What is a CAS?
A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a unique number which confirms you have been accepted on a course of study in the UK. It is an electronic document generated using the Home Office’s system and is essential in order to make a successful Student visa application. You will need a CAS from The University of Law in order to apply for a Student Route visa.
How do I receive a CAS?
- In order to receive a CAS from The University of Law, all of the steps below must be completed in the correct order.
- You can track the progress of your CAS request by logging into the CAS Shield platform. Once you have logged into the portal, you will be able see what is required of you to receive a CAS.
- It can take some time to complete all of the steps below and so you should log on as soon as you receive access to CAS Shield to complete the dynamic form.
- We cannot issue any student a CAS until we have carried out all the checks required by the Home Office.
Step 1: Accept an Unconditional Offer and pay your fees
To accept your (un)conditional offer you must pay the acceptance fee of £6,000.
To receive an unconditional offer, you must have provided our Admissions Team with evidence of the academic qualifications that are the basis of your offer to study with us and evidence of your English language ability (if applicable).
It is a Home Office regulation that we cannot assess your eligibility for Student visa sponsorship unless you have accepted an unconditional offer to study with us. With that, you will receive access to the CAS Shield portal once you have paid your acceptance fee and have accepted an unconditional offer.
The acceptance fee will be deducted from your total course fees.
For any queries about your offer conditions or receiving an unconditional offer, please email our Admissions Team at [email protected].
Step 2: Log onto CAS Shield and complete the dynamic form
You will receive an email with a link to the CAS Shield, to create a password and log on to begin the CAS journey. You will only get access to CAS Shield if you have an unconditional offer and have paid your acceptance fee.
Please make sure that you complete the dynamic form as accurately as possible, as this will help us understand and request the appropriate information. You may be asked to record an online interview.
The system will also ask you, if required, to submit the financial evidence you will be using for your visa application. We must check it meets the Home Office requirements before issuing you a CAS. Please see the information on Financial Requirements and Supporting Documents for further guidance on the financial evidence which will be accepted by the Home Office.
Your application will only be assessed once all of the required documentation has been submitted. We will check your information and contact you if you require any additional documents or information.
Step 3: Assessment of Student Visa Sponsorship
Once you have completed the first two steps, we will check whether you qualify for Student visa sponsorship by referring to the Home Office regulations.
Please note that we cannot advise students how long this assessment will take, as it depends on several factors including your course of study, immigration history and previous studies in the UK and your home country.
Step 4: Receive your CAS Statement
We will send you a CAS Statement email, which will contain your CAS number and other information you will need to include with your online visa application. Once you receive your CAS statement, you can make your Student visa application.
If any of the information on the CAS statement is incorrect, please write to our Visa Compliance Team immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I get an update on my CAS request?
You can track the progress of your CAS request by logging into CAS Shield. Once you have logged into the portal, you will be able to see what is outstanding and what you have successfully submitted.
The portal is the quickest way to receive an update on your CAS request, as it is linked to your student record and it will update as soon as a change is made by the University.
How long will it take to receive my CAS?
It is very important that you check your documents carefully before sending them to us.
Failure to submit the correct documents in a timely manner will delay the processing of your CAS request.
We cannot advise exactly how long it will take to receive a CAS, as it depends on several factors, including course of study, immigration history and previous studies.
Please note that the steps in the CAS request process are checks we are required to carry out by the Home Office. We cannot issue any student a CAS until we are completely satisfied that Student Route requirements are met.
When do you start and stop issuing CAS?
We start issuing CAS up to 6 months before the course start date if you are applying for your visa from abroad and 3 months before the course start date if you are applying from within the UK.
The deadlines for issuing CAS are as follows:
- If you are applying for your Student visa outside the UK, the deadline is 7 weeks before your course start date
- If you are applying for your Student visa inside the UK, the deadline is 1 week before your course start date if your current visa permits study. If your current visa does not permit full time study the deadline for CAS issuance will be as stated above for students applying from outside the UK.
Please note that the CAS deadlines are final and cannot be extended. We cannot issue any student a CAS after these dates.
CAS issue is also subject to availability. The University has a finite allocation from the UKVI, so we recommend that you complete all requirements as early as possible.