CAS Frequently Asked Questions

A CAS number is a very important electronic document that you will need to request prior to submitting your Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa application. You must request your CAS before you start to complete your visa application, as you will need to include key information as stated on your CAS statement, such as the unique CAS number that confirms Swansea University will become your Student Route (previously Tier 4) sponsor.

You will need a CAS number to apply for a visa to allow you to study in the UK at a Student Route (previously Tier 4) sponsor.

Please see our complete guidance on how to request a CAS statement, plus the supporting documentation you will need to provide, on the University’s CAS for Continuing Students webpage.

Please Note: If you will be applying for your visa from overseas, you will also need to provide us with Proof of Exit (i.e., flight details / boarding pass or entry stamp in your passport issued on arrival to your home country).

If you are studying on an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) required course, you will need to send us a copy of your new ATAS certificate or evidence of your submitted ATAS application (along with the submission date) prior to obtaining a CAS statement. For further information, please see our comprehensive webpage: ATAS.

Your CAS number will be valid for 6 months. This means that you should apply for your visa within 6 months of being issued with a CAS number. 

For further guidance and information, please see our comprehensive webpage: ATAS

When you have completed your application, check your responses carefully before submitting, and then provide the VISA Compliance team with a screenshot of the application submission screen (alongside confirmation of the ATAS submission date). This photographic evidence will be used as part of the CAS issuing process.

As a Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa holder, you will be responsible for keeping your UK term time address up to date throughout your studies in the UK. If you decide to move address at any point of your studies, you will need to login to your Student Intranet account and update your details, as soon as you have moved in to your new accommodation.

Prior to being issued with a CAS, we will request to see a copy of your current passport. The current passport that is submitted to the VISA Compliance Team (formerly Student Compliance Services) with your CAS application will be the passport that will be added to your final CAS statement, and will need to be submitted with your Student Route (previously Tier 4) application.

If you have received a new CAS by the time the new passport arrives, you will need to alert the VISA Compliance Team (formerly Student Compliance Services) of the arrival of your new passport by sending us a copy of the new passport, so a sponsor note can be added to your CAS statement through the Sponsorship Management System (SMS), before you submit your visa application. You will then be required to submit your new passport with your Student Route (previously Tier 4) visa application.

Yes, subject to you meeting the UKVI requirements in relation to “academic progression” and study time limits.

By the end of your new course, you must not have spent more than five years studying at degree level on a UK Student Route Visa (six years if the standard length of the undergraduate course is four years).

No. You will need to ensure that you have cleared all outstanding debt owed to the University before a CAS application can be submitted and considered. 

You will need to contact the VISA Compliance team at: studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk, and provide evidence of your recent payment.

The VISA Compliance team will then check direct with the University’s Finance team to ensure the necessary payment has been received into the University.

Following this confirmation, the CAS will be updated and you will be notified this has taken place.

Please Note: It can take up to a week to receive confirmation that paid funds have been received into the University.

No. You will not be eligible for a CAS statement during an ongoing academic misconduct or appeal case. You will need to have received the outcome before your academic situation can be reviewed. 

No. You will not be eligible for a CAS statement in this situation.

As you are resubmitting for an exit award only, you are not able to successfully complete your original course and therefore fail to meet current UKVI requirements regarding academic progression/further CAS issuance.

You will now need to contact your Faculty directly to discuss your study options and to see whether you can resubmit your dissertation from overseas (if it is after your current visa expires).

No, you will not be eligible for a CAS in this scenario - as your External status precludes you from meeting the UKVI requirements for a CAS statement.

If your status changes to "External" between your original course start and end dates (as per your CAS document), the VISA Compliance team is legally required to report your change of circumstances to the UKVI. The Home Office will then take steps to curtail (shorten/cancel) your visa and you will need to cease all work and leave the UK - in order to prevent yourself from becoming a UK visa overstayer.

If you later require a Standard Visitor Visa to return to the UK to undertake resits, you can request a ‘Standard Visitor Visa Letter’ from the VISA Compliance team at: studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk, within 2 months of your intended date of travel to the UK.

• As part of this process, you will need to provide proof of your latest exit from the UK before the supporting Visitor Visa Letter can be issued. This is to ensure that you have left the UK and will be applying from overseas.

You will initially need to contact your Faculty - to ask them when you will receive your ratified final results.

If your results are due before your current visa expires, you will not be eligible for a CAS to extend your visa further.

• As long as you can meet the UKVI eligibility requirements, you should be able to apply for the Graduate Route within your current visa grant.
• Please check the information about eligibility and timings on the University's Graduate Route webpage.

If your final formal results are due after your current visa expiry date, you may be able to access a CAS for a Student Route visa extension.

• It is very important that any visa extension application is submitted to the UKVI before your new course end date - so take action as quickly as possible.
• Please see our complete guidance on how to request a CAS statement, plus the supporting documentation you will need to provide, on the University’s CAS for Continuing Students webpage. 

Remember: You cannot access a new CAS statement if you are only eligible to gain an Exit Award or hold an External status.

• This is due to UKVI regulations including Academic Progression/Necessity.
• In these circumstances, in order to keep yourself safe and legal, you should be prepared to take action to leave the UK before your current visa expires.

If you do not wish to apply for the Graduate Route once you have received your results, you can return home before your visa expires and wait for your results overseas. You may need to apply for a Standard Visitor Visa if you subsequently need to come back for any resits or graduation. 

• For further information, including the application process and necessary documentation, please visit the University's dedicated webpage on Standard Visitor Visas (inc. Graduation).

No. To be sure of getting a visa, you must meet all the other requirements of the UK’s Immigration Rules and Regulations. You can view this information on the VISA Advice team's (formerly International@CampusLife) website. 

If you are likely to miss the resumption of your course, please contact your Faculty directly.

If your Faculty formally agrees to an updated latest enrolment date, you will then need to send evidence of this formal agreement and new latest acceptance date to the VISA Compliance team urgently. Where possible, an amendment will be made to your CAS statement.

If you have already received a successful outcome on your visa application, and your CAS can no longer be updated, we may need to submit a delayed start report to the UKVI via their online SMS system. This could help prevent you seeing any arrival issues at the UK Border.

You will need to contact the VISA Compliance team urgently to inform them that you will no longer be using the CAS statement issued. This will allow a member of the team to withdraw your CAS statement from the relevant UKVI system- which is a legal requirement.

You will also need to contact your Faculty to inform them of your decision and discuss any further study options available.

If you decide to extend your suspension with the Faculty, then you will need to request a new CAS statement within 6 months of your expected return date. Please see our complete guidance on how to request a CAS statement, plus the supporting documentation you will need to provide, on the University’s CAS for Continuing Students webpage. 

No. You will not be able to reuse the same CAS number for the new visa application. Please note that a CAS number cannot be used more than once.

If you have received a visa refusal, you will need to send the ‘Visa Refusal Notice’ to the VISA Compliance team at: studentcompliance@swansea.ac.uk, to review. This evidence will be checked by a member of the team, and we will provide advice on a further application. 

The VISA Compliance Team cannot issue any extension to your Student Visa for purely graduation purposes – due to UKVI regulations.

If your Student visa expires before your graduation ceremony, you will need to return to your home country by your current visa expiry date (to avoid becoming a visa overstayer) and apply for a Standard Visitor Visa from overseas. For further information, including the application process and necessary documentation, please visit the University's dedicated webpage on Standard Visitor Visas (inc. Graduation).

• Please note that the VISA Compliance Team does not issue any supporting letters for graduation purposes. Your standard graduation invitation email can be used as sufficient evidence for any related visa application.

You can receive comprehensive advice and guidance by contacting our International Student Advisers within the VISA Advice Team (formerly International@Campuslife) via email at: International.Campuslife@swansea.ac.uk

If you would prefer to meet with an International Student Adviser in-person to discuss your maintenance, you can also visit a drop-in session with a member of the team on either campus. For further information on drop-in sessions, please visit the VISA Advice webpages here.

Advice and guidance is provided by Swansea University’s VISA Advice Team (formerly International@CampusLife) at International@Campuslife.

Further information about other immigration aspects in relation to the visa application process can be found on the UKVI website.