It’s common for students immigrating to the UK for education to face a number of hassles. According to Lizzie Huckle, Senior International Student Adviser at City University, London, most common issues arise around the Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies or CAS.

It is compulsory for an international student to possess a CAS for obtaining a Tier 4 or a student visa. A CAS is an electronic document that has a reference number which will be sent to you from the university. Furthermore, when filling a visa application form, you’ll have to enter relevant information from the CAS statement like your unique CAS number.

So, learn the steps to receive a CAS effortlessly

An important fact to keep in mind is that a CAS is handed over to you by the respective university where you’ll be taking admission. Following are the steps to receive a CAS:

#Step 1 – First and foremost, you must firmly accept the admission offer that the institute sends you.

#Step 2 – You’ll have to request for your CAS online via the university website.

#Step 3 – You may need to make some payment in advance before you apply for a CAS. Although you can apply for a CAS before making this payment, the application will not be processed until you clear the dues. However, there remains an exception for undergraduate students in colleges, and they do not need to deposit any additional fees.

#Step 4 – Your academic qualification when applying for the CAS has to be confirmed by respective authorities. The documents that you submit along with your visa application will serve as the confirmation document for CAS. Also, make sure to have all your original documents as proof of your educational qualification.

#Step 5 – In case you have monetary aid like a scholarship from any international institution to fund your studies, you must inform the university before requesting the CAS. Furthermore, if you are supporting your studies using an educational loan, then you must submit a copy of the loan letter as well.

When can you apply for a CAS?

It is recommended that you don’t make a CAS request if the number of working days between the application date and the course commencement date is less than 15. Otherwise, possibilities of your application getting cancelled remain high.

However, an exception remains for students who can afford a priority fast track service. Moreover, to utilise this priority service, a student must be able to furnish evidence for the fact that he/she has been granted faculty extension.

Vital facts on the CAS statement

After relevant authorities have processed your CAS statement, you will receive an email of a temporary draft. Information in this statement is crucial; so, you must double check to confirm that all of it is up to date and correct.

After you confirm all the information on the draft, it will go to the Home Office so that the college administration can generate your CAS number. Following which, you will receive the final CAS statement.

A CAS statement includes –

• A 14 digit alphanumeric reference number
• Your college/university ID
• Start and end date of your course along with course title
• Tuition fee for the first year of your course
• The amount in tuition fees you have paid in advance
• Any fees for accommodation that you have already paid
• The qualifications that are necessary for you to avail the course
• Any previous education that you have completed

Additionally, you must include your CAS statement’s copy along with your Tier 4 visa application. Also, an important fact is that a CAS is valid only for 6 months. Hence, you must complete your application within this time.