What is a CAS?
Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is an electronic record produced by the University and shared with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). A CAS is required for your Student Visa application. A CAS will be generated by the University for students who meet the eligibility requirements and need to apply for a Student Visa. This statement includes the information sent by the University to the UKVI, which you will need for your Student Visa application. The University does not offer a CAS for part-time courses.
Your CAS statement will include:
- a CAS number
- course details: start and end date of your course
- Sponsor Licence information:
- Sponsor Licence number
- Sponsor Licence address (registered address)
- primary site of study address
- qualifications: used to assess your eligibility for the course
- academic progress confirmation: if you have previously studied in the UK
- English language ability confirmation
- course fees
- fees already paid
- personal details:
- your name as it appears on your passport
- your passport number
- scholarship information (for scholarships provided by the University of Westminster)
How do I get a CAS?
New students
New students must have accepted their unconditional offer and paid a deposit before we can issue a CAS.
You do not need to pay a deposit if you fall into one of the following categories and have provided all relevant information:
- you are a US/Canadian Loan recipient
- your University of Westminster fees have been waived
- you have a University of Westminster scholarship that covers your full fees
- you are fully sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Government and have provided a sponsorship letter
For more information about international student deposits, visit our International student deposits page.
When the University receives your deposit, we will send you an email asking you to complete the International Applicant task via the online Applicant portal. You will be asked for certain information (eg your name as it appears on your passport and details of any previous study in the UK). You will also be asked how you meet the Student Visa financial requirements, and you may be asked to upload financial evidence. See Financial Requirements and the 28-day rule.
When you have completed the International Applicant task, and met all the requirements, your CAS statement will be generated and emailed to you. You will be able to use the information contained in your CAS to make a student visa application.
Contact your Admissions Office for further information about applying for a CAS before your course starts and contact Student Advice for visa guidance.
Pre-sessional students
If you are accepting a place on the pre-sessional course that leads to a degree course, you will need to pay your deposit of £5,500 at the same time as paying the full pre-sessional course fee.
When your payment is processed, you will be sent an email asking for information that we need in order to produce your CAS.
If you are required to apply to extend your Student Visa for your degree course, you will need a second CAS, which will also confirm the deposit you have paid.
Your CAS statement will include:
- your personal details
- financial information relating to the pre-sessional course
- the title of your course and the type of qualification you will be studying towards
- the fees for the pre-sessional course
- a list of the academic qualifications that the University has used to offer you a place on the pre-sessional course, including your Secure English Language Test (eg IELTS+)
- a statement showing that the course represents an academic progression from any previous course you have studied in the UK
Please check your CAS statement carefully to make sure your personal information is correct. Note that your name should be shown exactly as it appears on your passport.
Continuing students already studying at the University
If your current Student Visa will expire before you can complete your current studies (either because you need to repeat one or more modules, or if your course has been extended due to adding a work placement) then you will need a new CAS to apply for a new Student Visa.
To request your CAS, you will need to download and complete the Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies form below and email this to the University Compliance team at [email protected]. CAS requests are usually processed within 10 working days. You should apply for your new CAS as soon as possible once you are aware that you need more time to complete your course. Don’t leave it to the last minute to apply.
Note that a CAS cannot be produced if you owe fees or have not met your instalment payment dates.
If you have any queries about a CAS request form that you have submitted, please email [email protected].
Eligibility requirements for a CAS – current students
Before issuing a CAS, the Visa Compliance team will check that your past and future studies comply with the UKVI Student Visa Sponsorship guidelines. To be eligible for a CAS, you must have maintained continuous attendance on your course without any gaps and have timetabled attendance that will continue beyond your visa expiry date.
You may be eligible for a new CAS if:
- you are repeating modules or assessments towards completion of your course
- you are progressing with your research towards the completion of a PhD
- you are extending your course to include a work placement, internship or period of study abroad
- you are returning from a period of interruption
- you are switching from another type of visa (where eligible)
you will not be eligible for a new CAS if:
- you have no further timetabled attendance
- you have completed all the study elements of your course and are only awaiting results
- there is a significant gap before your next required attendance
- this will result in you studying more than 5 years at Undergraduate level
If you find that you cannot obtain a CAS to extend your student visa please contact Student Advice for advice on your options.
If you complete your course before your visa expires but you don't have enough time on your visa to stay in the UK to receive your results, you cannot be issued a CAS to extend your visa. This is because a CAS can only be issued for periods when you have timetabled/scheduled classes.
This situation may affect your eligibility for the Graduate route. Please see the section below for more details on this visa.
If you have interrupted your studies and wish to return to your course, your previous student visa will have been reported and cancelled; you will normally be outside the UK when you request your CAS to return to your studies. You will only be able to receive a CAS if you are required to be in the UK to complete timetabled attendance. You must ensure your return is agreed by your Registry before requesting a CAS.
You should apply for your new CAS in plenty of time before you are due to resume your studies. We recommend that you apply three months prior to your intended return date.
If you are not eligible for a CAS, you can discuss your options for completing your studies with Student Advice.
Please see further information on interrupting your studies here.
You must ensure your progression and resumption is confirmed by your Registry before requesting a CAS. You will only receive a CAS to return to your studies if you have timetabled lectures/seminars. You can contact your Registry by emailing [email protected] Please see the information above on how to request your CAS.
You will usually be outside the UK when resuming studies following a break. Please read the information on applying for a Student Visa from outside the UK, which includes useful guides to the online application form.
You will also be required to meet the financial requirements for a Student visa application.
Please contact Student Advice for further advice on making your student visa application to return to your studies.
If you failed your dissertation and have to repeat/resubmit after your visa expires, you will only be able to obtain a CAS to extend your student visa if you will have timetabled attendance for the resubmission. If you are not required to attend regular timetabled, in person sessions with your dissertation supervisor, you will not be able to obtain a CAS to extend your student visa.
If you have submitted Mitigating Circumstances (MCs) and deferred your modules or exams/assessments, this change will usually be reported to the UKVI by the Visa Compliance team. If your deferral results in you not attending classes your student visa will be cancelled.
When you are ready to return and complete your deferred assessments, you will usually be outside the UK, when you request a CAS to apply for a new Student Visa. You can only obtain a CAS if you will be attending timetabled classes to complete your deferrals. For more details, please refer to the 'resuming your studies' section above and further information on deferrals here.
If you require a CAS to extend your student visa because you wish to transfer to another course at the University of Westminster, you will not be able to receive a CAS to apply in the UK, if you cannot complete the new course before your current student visa expires.
If you need more time on your student visa to complete a course you wish to transfer to, you will be required to apply for a Student Visa to extend for the new course from outside the UK. Please see further information on changing course here.
Things to be aware of
If any of the information in your CAS statement is incorrect, you must have these details corrected before applying for your student visa to avoid a refusal, please contact the Visa Compliance team at [email protected] with the corrections.
A CAS will expire six months after it is issued if it is not used. If you plan to apply for your Student Visa after your CAS expires, you must request a new one. If you apply with an expired CAS your application will be refused.
If you have been issued with a CAS, you will need to arrive in the UK and complete enrolment before the latest date to enrol (as confirmed on your CAS). If you will not be able to arrive in the UK before your latest date to enrol, you will not be able to join your course. It's crucial that you contact your admissions officer as soon as you can to discuss your options.
If you do not enrol, your CAS will be withdrawn, which may result in a visa refusal if you are still waiting for a decision on your Student Visa application.
For full details about enrolment, including the enrolment deadlines, please see our Enrolment for new students page.
If you decide not to join your course or you wish to defer until next year please tell the admissions office immediately so we can pass this information on to UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).
If you are refused a CAS for any reason, please contact Student Advice to discuss your options. If you have further study to complete or are waiting for final results, this may impact your ability to obtain the Graduate route visa (see section below).
If your visa is refused please email the Visa Compliance team at [email protected] and also inform your admissions officer.
If you would like to request a new CAS to apply again, you will need to send a scanned copy of your refusal, as well as scanned copies of the new evidence you will be providing for your second Student Visa application. The Visa Compliance team will look at each case independently and decide if a new CAS can be issued.
Overstaying means you have remained in the UK after your current student visa has expired. Overstaying your visa in the UK is considered a criminal offence and has a number of legal consequences. If you have become an overstayer, you will usually need to leave the UK immediately.
If you need to make a student visa application to complete your studies, you will usually be required to submit this application from outside the UK. Please note that you may also be required to interrupt your studies until you receive a successful visa application and can return to your studies.
The Visa Compliance team will usually ask you to provide evidence you have left the UK before considering whether you can be given a new CAS.
You will not normally be issued with another CAS to rejoin your course, as overstaying can lead to an automatic refusal of a new visa application. The Visa Compliance team will look at whether you had any exceptional circumstances which prevented you from requesting a CAS before your visa expired and whether you will be subject to an automatic ban on returning to the UK. These cases will be assessed on an individual basis by the Visa Compliance Team.
The Visa Compliance team can cancel your student visa sponsorship and withdraw your CAS in a number of scenarios including if you:
- fail to enrol in your course
- have not been in attendance
- withdraw, suspend/interrupt
- are excluded from your course
- have breached your student visa conditions
The Visa Compliance team will normally report a change to your study/circumstances to the UKVI within 10 days. You must seek advice from the Student Advice team if you have received an email from the Visa Compliance team confirming they have reported a change to your circumstances to the UKVI and would like advice on your options.
Applying for or receiving a CAS does not always guarantee that you will be eligible for the Graduate route visa, you must check your eligibility and discuss your circumstances with Student Advice if you are refused a CAS, or you have received a CAS but will not be given enough time on your student visa extension to receive your final results. You can find further information on this visa here.