How to use this calculator
- Choose your destination country
- Enter how many days from today until your visa appointment (estimate is fine — add a buffer)
- Read the funds-in-place date and count backwards in your calendar
- Set reminders: one for the account product deadline, one for the statement window
Most visa financial refusals are not about the amount — they are about timing. The money existed, but not in the right shape on the right days. This planner converts your appointment date into the three dates that actually matter: when the funds must already be sitting in the account, when any bank product (GIC, blocked account) must be ordered, and when to request the bank statement.
The UK is the strictest machine. Your balance must stay above the threshold for 28 consecutive days, and the statement that proves it must be dated within 31 days of your application. Working backwards, that makes day 59 before the appointment the practical deadline for funds to be in place. There is no flexibility on either number — a statement dated 32 days early is refused as invalid, and day 14 of the 28-day window dipping below the line erases the whole period.
Canada, Germany and Australia publish no fixed seasoning requirement, which is exactly why conservative planning wins. Canada's GIC takes two to four weeks to issue and must be ordered well before submission. Germany's blocked account needs identity verification plus an international transfer that routinely takes one to two weeks. Australia has no fixed rule but officers are documented to scrutinise large recent deposits — 90 days of history is the practical safe harbour.
Build a two-week buffer into every date on this page. Appointment slots move, banks are slow in December, and none of these rules have mercy for processing delays on your side.
A realistic full timeline (UK example)
T-minus 4 months: accept the offer, request CAS. T-minus 3 months: consolidate funds into one account, stop touching them. T-minus 59 days: funds fully in place. T-minus 31 to 0 days: request and receive the bank statement, book the appointment, pay the immigration health surcharge. T-minus 14 days: at the latest, have every document — CAS, statement, English test, ATAS if required — in final form.
If your appointment is sooner than the deadline
For the UK, there is no fix: if 28 qualifying days cannot complete before the appointment, move the appointment. For Canada, an education loan can substitute for a GIC in some cases. For Germany, some consulates accept the transfer receipt plus provider confirmation rather than full clearance — check your specific consulate checklist.