Guidance

SMS guide 4: Creating and assigning CAS (accessible)

Updated 10 July 2024

Additional SMS manuals

There are 12 SMS manuals available, plus a supplementary policy manual for completing a CAS. The manuals are grouped into three categories: common, CAS and CoS. The table below describes the purpose and audience of each manual.

You should read all manuals applicable to your licence before contacting the relevant helpdesk.

Manual reference	Manual title	Type	Purpose	Audience
Manual 1	Introduction to SMS	Common	Use this manual to log into SMS, change your password, manage SMS users and view important messages posted by the Home Office. In addition, this manual explains who should use SMS and for what purpose. The manual features a full introduction to SMS as well as a comprehensive troubleshooting section.	All sponsors
Manual 2	Managing your licence	Common	To help sponsors manage their key personnel, change their licence details, manage PAYE references, and apply for allocations of CoS/CAS.	All sponsors
Manual 3	Apply for Premium customer service, Basic Compliance Assessment and manage Action plans	Common	To help sponsors apply for Premium customer service, Basic Compliance Assessment and manage action plans.	All sponsors
Manual 4	Creating and assigning CAS	CAS	To help sponsors create and assign individual and batches of CAS.	Sponsors licensed in the Student Route
Manual 4a	Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors	CAS	This manual contains supplementary information on completing a CAS. Use this guide to determine what information is necessary in each field of the CAS.	Sponsors licensed in the Student Route
Manual 5	Reporting student activity	CAS	To help sponsors report student activity, for example if a student’s circumstances change or submitting a graduate notification. This manual also contains help with reporting fee updates and adding sponsor notes to CAS that have already been assigned.	Sponsors licensed in the Student Route
Manual 6	Miscellaneous CAS functions	CAS	To help sponsors complete all other functions of CAS, such as managing batches of CAS, managing pre-stored addresses for use when creating CAS, transferring ownership of CAS, printing CAS and exporting CAS.	Sponsors licensed in the Student Route
Manual 7	Bulk Data Transfer of CAS	CAS	To help sponsors use the bulk data transfer (BDT) functions of SMS, including graduate notifications. You must have a bespoke IT system in place to use BDT.	Sponsors licensed in the Student Route
Manual 8	Creating and assigning CoS	CoS	To help sponsors create and assign individual and batches of CoS.	Sponsors licensed in any Worker or Temporary Worker route
Manual 9	Reporting worker activity	CoS	To help sponsors report worker activity, for example if a worker’s circumstances change. This manual also contains help with adding sponsor notes to CoS that have already been assigned.	Sponsors licensed in any Worker or Temporary Worker route
Manual 10	Miscellaneous CoS functions	CoS	To help sponsors complete all other functions of CoS, such as managing batches of CoS, managing pre-stored addresses for use when creating CoS, transferring ownership of CoS, and printing CoS.	Sponsors licensed in any Worker or Temporary Worker route
Manual 11	Temporary Work – Creative Worker Group of CoS	CoS	To help sponsors create and manage groups of CoS. Groups of CoS are only available to sponsors licensed in Temporary Work - Creative Worker	Sponsors licensed in the Temporary Work - Creative Work Route
Manual 12	Defined CoS	CoS	To help sponsors apply for defined CoS, track applications for defined CoS and once granted, create defined CoS.	Sponsors licensed in Skilled Worker

Glossary

Term	Meaning
SMS	Sponsorship Management System
CoS	Certificate of Sponsorship
CAS	Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies
AO	Authorising Officer
KC	Key Contact
BDT	Bulk Data Transfer
SELT	Secure English Language Test
.XML	Extensible Mark-up Language
.PDF	Portable Document Format
Automation	On 6 April 2014 we introduced new functionality in SMS to automatically renew CoS allocations and to apply changes to your address, or that of your AO and KC. We will write to you if you meet the criteria and automation has been set.

CAS status

The table below shows each status which can apply to a CAS.

As seen in SMS	Meaning
WORK IN PROGRESS	The CAS is still ‘in draft’ as one or more mandatory fields are yet to be completed.
READY TO GO	All mandatory fields are complete and the CAS is ready to be assigned to an individual.
ASSIGNED	The CAS has been assigned to an individual in SMS and is ready to be used in support of an application for leave to enter/remain in the UK.
WITHDRAWN	You have used the ‘Manage live CAS’ function is SMS to withdraw the CAS.
OBSOLETE	SMS has automatically changed the CAS status to ‘Obsolete’ as it has detected that another CAS assigned to the same individual has been marked as ‘Used’ within the validity period of this CAS.
USED	The CAS has been used in support of a student’s application for leave to enter or remain.
EXPIRED	EITHER: The individual has not made an application for leave to enter or remain before the expiry date of the CAS. A new CAS is required. OR: The individual has applied before the CAS expiry date but we have not considered their application before that CAS date. In this case, no action is required on your part; we will change the status of the CAS from EXPIRED to USED when the application is considered.
CANCELLED	The CAS has been cancelled as your licence has been revoked or has expired, or you have surrendered the relevant route / your whole licence prior to the CAS being used.

SMS guides

Guide 1: How to create and assign a new single CAS

Follow the step by step instructions below to create and assign a CAS.

You should read the Sponsorship policy guidance and SMS guide 4a – Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors before creating and assigning CAS.

Step	Instruction
1	From the Students screen, select Create CAS.
2	From the Create a CAS screen, select the relevant route (Student or Child Student) and choose Next. If you are only licensed under one of these categories, the drop-down list will default to that route and this step won’t be necessary.
3	From the second Create a CAS screen, select Create new single CAS and choose Next.
4	From the third Create a CAS screen, complete the details of the individual you wish to sponsor, then select Save.
Note	You must complete the Family name field as a minimum to save the CAS.
5	From the Confirmation of saved CAS screen, choose Assign. If you need to change any details, select Amend.
Note	1. If Assign is unavailable (greyed out), one or more mandatory fields in the CAS may not have been completed. A common reason for this is because the Main study address fields have not been completed. Select Amend to edit the CAS. 2. Select Delete to delete the CAS if it is no longer required. You can only delete CAS that have not been assigned.
6	On the Assign CAS screen, if the details displayed are correct, select Assign. If you need to make further changes, select Back.
Note	Your current CAS allocation is also displayed in this screen. You must have a current Unused allocation of CAS in order to assign a CAS. If your Unused allocation is zero, you must apply to increase your allocation by using either the Request CoS/CAS increase or Request renewal of annual CoS/CAS allocations (if applicable) function found in Licence summary, applications and services.
7	From the Online payment screen, select OK to proceed through the payment process. When you have completed payment, the Confirmation of assigned CAS screen is displayed. The creation and assignment process is now complete.
8	The Confirmation of Assigned CAS, shows details of the assigned CAS.

Guide 2: How to create and assign a new batch of CAS

Follow the step by step instructions to create and assign a batch of CAS.

You should read the Sponsorship policy guidance and SMS guide 4a – Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors before creating and assigning batches of CAS.

Step	Instruction
1	From the Students screen, select Create CAS.
2	From the Create a CAS screen, select the relevant route (Student or Child Student) and choose Next. If you are only licensed under one of these categories, the drop-down list will default to that route and this step won’t be necessary.
3	From the second Create a CAS screen, select Create new batch of CAS and Next.
4	From the final Create a CAS screen, enter the batch name, then select Next.
Note	The name of the batch should be something meaningful, as you might need to retrieve it later.
5	From the Batch details screen, select Add CAS (two buttons available).
Note	Assign will be not available (greyed out) until you have added a CAS to the batch.
6	From the Create a CAS screen, complete the student details and course details then select Save.
7	From the Batch details screen, you can now see that the CAS you just created is displayed beneath the Details of CAS within batch heading. Repeat the steps above to add additional CAS to the batch. Once you have added all required CAS to the batch, select Assign.
8	From the Confirm assignment of batch screen, select Assign.
9	From the Online payment screen, select OK then proceed through the payment process.
10	Following successful payment, you will be returned to the Confirmation of assigned batch screen, where you can see that the CAS has been assigned a CAS number.

Guide 3: How to edit or delete a single CAS

Follow the step by step instructions below to edit or delete a single CAS. These functions are useful if you wish to edit a CAS before assigning it or you wish to delete a CAS that is no longer required.

You should read the Sponsorship policy guidance and SMS guide 4a – Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors before editing or deleting a CAS.

Step	Instruction
1	From the Student screen, select Create CAS.
2	From the Create a CAS screen, select the relevant route (Student or Child Student) and choose Next. I If you are only licensed under one of these categories, the drop-down list will default to that route and this step won’t be necessary.
3	From the second Create a CAS screen, select Find an existing single CAS and then Next.
4	From the final Create a CAS screen, enter your search parameters, then select Next.
Note	If your search parameters are not specific, you will be presented with a long list of CAS. This screen is not featured in this guide. Select the CAS you wish to edit or delete. If your search parameters are specific, you will be presented with the screen below.
5	From the Edit an existing CAS screen, edit the details you wish to change, then select Save. If you wish to delete the CAS, select Delete. You will now be asked to confirm the deletion. Select Delete to proceed.
6	After editing: From the Confirmation of saved CAS screen, you can see the amended details.

Guide 4: How to assign a CAS (having created it earlier)

Follow the step by step instructions below to assign a single CAS. This function is useful if you have previously created a CAS and saved it (showing a status of READY TO GO), but did not assign it.

You should read the Sponsorship policy guidance and SMS guide 4a – Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors before assigning CAS.

Step	Instruction
1	From the Students screen, select Assign CAS.
2	From the Assign CAS screen, select Assign single CAS.
3	From the Search for a single CAS to assign screen, enter your parameters, then select Next.
Note	If your search parameters are not specific, you will be presented with a long list of CAS. This screen is not featured in this guide. Select the CAS you wish to assign. If your search parameters are specific, you will be presented with the screen below.
4	From the Assign CAS screen, ensure the details are correct, and then select Assign.
Note	You must have a current Unused allocation of CAS in order to assign a CAS.
5	The Online payment screen is now displayed. Select OK to proceed with the transaction; this will open the Home Office’s contracted third party payment service (Worldpay).
6	The CAS has been assigned and you can now see the unique CAS number.

Guide 5: How to assign a batch (having created it earlier)

Follow the step by step instructions to assign a batch of CAS, without first creating it. This function is useful if you have previously created a batch of CAS and you now wish to assign and pay for it.

You should read the Sponsorship policy guidance and SMS guide 4a – Creating a CAS – guide for education sponsors before assigning batches of CAS.

Step	Instruction
1	From the Students screen, select Assign CAS.
2	From the Assign CAS screen, select Assign batch.
3	From the Search for batches of CAS to assign screen, enter the name of the batch you wish to assign, then select Next.
Note	If your search parameters are not specific, you will be presented with a long list of batches. This screen is not featured in this guide. Select the batch you wish to assign. If your search parameters are specific, you will be presented with the screen below.
4	From the Confirm assignment of batch screen, select Assign.
5	From the Online payment screen, choose OK then proceed through the payment process. When you have completed payment, the Confirmation of Assigned CAS screen is displayed.
6	On the Confirmation of assigned batch, the batch has now been assigned.