If you are intending to study full-time at degree level or above, you will need a Student Route visa. To apply for a Student Route visa, you will need a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies).
A CAS is a digital document containing a unique 14-digit number that you must quote in your Student Route visa application. If you are intending to study at Canterbury Christ Church University on a Student Route visa, only Canterbury Christ Church University can issue you with a CAS.
To be eligible for a CAS, you must:
- meet our terms and conditions and
- pass your pre-CAS interview (if you are invited to attend one) and
- submit the necessary documents (including the Immigration History Form and a scan of your passport) and
- pay your study deposit.
Find out more about CAS eligibility below.
| We will consider your CAS request if: | We will be unable to issue you with a CAS if: |
If you have studied in the UK before, you must provide the University with evidence of your immigration history including all visas that you have held and evidence of your studies in the UK. |
Continuing students will not be issued a further CAS to complete their studies if there is evidence that your attendance is unsatisfactory or that you are unable to complete the work that is required to obtain a pass at the end of the current academic year. If your visa is refused the University will make a decision as to whether to issue you with a further CAS depending on the reasons for refusal. Students should be aware that no new CAS will be issued if refused for credibility. |
In accordance with UK Home Office guidance, we like to speak to prospective Student Route students to better understand why you want to study at Canterbury Christ Church University. An invite to interview does not imply that there is anything wrong with your application.
We will contact you with a time for your interview and instructions for joining the interview. The time stated will be UK time. The interview will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.
We understand that an invite to interview may feel daunting, but this is a conversation about you, your choices, and your hard work up to this point. It’s also a chance for you to learn more about the university and get to know our staff. If you need the interviewer to slow down or repeat themselves when talking, please ask and they will be more than happy to accommodate you.
To prepare, you should research the university, its area, and your preferred course. You should also take time to understand the visa application process, and the Home Office’s expectations for Student Route Visa students in the UK.
Below are some examples of the sorts of question you might be asked. No-one apart from your interviewer knows which questions you will be asked, and we won’t tell you in advance because we want to know what you genuinely think - not what you believe the interviewer wants to hear.
- Tell us about your visa history
- Have you travelled abroad before?
- Has your travel informed your decision to study in the UK?
- How do you feel about travelling abroad without companions?
- What do you know about your course and why have you chosen it?
- Why have you chosen our university?
- Why is this the right step for you?
- What advice or tools have you used to help you make your decision?
- If you want to mention awards that the university holds, why are they important and what do you know about them?
- What do you know about Canterbury/Medway as a place to live?
- How will this course help you achieve your aims in the future? What are your future aims?
- Why do you want to study in the UK?
- Tell us about your finances.
- Have you considered the cost of studying in the UK?
- Will you need to work while you are here?
- Do you have bank statements ready to evidence your ability to pay?
- Where will you stay whilst studying?
Once the interview is over, you will receive an email with the outcome. Generally this will be within 2 working days, but may take longer at peak times.
- If you cannot attend your interview, you need to contact us as soon as possible so it can be rearranged. For Undergraduate courses, email ugadmissions@canterbury.ac.uk or for Postgraduate courses email pgadmissions@canterbury.ac.uk. Students are usually invited to book their interview slots themselves, so you can choose a slot that is convenient for you.
- If you fail to attend your interview, it is at our discretion whether to allow you to reschedule. This will depend on the circumstances.
- If there are technical issues, you may be sent a calendar invite from an Admissions Officer to attend your interview.
Before you can request your CAS, you need to provide us with the necessary documents.
When logging in to MyRecord to submit your documents, use the ‘Applicant Login’ option.
- Your username is your Student ID (you will find at the top of the email inviting you to register) or the email address you used for your application.
- Your password is the password you chose yourself if you’ve used MyRecord already. If this is the first time you have used MyRecord, or you can't remember your password, just click on the 'Forgotten your password?' button to get it re-set.
1. Select the ‘Application(s)’ tab.
2. If any of the tiles are coloured red, it means there is an action for you to take. To submit your documents, select the 'Documents' tile.
3. Upload your completed Immigration History Form and a clear colour photo or scan of your passport which serves as your 'ID Check for Registration'.
All text on your passport must be legible.
Unfortunately we cannot accept passports with less than six months remaining before their expiry dates.
5. If you need to submit financial documentation, there will be an action for you to do so. You should ensure that all financial documents:
- are stamped and signed by your bank
- include the date of the statement and the currency
- are on official letterhead
6. When finished, click the ‘Back’ button.
If you are studying with us for less than one year, your study deposit is your full tuition fee. For all other applicants, the deposit is either £2,000 or £5,000 depending on your country of residence. You will receive an email confirming the amount you must pay.
Once we are ready for you to pay, you will be able to do so in MyRecord. We recommend that you apply for your visa application 3 months before the start date of their course, so please do not delay in making your payment and then requesting your CAS. For your own protection, we recommend you make your fee payments yourself and do not entrust payment to anyone else.
To log in to MyRecord to pay your study deposit, use the ‘Applicant Login’ option.
- Your username is your Student ID (you will find at the top of the email inviting you to register) or the email address you used for your application.
- Your password is the password you chose yourself if you’ve used MyRecord already. If this is the first time you have used MyRecord, or you can't remember your password, just click on the 'Forgotten your password?' button to get it re-set.
1. Make sure the 'Application(s)' tab is selected.
2. If we are ready for you to pay your study deposit, you will see a tile titled 'Student Route Visa deposit', coloured red. Click on the tile.
3. Choose the relevant option to pay your study deposit by credit or debit card or by bank transfer.
- You can make your payment by card (credit or debit) by clicking the Pay by card button.
- For bank transfers, make the payment via your bank and then upload evidence of your payment (payment remittance or other proof of payment) by selecting ‘Bank transfer’. Note: if you need a refund for any reason, this can take up to 30 days.
- If you have already made payment, select the ‘Payment already made’ option and give details, including the payment reference.
- If your fees are being paid by a sponsor, select the relevant option to provide their details/your official sponsor letter.
If use the 'Deposit' tile, you will receive an immediate remittance/confirmation of payment via email.
All study deposits will then be checked by our Accounts Receivable team. Once your study deposit has been approved, the Admissions Team will be notified and the the 'Deposit' tile will disappear from MyRecord.
- Once you have successfully passed your pre-CAS interview, submitted your documents and paid your study deposit, you will receive an acknowledgment by email from the Admission team. You can then begin the CAS request process.
- If you do not meet the CAS eligibility - for example, you fail the pre-CAS interview - you are welcome to try applying again for the following academic year.
Requesting your CAS
When logging in to MyRecord to request your CAS, use the ‘Applicant Login’ option.
- Your username is your Student ID (you will find at the top of the email inviting you to register) or the email address you used for your application.
- Your password is the password you chose yourself if you’ve used MyRecord already. If this is the first time you have used MyRecord, or you can't remember your password, just click on the 'Forgotten your password?' button to get it re-set.
1. Make sure the 'My Visas' tab is selected.
2. Select the ‘Request a CAS’ tile.
3. Review each section of the CAS request to ensure the information is correct and complete.
Programme Details
Ensure your course title and start and end dates appear to be correct.
Passport Confirmation
Ensure the photo or scan of your passport is in colour and easily readable. Unfortunately we cannot accept passports with less than six months to go before their expiry dates.
Personal Details
Ensure your personal details are complete and correct.
Qualifications
Ensure your qualification details are displayed correctly, including institution name, degree name and subject field.
English Language Detail
If you are studying on the International Foundation Programme, make sure your Secured English Language Test (SELT) details are present and correct. If you are studying on any other course, ensure that the English language qualification used or reason for exemption is correct.
Accommodation and Fees
Ensure that the amount of course fees paid to date is correct. If you’ve made an additional payment that is not reflected here, or the amount is otherwise incorrect, please send a copy of your payment remittance to ukvi.compliance@canterbury.ac.uk along with your name and student ID number so we can confirm the correct amount and update the system.
Financial Evidence
If required, you must upload financial documentation proving you can pay any remaining tuition fees and monthly living expenses while studying in the UK.
- Amount required for living expenses: £9,207 (£1,023 per month for 9 months). Applicants applying with dependants require an additional £680 per month for each dependent.
- You can use bank statements, an official sponsor letter or loan document.
- The money must be held in your account for a minimum of 28 days.
- UKVI prefers bank statements that cover more than 28 days.
- Ensure your statements are on official letterhead (including institution’s name and logo on every page), signed and stamped with account number, statement date and currency.
- Your parents can sponsor you financially; in this case, please submit a letter agreeing to the sponsorship (signed & dated), your birth certificate/adoption certificate/letter of guardianship, and their bank statements.
- Statements involving recent large deposits will require evidence of origin to be provided, a parent’s bank statement or receipt of a sale as an example.
Once each section is marked either 'Pending' or 'Passed', you will be able to submit your CAS request.
What happens next?
Before we can issue your CAS, we need to check carefully the information you have provided. We will contact you by email if we need you to supply anything else or there are any issues with the information you have provided, e.g.
- your bank statement is not on official headed paper
- scans of documents are not clear
- there is a discrepancy in how you intend to fund your studies
We will check your CAS request and let you know the outcome as soon as possible. Please be aware this may take several days at peak times, when we have many CAS requests to check, or if there is something missing or unclear from your application.
Once your CAS is ready, it will be sent to you by email. Upon receipt, please check it for accuracy.
This email will contain the CAS number you need to use for your visa application. Do not apply for your visa before you receive your CAS number because it will be refused.
Change of plan?
If your visa application is refused, please send a scanned copy of the refusal to Compliance@canterbury.ac.uk. In some cases, visa applicants who have been refused can ask for an Administrative Review.
Need to defer your place?
If you need to defer your place, please contact the appropriate Admissions team with your request for deferral:
- pgadmissions@canterbury.ac.uk (for Postgraduate courses)
- ugadmissions@canterbury.ac.uk (for Undergraduate courses)
Please note that fee refunds are only given in specific circumstances.