A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a requirement for obtaining a UK Tier 4 General Student Visa (GSV). Since February 22, visa letters are no longer be valid. The UK has started using an electronic system.
The electronic system will use a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Unlike the Form I-20 used for US visa applications, this is not an actual paper certificate – it exists only as a number on the UK Border Agency website. What will happen is as follows:
- You register for an English course in the UK on our website
- We’ll send you confirmation documents, but instead of a visa letter we send you a CAS reference number
- You must quote the CAS reference number when applying for the UK visa
In many ways, this new electronic system will be an improvement. In particular, the CAS will be available for use as soon as we’ve processed it, so there will no longer be any need for us to send you visa letters. Students will therefore save money on hefty express mail fees!
Please remember that a CAS costs £10 and we will add this to your invoice. The £10 fee is non refundable, compulsory in all cases where a CAS is required. It is not an administration charge we have added but the actual cost of the process.
None of these changes affect Student Visitor Visas. They will continue to be processed using visa support letters.
hi sir,
Can my sponsor cancel the present unassigned CAS application and apply for a new one with some changes? Thank you!
Hi John,
I am not entirely sure what the process is, as the CAS system is new. The CAS is an electronic reference number and not an actual paper certificate (unlike the Form I-20 issued by the US government).
You should check with your sponsoring organization (your university, college, or school) on what the process is. I suspect they can just update the CAS with your new details instead of canceling it all together. If not, then they may have to cancel it and issue a new one. In this case, a CAS costs £10 and you may get charged this amount by your sponsor.
Thank for dropping by!
Hi,
I’m a bit confused as to how the CAS system works. Doed the UK Boarder Agency have access to the infomation held by the university i.e can they see my transctipts, certificates e.t.c or do i still need to present these to then
Regards.
Hi Cynthia, I understand that it can be confusing, since the UK Border Agency has just changed their process early this year and a lot of things are still changing. I would suggest that you still submit everything to the UK Border Agency, including your transcripts, certificates of English proficiency, etc. I would err on the side of caution in this case. Based on our experience, the UKBA has become stricter lately and we’ve seen more visa denials than ever, so I would strongly suggest that you submit all these documents to the UKBA, even though you’ve already submitted them to your sponsoring organization.
Hi,
please do me a favor i want to see the format or CAS.
means the text.
specially i wanna know the listed requirement of CAS certificate.
Hi Mohammad, a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is not an actual paper certificate – it exists only as a number on the UK Border Agency website.