If your current Student visa is due to expire soon, then you will need to start preparing your visa documents for your CAS Request now. Please follow the steps above to submit your online CAS Request Form to the IST.

Please note that we can start assessing your CAS Request up to three months before your current visa expiry date or prior to your intended return date for study (if outside the UK). 

CAS will be assigned depending on student visa expiry dates and return dates to the UK. There can be times where the IST are working through very busy periods. 

Once you have submitted your CAS Request, you should receive an automatic response email from the IST confirming receipt of your CAS Request. The IST will then assess your documents and let you know if we require any further information. Please await our response.

Please do not send multiple chasing emails or CAS requests as this will delay the process.

You do not need to visit the IST Reception to discuss your CAS Request following submission of your CAS Request Form. You will be contacted by the IST in due course. 

It is University Policy that you will not be assigned a CAS if your visa documents do not meet the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Student route criteria.  If this happens your IST designated adviser will send you an email advising on your next steps.

Once all internal administrative checks with both Registry and Finance have been carried out and your visa documents have been approved, you will be assigned a CAS by the IST. Please check all information is correct in the assessment email sent to you by IST and let us know straight away if any of the information is incorrect. This will help prevent errors in your CAS. 

If you require ATAS clearance, you should aim to apply for your ATAS Certificate within four months of your current student visa expiring. It can take at least 30 working days during peak periods (April - September). 

If it appears that you will not receive a new ATAS Certificate before your visa expiry date, your adviser will advise you to leave the UK before your visa expiry date to avoid overstaying your visa. This can happen if you delayed in making an ATAS application or there is a query regarding your ATAS application or it is a busy period for processing ATAS applications. In this situation, your CAS Request can continue to be progressed whilst you are outside the UK once you have left the UK and sent IST a copy of the entry stamp to your home country.

Please note that you can submit a CAS Request while you are waiting for your new ATAS Certificate, however, IST cannot approve your CAS Request without seeing your new valid ATAS Certificate.

Please see the guidance on the IST web page: Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS).

A 'low risk' national is a national of countries listed under the 'differential evidence requirement'. As a ‘low risk’ national you will not be required to submit any financial evidence in support of your Student visa application, however, it is still your responsibility to ensure you hold these documents should a UKVI (Home Office) caseworker wish to request these at a later date when they consider your visa application.  

Low Risk nationals would be required to submit the following visa documents, where these apply to your circumstances 

• Current Passport

• Current Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) 

• TB certificate - Only if you are applying from outside the UK and if this applies to you (residence based). 

• ATAS certificate - If your current course/research remains ATAS attracting (check ATAS section above with link to our ATAS webpage) then you will need a new ATAS Certificate when making any new Student visa extension application (not related to your academic status/thesis stage).

• A current official financial sponsorship/scholarship letter to confirm 'unconditional consent to remain in the UK' for you and any dependants. This is required if currently fully sponsored or have been within the last 12 months.

• Parental consent letter and your birth certificate (if relying on your parents' funds as proof of finance for your visa application.)
• Certified translations of any required visa documents which are not in English or Welsh.

• Parental consent for applicants under 18 - If you are 16 or 17 years old, you must include a letter of consent from your parent(s) that confirms that they support your visa application. The letter should state their relationship to you, that they consent to your visa application, they consent to your living and care arrangements in the UK and that they are happy for you to travel to the UK independently.