Overview

All new students who plan to apply for a Student Visa will need to request a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).

Please note that we will not be issuing CAS until at least 6 months before your course start date.

When requesting a CAS to study at SOAS, students will need to make a CAS request deposit of £4,000. This payment will count towards your tuition fees for your programme of study. For further details regarding the CAS deposit please refer to our deposit information page. 

When to request a CAS

We recommend that you request your CAS as soon as possible after you become eligible, as visa application processing times can vary from country to country. You can request a CAS up to 6 months before the start of your studies if you meet the following criteria:

  • you have firmly accepted your Unconditional offer for a full-time study programme (Please note, we do not sponsor student visas for part-time programmes)
  • you have paid the £4000 deposit which will be offset against your tuition fees
  • if you are exempt from the CAS request deposit you will need to be in possession of your full scholarship confirmation letter or financial guarantee letter from your sponsor
  • you must have a valid passport that has at least three months beyond the programme stat date remaining on the validity period
  • 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
  • deadline to request a CAS: 30 days before the start date of your programme (applicable to new students only)
  • CAS requests usually take 5 business days, but can take up to 10 business days to process during busier times or if there is missing information on your form

How to request a CAS

New students

Complete the CAS request form and upload the following supporting documents:

  • colour scan of passport (required)
  • 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 (if applicable) 
  • Parental consent form (PDF) (only required for under 18 applicants)

You will be required to provide a highly likely to complete letter if:

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

A highly likely to complete letter should confirm that you will complete your current studies successfully, and can be requested from the exams department/registry of your current university. 

Current/returning SOAS students

CAS information for current/returning students.

Requesting a CAS for Pre-sessional English

We will issue a combined Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (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 of the following criteria:

  • you have applied, been accepted 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

Note: for a combined CAS, your start date will be the start of your pre-sessional course.

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 Adviser at SOAS will be able to assist you with your visa extension.

CAS eligibility criteria

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

  • has the academic ability (including 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
  • confirms that they have the funds in place to study on their course
  • demonstrates that they are a genuine student and have met all of 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

    For more information on the conditions that must be met before a CAS is issued please refer to our CAS Issuance Policy.

    CAS validity

  • A CAS number is valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
  • You can only use the CAS number once. If your CAS expires or your Student visa application is refused and you want to reapply, you will need a new CAS. Please email the CAS issuance team to discuss your situation and they will determine whether a second CAS can be issued.

Issuing a CAS

Issuing a CAS

The Student sponsor guidance outlines the responsibilities/duties of an immigration sponsor in terms of issuing CASes 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 CASes 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 Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to sponsor you in the UK as a Student, the School has a duty to report to UK Visas & Immigration if you do not attend regularly, withdraw from your course or interrupt your studies.

Please note: 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.

If your visa application is refused

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:

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.

To note:

    • SOAS reserves the right to decide whether to reissue a second CAS, and there may be an administration fee
    • if SOAS has issued a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) to sponsor you in the UK as a Student, the School has a duty to report to UK Visas & Immigration if you do not attend regularly, withdraw from your course or interrupt your studies

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