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International students

Immigration - Student Visa application and CAS application process

An introduction

Step-by-step information on the Student Visa and CAS application processes.

Immigration

If you intend to come to the UK to study, you should first check if you will need a visa. Complete your information using the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa

The Student Visa is for people coming to the UK for post‐16 education. You can make a Student Visa application from your home country or, when eligible, from within the UK.

Applications for a Student Visa are made under the Points‐Based System. The immigration rules state that you must meet the following points requirement under the Student Visa route:

Student Visa route points requirement
Points type Relevant requirements to be met Number of points
Student (must meet all)
  • Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS)
  • Course requirement
  • Approved qualification requirement
  • Level of study requirement
  • Place of study requirement
50
Financial) Financial requirement 10
English language English Language requirement 10

What do I do when I receive a Confirmation of Offer Details letter?

  • Your Confirmation of Offer Details letter confirms that all conditions have been met and your deposit has been received as cleared funds or that we have received and approved a letter from your financial sponsor.
  • Your Confirmation of Offer Details letter states the year of entry of your course. Please note, your CAS number will be issued to cover the duration of your whole course, therefore you will apply for a visa that will cover the duration of your course. You do not need to re-apply for a new visa each year.
  • A CAS is a unique UKVI (Home Office) reference number which confirms that Teesside University will be your Student Visa sponsor for the duration of your studies.
  • Prior to assigning you with a CAS we will request additional information from you to enable us to undertake checks, similar to those made by UKVI, which should support you with your Student Visa application and help you demonstrate you meet UKVI criteria and make a successful visa application. Further information on UKVI requirements
  • Following successful completion of all University checks your CAS will be issued within 5 working days, but may take longer during peak periods.
  •  A CAS statement with your CAS number will be sent to you by email. Please note that you only require the electronic number for your visa application, not a copy of the CAS statement.
  • Upon receipt of the CAS number you can then submit your Student Visa application. Please do not submit a Student Visa application without a CAS number.
  • The CAS notification that we will send to you will list specific documents e.g. qualifications that you must include within your visa application in addition to the mandatory documents required.  Please ensure that you include all original documents within your visa application. Failure to do so could result in a visa refusal. Further guidance on documents required to be included within your visa application
  • You can submit your Student Visa application up to six months before your course starts if you are applying from outside the UK and you can submit your Student Visa application up to three months before your course starts if you are applying from inside the UK.
  • Please ensure that you have sufficient time to secure your visa and travel to the UK in time for the start of your course.
  • Please read the UKVI Student Visa Policy Guidance and the University Student Visa Policy before you make your application.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-application-for-uk-visa-as-tier-4-student

How can I prepare to obtain a CAS number?

  • Once you have been issued your Confirmation of Offer Details letter, the International Admissions and Compliance Team will begin to prepare to issue your CAS number. You need this CAS number before you can apply for Student visa.
  • Checks are carried out prior to you being issued with your CAS number.
  • Credibility checks: If you have not done so already, you must complete the mandatory questionnaire on your applicant portal. The mandatory questionnaire is to help you prepare for your visa application should you be called to a UKVI interview and to allow the International Admissions and Compliance Team to confirm they are happy with your intentions for coming to Teesside University to study.
  • UKVI checks: Before you are issued a CAS , we need your consent to complete a UKVI immigration history check. You give your consent for this on your applicant portal whilst making your application to study at Teesside University. After your consent is given, we will contact UKVI to check your previous immigration history. This will normally be completed within 5 working days but may take longer during peak periods. The purpose of the check is to ensure that we are able to issue you with a CAS in accordance with the Student Visa rules if you have already studied in the UK before, or have applied for a UK visa before.
  • Maintenance checks:  If you are required by UKVI to demonstrate maintenance (evidence to show you have sufficient funds to cover your tuition fees and living costs) you will be required to provide this evidence to the International Admissions and Compliance Team before you are issued with a CAS. We will only issue your CAS number once we are satisfied with the maintenance documents that you have provided to us. This is for us to determine that you have satisfactory evidence to submit to UKVI as part of your Student Visa application to demonstrate your funds and to mitigate the chance of your visa being refused.
  • Self-Funded Students (not sponsored) must be able to demonstrate that they have the following amount of money available to them: Any outstanding tuition (course) fees owed to Teesside University (this will be your total first year course fee, minus the deposit you have already paid to Teesside University)

AND

  • Maintenance/Living Costs: £1,023* per month for areas outside London, for the duration of the course as stated on your letter/CAS, for a maximum period of 9 months (£9,207) For visa applications submitted on or after 2 January 2025, this will increase to £1,136 per month for areas outside of London (£10,224).
  • The total amount above must be held for a period of 28 consecutive days (finishing on the date of the closing balance) ending no more than 31 days before the date that your Student Visa application is submitted to UKVI
  • If your course is longer than 12 months duration you are only required to demonstrate maintenance for the first year of your course

Example

Example Total Course Fee £14,000
Example Deposit Paid: £4,000
Example Remaining Fee: £10,000
Example Course Duration: 12 months
Living Costs: (£1,023 per month, for a maximum of 9 months): £9,207
EXAMPLE TOTAL AMOUNT REQUIRED TO SHOW IN BANK ACCOUNT FOR CONSECUTIVE 28 DAY PERIOD: £10,000 + £9,207 = £19,207

  • Sponsored Students must provide satisfactory documentary evidence of sponsorship e.g. official financial or government sponsorship.
  • Requirements for maintenance documents: For further information on applying for your Student Visa including specific requirements for the various documents that you can use to demonstrate your maintenance please refer to the UKVI Student Visa Policy Guidance
  • The International Admissions and Compliance Team may contact you whilst making the above checks to request further information or documents as necessary. 
  • When all of the above pre-CAS checks are complete the International Admissions and Compliance Team will issue you with your CAS number, normally within 5 working days, but this may take longer during peak periods.

When can I come to the UK on a Student Visa and how long can I stay?

If you are studying a course that is six months or longer, or a pre‐sessional English course that is less than six months, you will be able to come to the UK up to one month before the start date of your course.

If you are studying a course that is less than six months and is not a course to prepare you for study, you will be able to come to the UK up to seven days before the start date of your course.

Your course start date is the date given to you by your sponsor. This will be stated on your CAS

The table below explains the length of time a Student Route student can come to the UK for:

Type of course Period granted before course start date Period granted after course end date
Main course of study: a course of 12 months or longer 1 month 4 months
Main course of study: a course of 6 months or longer but shorter than 12 months 1 month 2 months
A pre-sessional course of less than 6 months 1 months 1 months
A course as a Postgraduate doctor or dentist 1 months 1 months
A course of less than 6 months in length which is not a pre-sessional course 7 days 7 days

Your CAS will include the start and end dates of your course. A course is considered to be 12 months long if it lasts a full calendar year.

When you receive your new visa, you should check that you have been granted the correct period of leave. If you have applied for your Student Visa overseas and you believe there is an error, please contact the International Advice Service on International@tees.ac.uk

We recommend wherever possible that you have any error corrected prior to travelling to the UK. However, if this is not possible the International Advice Service can assist you to have this corrected when you arrive in the UK.

What type of visa will I need to apply for?

If you intend to come to the UK to study, you should first check if you will need a visa and the visa type. Most overseas-based students will usually have to apply for a Student visa in order to come to the UK to study a course.
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