What a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies is
The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a virtual document which is assigned to you, the applicant for a Student Visa, by the licensed student sponsor.
As explained in the caseworker guidance issued by the Home Office, the CAS is an official offer of a place on a course of study made to you by the licensed student sponsor, which assignes a CAS through a secure IT sponsorship management system.
Each CAS has a unique reference number which links it to the CAS checking service that contains information about your personal details, sponsor, course of study, finances, academic and English language ability.
You must submit a CAS with your application for a Student Visa. The caseworker dealing with your application must check whether the CAS submitted is valid. If you make an application using a CAS that is invalid, the caseworker must refuse your application.
The caseworker will check whether all the mandatory information is provided on the CAS, whether CAS has been issued by an institution which holds a Student sponsor licence, and which is still on the Register of Student Sponsors on the date of the decision, and whether the CAS has been used in a previous application, or whether the sponsor withdrawn its offer since the CAS was issued.
The caseworker will also check whether the CAS has been issued no more than 6 months before the date of application. If your CAS has been issued more than 6 months before the date of application, it will not meet the validity requirement and your application may be rejected.
If you want to apply for a Student Visa and need specialist advice, feel free to contact me. Please note that I am an accredited immigration adviser, not an employee of the UK Visas and Immigration. I charge fees for the advice provided.