CAS Policy for New Applicants and Students Joining a New Course of Study

This policy seeks to maintain the University of Chester’s compliance with Home Office/UKVI
Student Route Sponsor Guidance. Any new applicant or student applying to begin a new
course who requests a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University of
Chester (the University) in order to apply for Entry Clearance or Permission to Remain under
Student Route of the Points Based System, must satisfy the University that they fulfil the
requirements of the Home Office and the University before a CAS will be issued.
Where there is a discrepancy between this document and the UKVI Sponsor Guidance, the
latter document will always take precedence.

When we will issue a CAS

A CAS will only be issued if the University is satisfied that the requirements of the Home Office
in force for the time being are met and all the following apply:
• You have been offered, and accepted a place without any conditions to study a full
time course at the University.
• You meet the Home Office and University requirements for English Language ability
(please contact the International Centre on [email protected] for more
details).
• You have paid the full international tuition fee deposit or provided evidence of official
financial sponsorship for course fees, and met any other financial conditions of the
University and the Home Office. Information on what the Home Office currently
consider to be suitable evidence of official financial sponsorship is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-evidence-for-student-and-child-
student-route-applicants
• You must provide evidence showing that you meet the Home Office’s maintenance
(funds) requirement if you are NOT considered a “low risk national” by the Home
Office. More information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-student-
route
• You have submitted a satisfactory Genuine Intention Form and/or successfully passed
a Genuine Intention interview with the International Centre (the requirement to
complete the Genuine Intention Interview is a country specific requirement, please
contact the International Centre on [email protected] for more details).
• You have submitted your completed CAS request form and all supporting documents
as stated on the form (including a copy of your ATAS certificate, if required for your
course of study).
• If you are applying from your country of residence:

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 o there are more than 5 weeks before the latest start date for your course;
o the Home Office’s processing times indicate that entry clearance can be issued
before the latest date of enrolment. For processing time information please see:
https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times.
OR
• If you are applying from within the UK:
o there are more than 5 working days before the latest start date for your course;
o the start date of your course is no more than 28 days after your current visa
expires; and
o you have valid permission to remain in the UK as a Student Route student or in a
category which permits you to switch into Student Route.

When we will not issue a CAS

A CAS will not be issued if the criteria for issuing one are not met or the University is satisfied
that any of the following apply:
• You will be studying on a course that is less than six months in duration, unless you
are coming to undertake a course which requires you to undertake a work placement.
• You have, or will exceed the maximum time allowed for student visas. Further
information about time limits on study can be found at:
https://www.ukcisa.org.uk/Information--Advice/Visas-and-
Immigration/Student-route-eligibility-and-requirements#layer-3002 .
• If you are required to demonstrate academic progression but you are unable to do so.
• You have failed to provide a full copy of a previous visa refusal.
• You have provided false and/or incorrect information on your University Application
Form and/or CAS request form.
• The latest start date for your course has already passed (OR, if covid19 concessions
apply and you began your studies from overseas, we will not issue a CAS if you have
failed to engage with your studies as a distance learner)
• You have failed to follow the rules and requirements of a previous UK visa (e.g. you
have previously been enrolled on a course of study in the UK but failed to attend your
classes).
• The University has already issued you with two CAS numbers for your Student Route
application, which, have both been used in visa or permission to remain applications
that have been refused.

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Please note that the University adheres to a 2-CAS policy. This means that if your Student
Route application has been refused, and the University is able/willing to issue you with a
second CAS number, this will be your last CAS. If you receive another Student Route refusal we
will not sponsor you under Student Route.
Issuing a CAS does not guarantee that a student will be successful in securing a visa and/or
obtaining further permission to remain. The University is not responsible for any decisions
made by the Home Office/UKVI and cannot accept liability for any student failing to obtain a
visa and/or consequent losses (whether financial or otherwise) of such failure.
If a student has failed to meet any of the conditions of the CAS issuing policy in the specified
timeframes the University will not be liable for any consequences of declining to issue the
student with a CAS.

When we will withdraw a CAS

The University reserves the right to withdraw a CAS, prior to a visa being issued, in any of the
following circumstances:
• If you are applying from your country of residence:
o The University is not satisfied that documents, information or other evidence
you have submitted with your application are authentic, valid and genuine.
o Your course of study is cancelled or withdrawn.
o We are informed that your deposit payment to the University has been
unsuccessful and has been returned to the payee.
o If you are not going to arrive and enrol on time for the latest start date of your
course.
o If you were supposed to begin your studies online due to Covid19 travel
restrictions, but have failed to attend any classes or engage in online studies.
OR
• If you are applying from within the UK:
o The University is not satisfied that documents, information or other evidence
you have submitted with your application are authentic, valid and genuine.
o Your course of study is cancelled or withdrawn.
o We are informed that your deposit payment to the University has been
unsuccessful and has been returned to the payee.
o You have not made your application for Permission to Remain under the
University sponsorship before your previous visa expires or by your latest start
date (whichever is earliest).

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 o You have enrolled on your course of studies and have provided evidence that
your application for Permission to Remain under the University sponsorship
remains outstanding and you have decided to withdraw from your course.
o If you have enrolled on your course of studies but your academic engagement
is unsatisfactory.
o You fail to update and provide the relevant UKVI documents to the
International Centre regarding the progress of your visa application.
Note: Withdrawing the CAS means that the reference number is no longer valid and any
application made where this CAS number is used will be refused by the Home Office as the CAS
will have been deleted from their system.

Guidance for students who submit an Entry Clearance application that is refused
If the Home Office refuses your application you should contact the International Centre on
[email protected] by sending a full copy of your refusal letter and UKVI interview
transcript and informing us whether or not you will be submitting an application for an
administrative review. This must be done within 5 working days of receiving the visa refusal
notice.
If you decide not to submit an application for an administrative review and wish to submit a
new visa application a second CAS will be required. A second CAS may be issued, at the
University’s discretion, if all of the following criteria are satisfied:
• You have been offered and accepted, a place without any conditions to study a full
time course at the University.
• You have provided a full copy of your visa refusal letter and UKVI interview transcript.
• You have provided evidence sufficient to the University that the reason for refusal has
now been rectified.
• You meet the requirements of the Home Office and the University for English
Language ability (please contact the International Centre on
[email protected] for more details)
• You have paid the international tuition fee deposit (if required), or provided evidence
of official financial sponsorship for course fees. Information on what the Home Office
consider to be suitable evidence of official financial sponsorship is available at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/upload
s/attachment_data/file/923750/student-route-casework-guidance.pdf
• You must provide evidence showing that you meet the Home Office’s maintenance
(funds) requirement if you are NOT considered a “low risk national” by the UK Home
Office More information is available at:

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 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-student-
route
• You have submitted a satisfactory Genuine Intention Form and/or successfully passed
a Genuine Intention interview with the International Centre (the requirement of the
Genuine Intention Interview is a country specific requirement please contact the
International Centre on [email protected] for more details).
• You have submitted your completed CAS request form and all supporting documents
(including a copy of your ATAS certificate, if required for your course of study), as stated
on the form.
• There are more than 5 weeks before the latest start date for your course.
• Where the Home Office processing times indicate that Entry Clearance can be issued
before the latest date of enrolment. For processing time information please see:
https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times.
Please note if you have received a visa refusal due to submitting documents which the
University is not satisfied are authentic, valid and genuine or failing a UKVI Genuine Intention
Interview a second CAS will not be issued to you and we will not sponsor you under Student
Route. If the University considers that the visa refusal was the fault of the applicant, we may
deny a further CAS.

Guidance for students who submit a Permission to Remain application under Student Route
that is returned as invalid/refused before enrolling with the University of Chester
If the Home Office returns your application as invalid or refuses your application you should
contact the international Centre on [email protected] as soon as possible including
a copy of the full visa refusal letter and UKVI Interview Transcript. This must be done within 5
working days of receiving the visa refusal notice.
If you receive notification that your application is invalid after your visa has expired you are
likely to have become an overstayer; we strongly advise that if this is the case you return
home and provide evidence that you have done so (i.e. flight tickets, passport stamp). Once
you have returned home we will look in to your possible options.
If the Home Office refuses your application and you made a valid application before your
previous visa expired, you may be able to lodge an application for administrative review. If
you wish to lodge an application for administrative review please inform the International
Admissions Team urgently.
If an administrative review is not possible and your current permission is still valid you may
be able to make a new Student Route (General) visa application, this will require a second
CAS. A second CAS may be issued, at the University’s discretion, if all of the following criteria
are satisfied:

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 • You have been offered, and accepted a place without any conditions to study a full
time course at the University of Chester.
• You have provided a full copy of your visa refusal letter and UKVI interview transcript.
• You have provided evidence sufficient to the University that the reason for refusal has
now been rectified.
• You have valid permission to remain as a Student Route student or Student or in a
category which permits you to switch into Student Route.
• You meet the Home Office and University of Chester requirements for English
Language ability (please contact the International Centre on
[email protected] for more details)
• You have paid the international tuition fee deposit (if required), or provided evidence
of official financial sponsorship for course fees, and met any other financial conditions
of the University and the Home Office. Information on what the Home Office consider
to be suitable evidence of official financial sponsorship is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data
/file/332185/pbs-tier-4.pdf.
• You must provide evidence showing that you meet the Home Office’s maintenance
(funds) requirement if you are NOT considered a “low risk national” by the UK Home
Office. More information is available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-student-
route .
• You have submitted a satisfactory Genuine Intention Form and/or successfully passed
a Genuine Intention interview with the International Centre (the completion of the
Genuine Intention Interview is a country specific requirement please contact the
International Centre on [email protected] for further details).
• You have submitted your completed CAS request form and all supporting documents
(including a copy of your ATAS certificate, if required for your course of study), as stated
on the form.
• There are more than 5 working days before the latest start date for your course.
• You must not have an outstanding immigration appeal or still be within your time limit
to appeal (i.e. your visa is not currently extended by virtue of section 3C or 3D of the
Immigration Act 1971).
Please be aware you will not be able to fully enrol with the University until you have provided
evidence that your Student Route (General) application for the University has been submitted
to the Home Office either before your current visa expires or before the latest start date of
your course (whichever is earliest)

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Please note if you have received a visa refusal due to submitting fraudulent documents or
failing a UKVI Genuine Intention Interview a second CAS will not be issued to you and we will
not sponsor you under Student Route. If the University considers that the visa refusal was the
fault of the applicant, we may deny a further CAS.

Guidance for students who submit a Permission to Remain application under Student Route
that is returned as invalid/refused after enrolling with the University of Chester
If the Home Office returns your application as invalid or refuses your application you should
contact the International Centre and Institutional Compliance Team on
[email protected] and [email protected] as soon as possible with a full copy of
your visa refusal letter and UKVI interview transcript. This must be done within 5 working
days of receiving the visa refusal notice.
If you receive notification that your application is invalid after your visa has expired you are
likely to have become an overstayer; we strongly advise that if this is the case you return
home and provide evidence that you have done so (i.e. flight tickets, passport stamp). Once
you have returned home the University will look in to your possible options.
If the Home Office refuses your application and you made a valid application before your
previous visa expired, you may be able to lodge an application for an administrative review.
If you wish to lodge an application for administrative review please inform the International
Admissions Team urgently.
If you made your application after your previous visa expired you will become an overstayer
after receiving the refusal. The International Centre and Institutional Compliance Team will
advise you on your options. If, after discussion with the International Centre and Institutional
Compliance Team the decision is made that you are able to make a new Student Route
(General) application you will need to apply for a new CAS and in order for that to be issued
you must be able to meet the criteria below:
• You have provided a full copy of your visa refusal letter and UKVI interview transcript.
• You are enrolled and progressing satisfactorily on a full time course at the University.
• You have a satisfactory attendance record.
• You have provided sufficient evidence to the University that the reason for refusal has
now been rectified (this is at the University’s discretion).
• You have submitted your completed CAS request form and all supporting documents
(including a copy of your ATAS certificate, if required for your course of study), as stated
on the form.
• You meet the requirements of the Home Office and the University for English
Language ability (please contact the International Centre on
[email protected] for more details).

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 • You have paid your tuition fees or set up a payment plan with the agreement of the
finance department, or provided evidence of official financial sponsorship for course
fees. Information on what the Home Office consider to be suitable evidence of official
financial sponsorship is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-student-
route
• You must provide evidence showing that you meet the Home Office’s maintenance
(funds) requirement if you are NOT considered a “low risk national” by the UK Home
Office. More information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/points-based-system-student-
route .
• You have submitted a satisfactory Genuine Intention Form and/or successfully passed
a Genuine Intention interview with the International Centre (the completion of the
Genuine Intention Interview is a country specific requirement please contact the
International Centre on [email protected] for further details).

If you need to return to your home country to apply for entry clearance:
• You have not overstayed your visa.
• You are issued permission from the University that you are allowed to take an
authorised leave of absence from the course while you obtain new Student Route
(General) immigration permission.
• The Home Office’s processing times indicate that Entry Clearance can be issued within
the period of authorised absence you have been granted. For processing time
information please see:
https://www.gov.uk/visa-processing-times.
OR

If you can make your application from within the UK:

• You have valid permission to remain as a Student Route student or Student or in a
category which permits you to switch into Student Route.
• You do not have an outstanding immigration appeal or are still within your time limit
to appeal (i.e. your permission is not currently extended by virtue of section 3C or 3D
of the Immigration Act 1971).
Please note if you have received a visa refusal due to submitting fraudulent documents or
failing a UKVI Genuine Intention Interview a second CAS will not be issued to you and we will
not sponsor you under Student Route. If the University considers that the visa refusal was the
fault of the applicant, we may deny a further CAS.

Disclaimer

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This document is correct at the time of writing. The University of Chester reserves the right
to amend or revise the policy where necessary in the light of UKVI or University requirements.
Please ensure you are using the most recent version of this document.

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