Requesting a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)

What is a CAS?

CAS stands for ‘Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies’. This is a secure electronic record, generated by the University and shared with UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). It contains detailed information about you, your course of study and your fees, and has a unique reference number. Once a CAS has been generated, you will ordinarily be emailed a statement of the relevant information (known as a ‘CAS Statement’), which you will need when completing your online visa application form. If a visa application is submitted before a corresponding CAS has been generated, it will be refused by UKVI.

How do I request a CAS?

University of Gloucestershire uses CAS Shield, an online self-service system that enables you to provide all the relevant information required by us to issue your CAS. All offer holders will automatically receive an invitation to CAS Shield, allowing you to log in and complete your CAS request. Please check your email spam and junk folders if you do not receive this email once eligible, the email subject will be titled “Welcome to CAS Shield”.

Your personal details on CAS Shield will be prepopulated with the information you provided on your initial application, please check to make sure this information is accurate and up-to-date. Through CAS Shield you will be asked to submit details of your immigration history and to upload supporting documentation, you may also be asked to complete a short video interview. Once all sections of the CAS Shield form are complete, all documents have been uploaded, and we have received your advance tuition fee payment, we will then begin processing your request and assessing your eligibility for a CAS.

We ask that you do not make any deposit payments until you are holding an unconditional offer and have received positive feedback to confirm you have passed your CAS Shield interview.

For information on the financial requirements to be met when submitting your CAS request, please visit the Student route financial requirements page.

In cases where a chargeback of any payments is initiated after a CAS has been issued, the University will immediately withdraw the CAS and its visa sponsorship. This behaviour is considered to be deceptive, and seriously undermines student credibility.

Please note, if you have a complicated immigration history and are uncertain as to whether you will be eligible to receive a CAS, you may wish to contact [email protected] in the first instance, to discuss your circumstances. Once your eligibility for a CAS has been confirmed, you will then be directed to complete your CAS request.

Once you have completed all sections of CAS Shield, you may find that your application tracking percentage pauses or moves very slowly, typically at 61% or more. The corresponding tracking information may indicate ‘We are reviewing your data and documents’ or ‘Your CAS is being processed’. Please be assured that this is quite normal, at a stage where we are processing your application.

While we recognise that any apparent delays may cause concern, we would please ask that you avoid submitting emails or telephoning for an update, as this will divert resources away from processing applications. As such, unfortunately, we will not be able to respond to queries requesting an update on interviews or CAS requests.

Completing your CAS Shield interview does not necessarily mean that it will be reviewed straight away. Interviews are considered within a holistic assessment of your application, alongside academic qualifications, compliance requirements, and against overall suitability criteria. As they are reviewed in line with our wider assessment processes and timelines, rather than in the order they are received, we are consequently unable to provide a specific timeframe for feedback. Once your interview has been reviewed, relevant feedback will be issued automatically through CAS Shield.

What is the latest date the University will accept a CAS request?

The University can issue a CAS up to six months before the course start date if you are applying for your visa from overseas, or three months before the course start date if you are applying from within the UK.

The latest date the university will accept a CAS request is determined by your course level and start date.

By the respective date listed below, you must have firmly accepted an unconditional offer, completed your CAS Shield application, submitted all supporting documentation, and the University must have received your advance tuition fee payment.

Please note, receiving an unconditional offer of a place on a programme does not guarantee you will receive a CAS – like all universities, we have a finite number of CAS that can be issued. Your eligibility for a CAS can only be assessed once you have completed your CAS Shield application and submitted all supporting documentation.