LSE has a finite number of CASs issued each academic year by the UKVI, which must be used for both new and continuing students. LSE also has to pay the UKVI £55 for each CAS issued. If you request a CAS then opt not to use it, it may affect our ability to provide other students with a CAS and is a loss for the School.

When you request a CAS number, especially for Resit and Deferred Assessment Periods, you are confirming that:

• You intend to apply for a Student visa;
• You will travel to the UK during the period of sponsorship to complete the studies you are being sponsored for;
• You will provide LSE with your updated immigration documents in line with the compliance requirements for Student visa holders;
• You understand that failure to provide these documents when requested and before your sponsorship end date may affect your ability to be verified for the Graduate Route.

If you are unsure whether the Student visa is the right option for your personal circumstances, please seek advice from one of our Specialist Visa Advisers before requesting your CAS.

A continuing student is as follows:

• unregistered LSE students returning to the School to undertake assessments in RDAP 2026 (see: Exam Timetable)
• currently enrolled LSE students who need to extend their existing student visa/switch into the Student Route and require a CAS
• LSE students currently on interruption and expected to return to the LSE to resume their studies and/or take assessments (see: Term dates)
• incoming LSE students on double/dual degree programmes who will join LSE for the second year of their programme 
• currently registered LSE PhD students who need a CAS to apply for an extension due to a change in their end date or period of corrections
• General Course students who need a CAS to apply for an extension due to deferred assessment/s or resit in IRDAP (August). 

Please note that if you transfer from the MSc Global Media and Communications (LSE & USC) programme to the MSc Media and Communications programme, we will be unable to issue a new CAS to support an extension of your Student visa, as this is not permitted under the UK Immigration Rules. Further information can be found on the LSE webpage When you have your visa, under the section Transferring Programmes on a Student Visa.

If you are currently an LSE student and you will be starting a new programme with the School, your CAS will be issued by the relevant admissions team.  Further details can be found in the LSE CAS Issuing Policy.

IMPORTANT:

1. Note to Double Degree students (from Sciences Po, Columbia University, Peking University,  Bocconi University and NUS) coming to LSE for the second year of their degree programme- Please note that we can only issue your LSE CAS once your home institution has formally confirmed your progression to LSE, including confirmation that you have successfully completed and passed your first year of study. We are aware that some students may have been informed by their home institution that their progression has already been confirmed to LSE. However, please note that, once this confirmation is received, it can take several working days for us to process the progression and complete the necessary checks before we are able to issue your CAS. We therefore ask for your patience during this busy period.

2. If you do not have a UK visa in place, you must apply for and obtain your new UK Student visa before travelling to the UK.  You cannot enter as a tourist and apply from here because you will be refused your visa and will be unable to enrol for your second year without having a Student visa in place. You risk not being able to complete your degree and having a refusal on your immigration history.

If you are coming to LSE for the second year of a double or dual degree,  you will need to request a CAS using the form below. This is because you are already an enrolled student at LSE and are considered to be continuing your programme of study.

Your CAS can only be created once your home institution has confirmed your year one results with LSE and your student record for the following academic year has been created. 

Creating CAS numbers for double-degree students belongs to the Student Advice and Engagement Team.  If you have any questions, please contact us directly as we can give a clearer picture on processing times based on our workload.

You will still need to campus enrol as a ‘new student’ when you arrive at LSE because this will be the first time that you have studied in the UK on your double degree programme.

• Currently enrolled undergraduate students who are not undertaking repeat teaching in the 2025/6 academic year and require a CAS to extend their student visa can request a CAS at any point in the academic year.

• Currently enrolled undergraduate students  who are undertaking repeat teaching, unless in their final year, should request a CAS after successfully completing their repeat teaching year and confirmation of progression to the following year of study.

• Currently enrolled MRes/PhD or MPhil/PhD students who need a CAS to extend their student visa for a thesis extension/viva/corrections can request a CAS at any point once their new end date has been agreed. Note to current MRes/PhD or MPhil/PhD students on LSE sponsored student visa: We are currently prioritising CAS issuance for new offer holders over the summer. If you still have a significant amount of time remaining on your current Student visa, we may ask you to place your CAS request on hold unless you have a compelling reason to proceed sooner.

• Students returning from an interruption of studies as follows:
  
  If you are returning from interruption in the Autumn Term, you should request your CAS from the March until the July prior to your return.
  
  If you are returning from an interruption of studies in the Winter Term, you should request your CAS from the October to the start of December prior to your return. We will only be able to create your CAS once your student record shows that you are expected to return in January.

• May/ June 2026 : Registered - exams only students who are returning to undertake assessments in Spring Term (May-June) exam period should request their CAS numbers as soon as possible (January/February 2026) to ensure  you receive your student visa on time. You will be sponsored with a start date in early April until the end of the summer exam period/the end date of their programme unless you have future teaching in the next academic year. 
  
  If you have further teaching beyond the Spring Exam Period, you will be sponsored for both the exams and your future teaching., If you fail to progress, your sponsorship will be withdrawn.

• IRDAP August 2026 : Registered - exams only students who are returning to undertake assessments in IRDAP 2026 (August 2026) should request their CAS numbers from May onwards and by the end of June at the latest.  Your period of sponsorship will depend on whether you also have further teaching to take in the next academic year. Please note, we may revise this information in case of any changes with the turnaround times of the student visa process so we will recommend that you continue checking this web-page for further updates.

• January 2027 : Registered - exams only students who wish to be sponsored for Resit and Deferred Assessment Period in January 2027 (PG only) and are eligible to extend their visa or to obtain a new visa after curtailment, should request their CAS numbers from the beginning of October 2026 and by the first week of December 2026 at the latest.  You will be advised accordingly if you request a CAS too early. You will be sponsored with a start date in early December until the end of the assessment period. It is vital that you read the guidance on applying for a Student visa to understand how long your new visa will be.
  
  Please check the CAS issuing deadlines information at the top of this page.

• Incoming LSE students on double/dual degree programmes who will join LSE for the second year of their programme, should submit their CAS request between the end of May and the end of July before their expected return to LSE.  This will ensure you get your CAS in good time to submit your application. Please note: Your CAS cannot be issued until your home institution has confirmed your first year results to LSE.

We will not issue you with a CAS if you are an undergraduate student/PG IRDAP enabled courses student with resit/deferred assessments in January and then the Spring Exam Period. You will need to come to the UK on a Standard Visitor visa for the January exams and then we will be able to sponsor you on a Student visa for the Spring exam period. If you request a CAS and are sponsored on a student visa for the Spring Exam period, you are agreeing to travel to the UK during that period (from 11 May 2026 to 19 June 2026). 

Please also note that we are unable to issue you with a CAS if you have a debt block on your account. 

Details on how to apply for your Student visa can be found on the Student Advice and Engagement (Visa Advice) web pages:

Applying for a Student Visa for a Full Time Degree Programme

Contact the Student Advice and Engagement (Visa Advice) Team

Continuing students must use the form below to request a new CAS. If you do not submit a request via the form, your CAS will not be issued.

You will need to upload your current passport, visa/BRP and any previous communications from the Home Office about your previous visa if you have them e.g. a curtailment notification.

It is your responsibility to fill in this form using correct information. If you submit incorrect information to us, we will send it to the Home Office and if your application does not match, your student application could be refused.

By requesting your CAS, you are declaring that you intend to travel to the UK during the new period of Student visa sponsorship and submit/undertake the relevant assessments from inside the UK during the sponsorship period on your new CAS.

Please complete all of the mandatory fields and double check all of the information before submitting your request. 

For further advice on the type of documentation to submit with your application please contact the Student Advice and Engagement (Visa Advice) team.

• Providing your request has been made within the correct time period and your student record shows the correct information, your CAS statement should be emailed to you within 10 working days of submission.   
  
• CAS issuing processing times will be updated on this web page.  During peak periods, there may be a longer processing time.
• If there are any queries, this may delay your CAS being issued. When submitting your request, you are confirming that you consent to any potential immigration history check that may need to be requested from the UKVI.  We will always let you know if we are submitting a request to the UKVI. 
  
• If you have any questions about the status of your request, please submit an enquiry form.