How to Get a CAS Letter for Studying in the UK?

According to UK immigration rules, the university must sponsor the student’s application for a visa, which is why it sends you a CAS letter. The CAS number is a confirmation that the university has made an unconditional offer to study a full-time course, and the student has accepted it.  A CAS letter UK makes up 30 of the 40 points required for a Tier 4 (G) student visa.

Note - Please remember that the university is sponsoring only your application. This should not be confused with financial sponsorship.

In order to get the CAS letter UK, you must know when and how does the university send the CAS number and when is the right time to apply.

Before getting into the specifics, it is important to clarify whether students need to send a request or apply for the CAS letter on their own. It depends on the university you are enrolling in. 

Some universities like Kingston require students to send a request for the CAS number.

However, the University of Nottingham sends you the CAS number on its own. Applicants in this case do not need to send a request for the CAS number. Therefore, you need to check the website of the university where you are enrolling to understand its CAS process.

The university sends you the CAS number or you request a CAS number when:

• You have accepted the unconditional offer from the university.
• You have made the requisite deposit to finalize your seat at the university.
• It is less than three months before the beginning date of the course that you have applied to.

Now we come to how the university carries out the process of sending the CAS letter UK. Different universities in UK have their own process of sending the CAS number, but this is typically how it goes:

• The university will first send you an email on the ID you use for admission.
• In the email, you will be asked to log in to the given link.
• Once you log in, the dashboard should contain an option that allows you to check your CAS statement. In some cases, for example, when you need to request a CAS number, you can be asked to send some documents like academic proofs, financial documents, Tuberculosis (TB) certificate, and an ATAS certificate to get the CAS statement. You will get the link to your CAS statement after submitting the documents.
• Once you click on the link, your CAS statement will appear which will list important details about your admission. You may also be asked to fill in details on the statement.
• You will then be asked to verify if all the information listed in your CAS statement is true.
• If the information given in the CAS statement is incorrect, send the admission authorities an email pointing out the errors and corrections.
• Once you have confirmed and filled in the details and submitted the statement, you will get an email again.
• This email will contain the final CAS statement and the number. The email may ask you to log in to your account to access the CAS number.
• Although you only need to enter the CAS number in the visa application, and you will not be asked to attach or submit the CAS statement, it is better to take a printout of the statement and keep it for future reference.

You have to request CAS 90 days before the start of your course. This may differ for various universities. For the University of Sheffield, the CAS is open 4 months before the course’s commencement. Oxford University’s CAS window is open 6 months before the course starts. So check your university’s website for application deadlines. There is no option to apply for the CAS more than 6 months before the course starts.

There can be a deadline for CAS applications set by the universities. For example, The University of Law’s deadline is 7 weeks before the course starts. Students outside the UK cannot apply for the CAS after this deadline. Know your university’s deadline for CAS application and apply before it.

• 14-digit CAS number
• Course details
• Course start and end dates
• Accommodation fees
• Total fees
• Entrance test (IELTS/ TOEFL) score
• Sponsor license number(SLN)

There may be more or lesser data in the CAS than listed above. The information contained in the CAS letter depends on the university issuing it. 

A student must apply for a UK visa within 6 months of getting the CAS letter. Apply for the visa at least 3 months before your course commences.

• Go to the UK visa immigration services website to complete the tier-4 application process by correctly filling in all the essential details, including your CAS number.
• Pay the immigration health insurance and application fees.
• Schedule a biometric appointment.
• For attending the appointment, you will be submitting eligibility proof, passport, finance proof, and TB certificate.
• You may be required to attend the credibility interview. Questions regarding your selection of the particular university, your expectations on studying in the UK, etc., can be expected.

The Home office will let you know whether the visa's status is accepted or rejected. It usually takes three weeks to get the decision.

You can think about a combined CAS number when you study more than one course in the same institution. No need to apply for two different CAS numbers if your university permits a combined visa facility. A combined CAS number allows you to stay in the UK with one visa till you complete both courses.

You cannot use the old CAS number if your visa application is rejected. You will have to apply for a new CAS number.

• To get the new CAS number, you will need to contact the university’s international student support team or admissions committee informing them about your problem.
• An advisor will get back to you and let you know if a new CAS number can be assigned to you or not. If a new CAS number is assigned to you, you must follow the steps above again to get the visa.
• In cases where you need to request a CAS letter, the letter will be denied if you send a request after the deadline. Usually, the request must be sent at least 90 days before the beginning date of the course.