Requesting a CAS

Before SOAS can issue a CAS we need to confirm that the student:

• Has the academic ability (including an appropriate English language qualification) to study the proposed course.
• Is making academic progress (i.e., studying at a higher level than previous study), unless exempt.
• Has the funds in place to study on their course.
• Is a genuine student and has met all UKVI's Student Route eligibility criteria.
• Will be studying on a full-time basis – SOAS does not support part-time study under the Student visa route.
• Plans to be physically present in the UK unless a UKVI concession applies or the absence is under 60 days during term time and is approved by SOAS.
• Has a valid passport that has a remaining validity period of at least six months beyond the programme start date. 

Do not request a CAS if you are going to renew your passport – wait until your new passport has been issued and then request a CAS with the new passport details.

You must have firmly accepted your unconditional offer for a full-time study programme to receive a CAS.

You must have paid the £4000 tuition fee deposit, which will be offset against the rest of your tuition fees. If you are exempt from the CAS request deposit you will need to provide your full scholarship confirmation letter or financial guarantee letter from your sponsor.

Unconditional offers

We will issue a combined CAS for your degree programme and Pre-sessional English (PSE) programme if you hold an unconditional offer. This means you will only need to make one Student visa application to cover the full duration of your PSE programme and your degree programme at SOAS. To be eligible for a combined CAS you must meet all the following criteria:

• you have applied, been accepted to, and paid for the PSE
• your degree programme starts within one month of the end of your PSE
• you have received and accepted your offer for a degree programme at SOAS
• you have an unconditional offer for a degree programme
• you have paid the £4000 CAS deposit

For a combined CAS, your start date will be the start of your pre-sessional course. You must request your CAS no later than 3 weeks before the start of the PSE. 

Conditional offers

If your offer is conditional pending an academic condition and your results will not be available until June or later, you will need to apply for two separate CAS numbers – one for the PSE and one for your degree programme. After you have met the academic conditions, we will issue a second CAS for your main programme of study. The International Student and Welfare Advisers at SOAS will be able to assist you with your visa extension.

PSE only

To request a CAS for PSE only, you must hold a UKVI secure English language test (SELT), which you will also need to submit as part of your Student visa application. If your PSE offer was made based on a non-UKVI SELT, you will need to submit a new UKVI SELT that meets SOAS English language requirements. .

To request a CAS, complete the CAS request form and upload the following supporting documents:

• colour scan of the identity details page of your passport (required)* *If you have dual nationality, please consider fully which passport you want to use before the request is submitted, and only provide the passport that you will be travelling on and using for your visa application 
• evidence of your CAS request payment or exemption evidence (required)
• evidence of scholarship (if applicable) 
• evidence of additional tuition fee payments (if applicable)
• previous UK visas/Biometric Residence Permits or a share code for us to view your eVisa (if applicable) 
• parental consent form (only required for under 18 applicants)
• evidence of withdrawal and visa curtailment if you have withdrawn from any studies in the UK 

SOAS may request additional information following receipt of a CAS request form to assess CAS eligibility and provide correct information on a CAS.

If you are a current or returning student, please see our page on CAS requests for current/returning students.

You must provide a Highly likely to complete letter if:

• you are currently studying in the UK on a Student visa 
• your course at SOAS starts before your current studies is considered complete
  (i.e., awarded)

A Highly likely to complete letter should confirm that you will complete your current studies successfully. You can request one from the exams department/registry of your current university. 

Your CAS request is regarded as incomplete in the following circumstances:

• your offer is still conditional
• you haven't firmly accepted your offer
• you haven't paid the CAS deposit or provided evidence of scholarship/sponsorship that meets the exemption criteria
• you haven't provided any further information that we requested

If your CAS request is incomplete by the CAS deadline, then you have not applied by the deadline. 

Requesting a CAS following a visa refusal

If your Student visa application is refused, you should contact SOAS immediately, providing your name, application/student ID number, a copy of your visa refusal notice (all pages) and any supporting documentation that was submitted with your application.

New students/offer holders should send the information to: casrequest@soas.ac.uk. Continuing/current SOAS students should send their information to: compliance@soas.ac.uk

Requests for a new/second CAS following a visa refusal will be assessed for eligibility and students will be required to provide SOAS with evidence that they meet the UKVI financial requirements and any other relevant documentation requested.

If your visa was refused due to a credibility interview we would not normally issue a second CAS unless there were exceptional circumstances.

SOAS will not issue you a third CAS if you receive two visa application refusals. We also reserve the right not to issue a second CAS if we believe the second application is likely to be refused.

Administrative review

If an Entry Clearance Officer or Caseworker has made an error when processing your Student visa application, you can challenge the decision through an Administrative Review rather than make a new Student visa application. The SOAS Student Advice Service will review your visa refusal notice and advise if you have grounds for an Administrative Review.

SOAS reserves the right to decide whether to reissue a second CAS, and there may be an administration fee. If SOAS has issued a CAS to sponsor you in the UK as a student, the university has a duty to report to UKVI if you do not attend regularly, withdraw from your course, or interrupt your studies

You will need to apply for your Student visa outside the UK if you are not progressing academically, i.e., your new course is not at a higher level than your previous course or you haven't successfully completed the course of study in the UK for which you were last granted a Student visa.

There is a maximum time limit ('cap') on studying with a Student route (previously Tier 4) visa. Before SOAS can issue your CAS, we will need to review all previous student immigration permissions granted to check that your application will not take you over the maximum time allowed to study at the specific course level. UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) will not normally grant permission to enter/leave to remain (LTR) to someone whose current Student route application would result in them exceeding the limits unless there are 'compelling and compassionate circumstances', such as injury or disability. 

Below degree-level course: 2-year cap  

The cap only applies to students aged 18 over. Students 18 and over can only spend a maximum of 2 years studying below degree-level courses. This 2-year limit can be spent studying a single course or several courses on the Student route (including time spent on a Tier 4 General visa). The cap is counted whether you are applying for the visa inside or outside the UK. 

Degree-level (undergraduate) course: 5-year cap  

For courses at degree level (RQF level 6 or equivalent), you cannot spend more than 5 years studying at this level on the Student route visa (including time spent on a Tier 4 General visa).

UKVI will usually not grant permission to enter/leave to remain (LTR) to someone whose current Student route application would result in them exceeding the 5-year cap. Time spent in the UK on a Student route visa (including time spent on a Tier 4 visa) before you turned 18 will not count towards this cap.

Time spent studying courses below degree level (below RQF level 6) on any student visa will also not count towards the cap.  

Calculate your study history

To calculate your study history:

• Add up all the time you have held a Student visa (you need to count from the visa start date until the visa expiry date for each visa held) or up to the date your visa was cancelled or curtailed.
• Add the amount of time for which you would hold a Student visa if you received a CAS to study your chosen course at SOAS.

If the total exceeds 5 years (2 years if you intend to study a Foundation course), then you may not be eligible for further study at that level if you need a Student visa. You can email the Admissions team for more information at casrequest@soas.ac.uk 

There are some exceptions to the study limit ‘cap’, but this is a complex area of immigration regulation about which there is further information on the UKCISA website. Please note that the Senior LLB programme at SOAS is not an exempted legal qualification and time spent on this course will be counted when calculating the time limit. 

For further information on the study limit and how it is calculated please visit the UKCISA and UKVI websites.  

The Student sponsor guidance outlines the responsibilities/duties of an immigration sponsor in terms of issuing CASs to prospective students (including current students requiring a visa extension). SOAS must only assign a CAS to a student who we believe will:

• meet the requirements of the Student route category under which the CAS is assigned
• comply with the conditions of their permission to stay in the UK

SOAS is under no legal obligation to issue CASs to individual students, and we reserve the right to withhold a CAS and/or withdraw immigration sponsorship where this is justified in light of the university’s and/or UKVI policy or where deemed necessary based upon the facts of an individual case.

Where immigration sponsorship is withdrawn this may result in a student record being suspended/interrupted or even closed where it is not possible to continue on a course in the absence of immigration sponsorship.

If SOAS has issued a CAS to sponsor you in the UK as a student, the school has a duty to report to UKVI if you do not attend regularly, withdraw from your course, or interrupt your studies. For further details regarding CAS issuance, please refer to our CAS Issuance Policy.

Issuing a CAS does not guarantee that a student will be successful in securing a Student visa/permission to stay. SOAS is not responsible for any decisions made by the Home Office/UKVI and cannot accept any liability for a student failing to obtain a visa/leave to remain and/or for the consequences and/or losses (whether financial or otherwise) of such failure. Nor is SOAS liable for the consequences of declining to issue a CAS for a student on request.