To study at University in UK, international students will need to obtain a student visa. Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies letter (CAS) is an important prerequisite for getting a student visa for UK. You must obtain your CAS number before applying for the Tier 4 General Student Visa. Keep reading as we give you a complete guide to the CAS letter.
What is a CAS number?
The confirmation of acceptance for studies(CAS) number is a unique reference number assigned to a student by his or her UK university. The CAS letter is an electronic document. This will be sent to you by the university on your email ID. This letter will have one CAS number which must be mentioned in your UK student visa application.
Why is the CAS Number Required for Visa application?
A CAS number is required for the verification purpose of the student’s visa application. This CAS letter acts as evidence that you are issued an admission offer from a UK university. The visa officers come to know that you have been enrolled into the UK university and then begin the General student visa process.
In case the information of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies for UK doesn’t match with the information you have mentioned in your application, your visa application will be rejected.
When Does the University Send the CAS Number?
The university of UK will send you the CAS number only when the following conditions are fulfilled:
- You have accepted the admission offer from the university.
- You have deposited the required amount to confirm your admission to the university.
- It is less than 3 months before the starting date of your applied course.
A question may arise in your mind whether students need to send a request or apply for the CAS letter on their own. The answer for this depends on the university you are enrolling in. Some universities in UK require students to send a request for the CAS number and some send you the CAS number on their own. Therefore, you need to check the particular website of the university where you are enrolling to understand its CAS process.
How to Get the CAS Number?
The process of obtaining the CAS letter is simple. Different universities follow a different process for issuing the CAS number. The whole process is mentioned below:
- The university will first send you an email on the ID you use for enrollment purposes.
- In some cases, you can be asked to send some important documents.
- Then you will get the link to your CAS statement. From this link, you will have to log in to your account.
- Once you log in, you will be able to check your CAS statement which contains your admission details.
- Check if all the information mentioned in your CAS statement is correct.
- If you find that the information mentioned in the CAS statement is incorrect, you have to inform about the corrections to the admission authorities.
- Once you have confirmed, you will get an email again. You will be issued the final CAS number and CAS statement.
- You will only need a CAS number in the visa application. You do not need to provide a CAS statement but it is better to print it out and keep it for future reference.
Documents required for obtaining CAS Number
During the CAS issuing Process, the UK university in which you have enrolled may ask for a few documents to proceed further. The documents required are:
- academic proofs(academic transcripts and degree certificate)
- financial documents,
- Tuberculosis (TB) certificate,
- an ATAS certificate
Processing Time of the CAS Number
Generally, the institution takes 10 days to issue the CAS number once you confirm that information mentioned in your CAS statement is correct. If you do not get your CAS letter within 20 days, you should contact the admission committee through email.
What Does the CAS Statement Contain?
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies statements includes the following information:
- 14-digit CAS number
- Student details - name, birth details, nationality, passport, etc.
- Course details - name, ID, qualification awarded, duration and type (full-time or part-time),
- Sponsor details - name, license number, address, etc.
- Exam details - SELT, ATAS, English language level attained, test provider, etc.
- Accommodation details - accommodation charges.
- Work placement details
What is the Validity Period of a CAS Number?
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) number can be used only for one visa application. The validity period of a UK CAS number is only 6 months. This means you have to apply for your student visa for UK within 6 months of time from the date of issue of a CAS number.
What Happens to the CAS Number if the Visa Application is rejected?
You can use your CAS number only once for applying for a student visa. Therefore if your student visa application is not accepted, your CAS number also becomes obsolete. For the new CAS number, you will have to request it again.
To obtain the new CAS number, you will have to contact the international student support team or admissions committee of the university. You will have to inform them about your problem. After investigating, they will inform you if a new CAS number can be issued to you or not. If a new CAS number is assigned to you, you can apply again for the visa.
Important Points about CAS Number
- Obtaining a CAS number does not guarantee that you will obtain the visa as well.
- The university in UK has the right to not issue a CAS letter to the student if:
- There is not required time left for the processing of the CAS letter.
- The student is not able to provide proof of sufficient funds.
- The student submits fraud or invalid/incorrect documents.
- you send a request for the CAS letter after the deadline.
We hope you are now having full knowledge of CAS. So you have to work accordingly. This is an important step to turn your dream of study in UK into reality.
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Categories: UK
Tags: Study Abroad