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Tier 1 (Graduate entrepreneur)

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Maintenance (funds)

This page describes the documents that you must provide to meet the maintenance requirement if you are applying under Tier 1 (Graduate Entrepreneur) of the points-based system.

Endorsement from a higher education institution

You should provide any of the following documents:

  • personal bank or building society statements for a consecutive 90-day period ending no more 31 days before your application date; and/or
  • building society pass books for a consecutive 90-day period ending no more than 31 days before your application date; and/or
  • letters from banks confirming funds; and/or
  • letters from financial institutions regulated by the Financial Services Authority (or the home regulator, if the account is overseas) confirming funds.

See 'More information' below for details of what these documents must contain.

All documents must be issued by an authorised official of the organisation.

Endorsement from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI)

If you have an endorsement from UKTI which confirms that it has awarded you funding that is enough to cover your maintenance funds for you and your dependants, we do not need further evidence of maintenance.
If your endorsement does not state that you and your dependants have been awarded enough funding, you must provide evidence of your own money. You should provide any of the following documents:

  • personal bank or building society statements for a consecutive 90-day period ending no more than 31 days before your application date; and/or
  • building society pass books for a consecutive 90-day period ending no more than 31 days before your application date; and/or
  • letters from banks confirming funds; and/or
  • letters from financial institutions regulated by the Financial Services Authority (or the home regulator, if the account is overseas) confirming funds.

See 'More information' below for details of what these documents must contain.

All documents must be issued by an authorised official of the organisation.

Choose a heading below to show more information.

More information

  • Personal bank or building society statements

    Each personal bank or building society statement should clearly show:

    • your name
    • the account number
    • the date of the statement
    • the financial institution's name and logo
    • any transactions during the 90-day period
    • the presence of the required amount of money in the account throughout the 90-day period.

    The most recent statement must be dated no more than 1 calendar month before your date of application.

    You can send electronic bank statements from an online account, if:

    • they bear the official stamp of the bank that issued them on every page; or
    • you also send a supporting letter from the bank, on headed paper, confirming that the statements are genuine.

    All other statements, including ad hoc statements, must be on the bank's stationery. You cannot use mini-statements from cash machines (ATMs) as evidence.

    We will not accept statements which simply show the balance in the account on a particular day, as this will not show that you hold enough funds for the full 90-day period.
  • Building society pass book

    This pass book should clearly show:

    • your name
    • the account number
    • the financial institution's name and logo
    • any transactions during the 90-day period
    • the presence of the required amount of money in the account throughout the 90-day period.
  • Letter confirming funds

    The letter from a bank, building society or regulated financial institution should state:

    • your name; 
    • the account number; 
    • the date of the letter; 
    • the financial institution's name and logo; 
    • the money held in your account; and 
    • that sufficient money has been in the institution throughout the 90-day period immediately before the date of the letter.

    The financial institution must be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) or, in the case of overseas accounts, by the home regulator (the official regulatory body for the country the financial institution is in and where the money is held) for the purpose of personal savings accounts.

    The letter must be on the institution's letterhead or official stationery, and must be dated no more than 1 calendar month before your date of application.

    We will not accept letters which simply show the balance in the account on a particular day, as this will not show that you hold enough funds for the full period required.