Any international student planning to study full-time in the UK for more than six months will need to apply for a Student Visa.
For further information visit http://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/student-visas
Who is my Licensed Immigration Sponsor?
All applicants under the Student Visa category need a sponsor - your sponsor will be the University which you are planning to study at therefore, in your case, it will be the University of Aberdeen. The University of Aberdeen is on the 'Register of Sponsors Licensed under the Points Based System'. Our sponsor number is 1GF1B20B2 and we have Student Visa Sponsor Status rating.
What is a Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) and how do I get this?
You must have your CAS before you can make a visa application. The CAS is an electronic number provided to you by your sponsor. This number cannot be issued by anyone other than your sponsor. The number is generated by your sponsor once you have accepted an unconditional offer of a place. The University cannot issue a CAS before this. The number is created when the University enters your details, which would include your name and course of study in to the Home Office database. The University of Aberdeen will issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance which will include a note of your CAS number which you will need in order to apply for your visa once you have completed the following:
- Met any conditions attached to your offer (as detailed in your offer letter)
- Returned your financial guarantee form (and sponsor letter if applicable)
- Returned your acceptance form
- Paid any deposit if applicable (this will be detailed in your offer letter)
- Returned your deposit agreement if applicable (this will be detailed in your offer letter)
- Provided the Admissions Office with your passport number, your nationality, place of birth and country of birth.
Please note, if you have not completed any of the steps listed you will not be issued with a CAS or Certificate of Acceptance. Your Certificate of Acceptance will be sent to you by email as a pdf.
The University of Aberdeen uses the online self-service system CAS Shield to enable us to review your documents for CAS issue. Once you have fulfilled all conditions and firmly accepted your offer, you will receive an email invitation from CAS Shield to create an account.
CAS Shield will be auto-populated with information about you and your programme and you will be asked to check this for accuracy. It is very important that all the information is accurate, otherwise there is a risk that your visa may be refused.
When applying for your visa you will need to quote your CAS number and in addition, you will need to provide evidence of the reasons you have been given an offer as laid out in your Certificate of Acceptance e.g. by submitting your original degree certificate/transcripts and English Language qualifications with your qualifications. Do not provide certificates not mentioned on your CAS.
If you had deferred your offer you must NOT use the old documentation supplied to you by the University as the CAS and Certificate of Acceptance must be issued no more than six months before the date of the application. Any visa application submitted using old documentation or without a CAS will be automatically refused.
You may obtain several CAS numbers from different licensed sponsors, if you are applying to institutions other than the University of Aberdeen but you should only apply for entry clearance - a visa - with the CAS from your chosen institution. Your visa will then be linked to your immigration sponsor, therefore if you are studying at the University of Aberdeen, your visa will be granted to study at the University of Aberdeen only. It is important that you make this decision carefully. If you change your mind subsequent to receiving your visa, you will need to apply for a new visa and your new institution will not be allowed to register you until a later date. This may impact on when you are allowed to enter your degree.