Every year, thousands of Pakistani students work hard to get a place at a UK university. They save money, gather documents and pay fees all in the hope of studying in Britain. But for many, the dream does not end with a degree. It ends with silence.
A clear and troubling pattern has emerged. Pakistani students are being called for a UKVI visa interview, already a stressful and time-consuming step, only to find that their university has quietly cancelled their Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
The CAS is the key document a student needs to get a UK visa. Without it, the application cannot go forward. And in many cases, students only find out it is gone when they log in and check their portal themselves.
No email. No phone call. Just a changed status on a screen — and a future put on hold.
No email. No phone call. Just a changed status on a screen — and a future put on hold
UKVI is taking too long. And students are paying the price
Under UKVI’s own guidelines, student visa decisions should be made within a standard timeframe. But for Pakistani applicants, that is often not happening. Delays are stretching far beyond the expected window, leaving students stuck in limbo unable to plan, unable to book flights, and unable to start their course on time.
One student from Lahore , Pakistan said: I have paid for a priority visa service. I have submitted enquiries after more than 10 days of delays . I have called and emailed. In return, I have received automated replies, generic responses, or nothing at all. Not one satisfactory answer. Not one clear timeline. Just more waiting and more uncertainty.”
As the delays drag on, some students feel they have no real choice. With visa decisions still pending and course start dates approaching, many have had to withdraw their own applications not because they wanted to, but because the system gave them no other option. Months of effort, wasted.
When a UKVI interview request arrives, it changes how some universities see the student. Instead of waiting for the outcome, giving an extension until a visa decision, certain institutions have been reported as providing little or no support to students caught in UKVI delays.
Worse, students report that their CAS was withdrawn without any direct communication at all.
No email. No letter. No phone call. The student’s offer simply disappears – often after they have already paid a deposit, arranged accommodation, and told their family they were going to the UK.
Universities are protecting themselves at the student’s expense.
Why does this happen? UK universities that sponsor international students are monitored by UKVI. If too many of their students get visa refusals, the university’s licence to sponsor students can come under threat.
So when a student looks like a possible refusal risk and a UKVI interview request can look exactly like that some universities choose to withdraw the CAS quietly rather than take the chance. It protects the university. It destroys the student’s plans.
This is a system where the institution carries the risk on paper, but the student carries it in real life.
The university removed itself from the equation. The student had no choice but to stay in it.
Here is the most difficult part: no one is accountable. UKVI does not require universities to tell students before withdrawing a CAS. There is no appeals process for students who lose their CAS mid-application. There is no independent body a student can quickly turn to and say, “This is unfair – please help.”
Universities can withdraw a CAS at their own discretion. It is written into the terms and conditions that most students never read carefully. Students who have paid thousands of pounds in deposits and fees are left with no formal way to challenge the decision.
UKVI does not answer questions clearly. The university says it has the right to withdraw a CAS. And the student, already tired, already disappointed, is simply left behind.
This is not about individual cases. It is a pattern. And it needs to change.
The fixes are not complicated. Universities should be required to contact a student in writing before withdrawing their CAS, with enough time for the student to respond.
UKVI must speed up its decisions and communicate clearly when delays happen. And there must be a straightforward complaints process for any student who loses their CAS while their visa application is still live.
Pakistani students are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for basic fairness to be told what is happening, to be given a chance to respond, and not to be left with no warning and no support at the most important moment of their academic life.
