CAS & Visa Deadline Tracker: UK and Ireland

Submit the visa application about 9 weeks before your course start date. Working backwards, that means the CAS by 10 weeks out, the tuition deposit by 12 weeks, and the 28-day maintenance-funds hold finished by 13 weeks. You cannot apply earlier than 6 months before the course starts, and standard decisions take around 3 weeks from outside the UK.

If your course starts in under about 9 weeks and you do not yet have a CAS, the September intake is no longer realistic, because the 28-day funds hold alone takes a month and cannot be paid for or rushed. The usual answer is to move to the January intake, which gives time to do the funds evidence properly rather than risk a refusal.

You must hold the required maintenance funds in a qualifying account for 28 consecutive days without the balance dropping below the required amount, even for a single day. The closing balance on your statement must also be dated within 31 days of the day you submit the application, so finishing the hold too early is just as much a problem as starting it too late.

Aim to have the CAS about 10 weeks before your course start date, because the CAS number is required to submit the visa application. Universities generally will not issue a CAS until your offer is unconditional and your tuition deposit has cleared, which is why the deposit sits about 12 weeks out on the plan.

Irish guidance is to apply through AVATS at least 3 months before you intend to travel, and to plan for a decision taking up to 8 weeks. Peak-season volumes push decisions towards the long end of that range. You also need to show fees paid and access to around EUR 10,000 for first-year living costs.

Book only refundable fares until the decision is in hand. A refused or delayed application is common enough that non-refundable tickets are a routine and avoidable loss, and no visa officer treats a booked flight as a reason to decide faster.