Rules

CAS number, CAS statement, CAS reference: what each one is

By Daniel Hartley, rules desk · Published 23 October 2026 · Facts checked 9 October 2026

Students use “CAS” to mean at least three different things: a number, a document, and sometimes their university’s sponsor licence. Only the first is what the visa application asks for. Mixing them up is one of the commonest reasons a first application goes wrong, so here is what each one is and where it comes from.

The CAS itself: an electronic record with a reference number

The Immigration Rules define a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies as “an electronic document with a unique reference number” that a student sponsor issues through the Home Office’s Sponsor Management System. It is not a certificate and nothing is posted to you. GOV.UK describes what you receive as “a reference number” that your education provider sends once it has offered you a place.

That CAS reference number is what you type into the visa application. The caseworker uses it to pull up the record your sponsor created.

The CAS statement: your sponsor’s copy of the record

Most sponsors email you a “CAS statement”: a summary of what they entered. It has no official status, but it is the only way you can see what the Home Office will see, so read every line. The Rules require the CAS to contain enough to show that the course, the qualification, the level of study and the place of study all meet the requirements (Appendix Student, ST 7.4), and to state your fees, any accommodation costs paid to the sponsor, and any payment already made (ST 7.5).

That last point is worth money. The amount you must show in your bank account is worked out from the fees still outstanding on the CAS. If you have paid a deposit and the CAS does not show it, you will be asked to prove more than you owe. Check:

• your name, date of birth and passport number, exactly as on your passport;
• the course title, level, start date and end date;
• where you will study — this decides whether the London or the lower maintenance rate applies;
• the fees for the first year and every payment you have already made.

If anything is wrong, ask the sponsor to correct it before you apply. Only the sponsor can change what a CAS says.

What a CAS is not

It is not your sponsor’s licence number. That is a separate number identifying the institution, not you. The public register does not publish it; where the application form asks for it, it is printed on your CAS statement alongside the sponsor’s name and address.

It is not your visa. A CAS is one requirement among several. It is the first of the requirements behind the 50 “Study” points out of the 70 you need; the other 20 are for money and English (ST 6.1).

It is not an offer letter. The offer comes first. GOV.UK says you need an unconditional offer of a place, and the CAS is how the sponsor proves it.

Four rules that catch people out

1. It expires. The reference number must have been issued no more than six months before the date you apply (ST 1.2). A CAS from an offer you deferred may be too old.
2. It works once. A CAS cannot be reused if it was relied on in an application that was granted or refused (ST 7.2). After a refusal you need a new one.
3. The sponsor can withdraw it. If the sponsor withdraws your offer after issuing the CAS, the requirement is not met (ST 7.3).
4. The sponsor’s licence must still be valid when your application is decided, not just when you apply (ST 7.1). This is why it is worth confirming your sponsor is still on the register on the day you submit, and why a sponsor disappearing from the register mid-application matters. What happens then is set out in Home Office guidance.

When you get it and what to do with it

You can apply from outside the UK up to six months before your course starts, and from inside the UK up to three months before. GOV.UK says you must hold an unconditional offer, so the practical order is: meet your offer conditions, pay whatever deposit the sponsor asks for, receive and check the CAS statement, then apply. Our CAS guide goes through the document in more detail, and the timeline planner shows how the dates fit together.

Sources

• Immigration Rules, Appendix Student
• Immigration Rules, Introduction (definitions)
• GOV.UK, Student visa
• GOV.UK, Student visa: money you need

This article explains published rules and data. It is not immigration advice, and it cannot tell you how an individual application will be decided. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are recorded in the corrections log.

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