel physician, and biometrics
• A brief study plan letter — Canada is the country most likely to want your story on one page

Australia

• CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment) per course — and the Genuine Student statement, which is read like an interview (SOP guide applies in full)
• Financial evidence passing the genuine access test
• Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) purchased for the full visa length before filing
• Medical examination via an approved panel clinic
• Under-18 applicants: welfare arrangements (CAAW) — relevant for early undergrad starters

United States

• I-20 from the university, then SEVIS fee payment receipt
• DS-160 confirmation + visa fee receipt + interview appointment
• Financial evidence matching the I-20 figure, and the ability to explain it — the interview is the real test
• Academic file + test scores carried to the interview in original

Ireland

• Letter of acceptance + evidence of fee payment
• Proof of funds per the current Irish requirement, plus private medical insurance
• Study plan and ties documentation — Ireland reads intent carefully for non-degree gaps in your history

The three mistakes that cause the most damage

1. Name and date mismatches across passport, marksheets, and bank documents — reconcile them before filing, with affidavits where needed.
2. Sequencing errors — medicals, biometrics, GIC, OSHC each have windows; booking them in the wrong order burns weeks you don't have near an intake.
3. Reusing last year's checklist. PALs didn't exist before 2024; proof-of-funds figures index annually; England's TB clinic list changes. Current beats familiar, every time.

Print this, tick it off — and when the file is nearly ready, have us look it over. A second pair of trained eyes on a visa file is the cheapest insurance in this entire journey.