A checklist for your destination
Not a generic list — the exact documents your authority wants, in the order they will be assessed.
Student visas
The visa is where most people come unstuck.
An offer from a university is not permission to travel. That comes from a separate application, to a different authority, judged on different evidence — and it is the stage independent applicants most often get wrong. This page explains what each destination asks of a Kenyan student, and what we do about it.
Start here
What every application asks for.
Five destinations, five sets of rules — but this much is common to all of them. Assemble these first and the country-specific extras become a short list rather than a scramble.
- A valid passport — most authorities want at least six months left on it.
- Proof of funds. The single most common reason a file is refused. Not just the amount — how long the money has been held, and whose it is.
- Your acceptance from the university — a CAS, LOA, eCOE, I-20 or admission letter, depending on where you are going.
- Academic records — KCPE, KCSE, degree transcripts and results slips, certified.
- Proof of English — IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo, depending on the destination and institution.
- A statement of purpose and letters of recommendation, academic or from an employer.
- An updated CV and passport photographs to the authority's own specification.
Fees change — check before you budget
Visa fees, health surcharges and proof-of-funds thresholds are set by each authority
and revised regularly. Current amounts for every destination are itemised on our
study costs page, and we confirm them with you
before you pay anything.
By destination
Five countries, five different routes.
The visa you apply for, the authority that decides it and the centre you attend all change with the destination. Here is the shape of each.
Your university issues a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) once you have
accepted your offer and paid any tuition deposit. You then apply to UKVI, attend a
biometrics appointment at TLScontact, and pay the visa fee together with the
Immigration Health Surcharge — which is charged per year of your course, so a
three-year degree costs three times a one-year master's. Travel insurance is
mandatory. Full UK guide
Canada asks for the most preparation. Alongside your Letter of Acceptance you will
need an upfront medical examination and proof that you can cover living expenses —
usually through a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) held at a Canadian bank.
The application goes to IRCC, with biometrics at VFS Global. The GIC threshold is
set by IRCC and has been revised more than once in recent years, so confirm the
current figure before you transfer anything.
Full Canada guide
Your institution issues an electronic Confirmation of Enrolment (eCOE) once your
place and deposit are confirmed. You then lodge a Subclass 500 application with the
Department of Home Affairs and attend biometrics at VFS Global. Overseas Student
Health Cover is compulsory and must be arranged for the full length of your stay,
not just your first year.
Full Australia guide
The US route has the most steps and the only compulsory interview. Your university
issues an I-20; you pay the SEVIS fee, complete the DS-160 form, pay the visa
application fee, then attend an interview at the embassy. The interview is where US
applications are won or lost — the officer is assessing whether you are a genuine
student who intends to return. We prepare you for it specifically.
Full USA guide
Spain issues a Type D national visa for study longer than ninety days. You book an
appointment at the BLS Spain Visa Center, submit documents and biometrics together,
and pay the visa fee. Private health insurance valid in Spain is required, and your
admission letter must come from a recognised Spanish institution.
Full Spain guide
Honestly
Why applications get refused.
A refusal is rarely about the student being unqualified. It is almost always about how the file was put together. These are the problems we see most often.
- Funds that appeared too recentlyA lump sum deposited days before applying reads as borrowed. Most authorities want the money seasoned over a set period.
- Evidence in the wrong formatThe right amount, presented in a way the authority does not accept — unstamped statements, the wrong account holder, no translation.
- A weak statement of purposeGeneric text that does not connect your academic history to this programme, this university and what you intend to do afterwards.
- Gaps nobody explainedA break between school and application is fine. Leaving it unexplained is not.
- Interview answers that contradict the fileChiefly a US problem. What you say must match what you submitted, down to who is funding you.
- Applying too lateProcessing times move with demand. A visa slot that existed in March may not exist in July for the same September intake.
What we do
We build the file document by document.
Visa support is included in our fee. It is not a separate service you pay extra for.
Financial evidence, presented properly
We tell you what the threshold is, how long the funds need to be held, and how the statements should look before you submit them.
The application itself
UKVI, IRCC, DS-160 or Type D — we complete it with you rather than leaving you to interpret the form alone.
Appointments and biometrics
Booking at TLScontact, VFS Global or BLS, and making sure you arrive with the right paperwork.
Interview preparation
For the US especially — practising the questions actually asked, against the file you actually submitted.
After the decision
Visa issued: we move to travel, insurance and pre-departure. Refused: we go through the reasons and plan the reapplication.
Common questions
Visa questions we get asked.
No, and you should not trust anyone who says they can. The decision belongs to the
immigration authority of the country you are applying to, and no consultancy has any
influence over it. What we can do is make sure your application is complete, honest
and presented the way that authority expects — which is what most refusals come down to.
It differs by destination and is revised regularly by each authority, so we confirm
the current threshold with you rather than quoting a figure that may have moved. What
matters as much as the amount is how long the money has been held and whose account
it sits in. Indicative amounts for each destination are on our study costs page.
The visa application itself cannot start until you have your acceptance from the
university, but the preparation should start much earlier — particularly the funds,
which often need to be held for a set period before you apply. In practice that means
thinking about the visa at the same time as you apply to universities, not after.
Refusals come with reasons. We go through them with you, work out whether the problem
can be fixed, and if it can, prepare a stronger reapplication. Sometimes the sensible
answer is a different intake or a different destination, and we will say so.
No. We work with students anywhere in Kenya and beyond, and visa preparation can be
handled over video call and WhatsApp. The office is there if you would rather go
through your documents in person.
Before you apply
Have someone check it before it is submitted.
The first consultation is free, online or in person in Eldoret.