Tuesday 2 August 2011

Visa - The Critical Step

Admission in an international university program does not ensure that you get a visa. Whether you can travel and study abroad or not, depends solely on a single all-important approval that can make or break your future plans: your student visa.

The visa is one of the most important steps in the process and often results in a lot of anxiety. Each country has specific requirements and you have to meet the requirements.

The rules and regulations for getting a student visa can get confusing as it varies for each country. But the good news is that you can easily overcome this hurdle by being prepared with all the requisite documents and fulfilling all the requirements before you submit your application, say counselors at Edwise. Knowledge of the visa application procedure will ensure that the student is clear about the process and does not fall prey to any malpractice or procedural bottlenecks.

Principally you need to demonstrate that you are a genuine student, and have the financial ability and propose to study a relevant course.

Common requirements for a Visa application are: A correct application form, visa fees, confirmed offer letter of the university (I-20, CAS,etc), passport with a validity of over 6 months, recent picture, required finance in acceptable format, academic documents and relevant test scores such as IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT, SAT, GRE.

It is important to understand how much funding is required in liquid and semi liquid form. Some factors looked into by the visa officer are the regular flow of income, income tax returns, relationship with sponsor, bank account statements, education loans, recent financial  activity ,source of funds, assets etc.

UK
The new student visa process under the Tier 4 of the Points Based  System is simpler, more transparent, easy to obtain, as the process is streamlined for genuine applicants with valid CAS documents and are able to show the required funds in an acceptable format.

USA
Students need to book a date in advance and submit all documents too but the main factor is the interview. Starting early helps as dates fill up.

Canada 
The Canadian High Commission, have launched a new visa category known as Students Partners Program (SPP)  whereby one can expect the full visa process to be completed within 2 – 3 weeks. Under this Program, Students should opt for Educational Bank loans along with a good IELTS score . For those not taking a loan the process is 6-8 weeks.

Australia
Some rules have been  relaxed for India from this year. Diploma or advanced diploma at a higher education institution will be assessed for Higher Education at Subclass 573 AL-3. Boarding fees can be paid in advance to the education provider which can be deducted from living cost for visa. Now we can show 3 months old funds, anyone can sponsor and show funds upto 24 months or course duration whichever is less for AL-3. Medicals can be done in advance to save time. TOEFL, PTE and Cambridge English will be introduced later this year.

New Zealand
The visa process is very simple and fast for those candidates who fall in positive profile. Students can show funds of relatives and those students who have problem in showing funds can opt for the FTS scheme. Students can take their spouse as dependents.

Documents Presentation plays significant role while evaluating overall application. Please ensure documents are perfectly presented, self explanatory and verifiable.

So with all the above odds of visas it is clear that proper guidance is mandatory and that is exactly what the visa counselors at Edwise execute. So start now with your visa process.

Sushil Sukhwani
Director
Edwise 

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