A must read information for students planning to study Abroad
Studying abroad opens the door to personal growth, academic success, career opportunities, and discovery innovative and creative ideas. It gives opportunity to explore the world—language, culture, history, heritage and way of life. It is truly a life-shifting experience. By mentioning the advantages of studying abroad, difficult life in abroad should not be ignored. There is a saying that “studying abroad is not all rainbows and roses”. Your academic journey in abroad might be crashed if you do not consider basic but important facts before processing your application for admission and visa process. Here, I have analyzed some myths about students’ life and abroad study visa processing. This is a must read information for students planning to study abroad as it will clear many of yours concerns, doubts and rumors.
1. I am planning to study overseas university, especially in Australia. Can I pay tuition fees by working part time?
Well, it is not possible to pay the remaining tuition fees by working part time which is 20 hours per week or 40 hours per fortnight in most of the major overseas student destinations—the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Nevertheless, students can earn their living cost and some part of the tuition fees to pay to the institutions. So, students really need to make a clear plan on how to pay the remaining tuition fees and maintenance costs once they will be abroad. Some students are in trouble while paying the 2nd/3rd semester’s fees as they expect they can earn enough to cover their living cost and tuition fees. I, thus, request students and guardians to make a solid financial plan to cover their living and tuition fees for the whole duration of the course.
2. Students and parents even share that—I am with my father today and we have a concern that "Visa is not granted for affordable providers and students visa usually get approved only in cases of expensive universities". Is this true?
This is not true and this is why the students are having horrible life in abroad. I have seen many students suffering from this myth. I advise students to choose the college or university which suits their financial capacity. Of course, you should be able to select quality provider with your genuine intention to study in the respective destination, which can also help in the visa decision. Please be ensured that visa mostly depends on student’s profile. For example, if you have good academic (minimum 60% or above 2.8 CGPA) and good IELTS or TOEFL or PTE score (minimum 6.0 or equivalent for UG, 7.0 each band for Nursing and 6.5 for PG), and SAT or ACT / GRE or GMAT (mainly applicable for most of the USA and Canada based universities), good financial documents, done good research about respective country, respective university or college, your career plan, future goals; I don't think visa is an issue for you. So, don't choose the providers which you can't afford. Also, don’t think of an option to go to expensive education provider when you fail to pay the fees in a selected college/university. You will lose your time and money in such a situation. Changing education provider with a reason of not being able to pay the fees, or not being able to pass the courses can lead to visa cancellation in the later stage. It may even damage your academic career.
3. Students even share that—I heard that good agents can ensure visa. Is this true or not?
No agent can ensure visa. Good agent can guide you in the best way and prepare you to study in your chosen destinations. So, don't believe in such a myth. Believe in yourself and prepare properly before you lodge any visa application. Rather than believing in and trusting others, try to understand yourself first, and develop your research and reasoning skills.
4. I heard that post study work is available in Diploma and Advanced Diploma or Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma courses. Is this true?
Students who apply only for Diploma, Advanced diploma, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma courses are not eligible for post study work visa in Australia, the USA and the UK. However, it is possible in Canada and New Zealand as per the recent laws. Laws are temporary as they are frequently changing and updating. Thus, you must check the authentic government website of the respective countries before you start processing. To be eligible for post study work visas in Australia, a student must complete either Bachelor or Master and must have studied for a minimum of 2 years.
The students who are applying for only Diploma or Advanced Diploma again need to join Bachelor course with credit exemption to apply for post study work visa. There are a lot of affordable providers in Australia who provide full Bachelor’s degree in an affordable price. However, it is true that not all programs are available in the colleges. So, if a student is interested in post study work visa, it is better to apply for a full Bachelor or Master program.
In a similar way, to be eligible for OPT (Optional Practical Training) in the USA; students must complete either Bachelor or Master from the STEM stream.
5. Financial documents for stream line visa processing are very easy. Is it true?
Students who are applying to institutions with stream line visa processing will still need to prepare strong financial documents. It is not mandatory to submit financial documents on stream line visa processes, though. This is why some providers or agents are making easy financial requirements for students to attract more students; but DIBP has been tracking on the providers and agents; asking the financial documents which were not submitted during the visa lodgment. If you can't submit the documents promptly, it may lead to refusal of visa.
It is advisable to send all financial documents along with other academics during the visa lodgment to make your application smoother and faster.
Applying for student visa to Australia or other English speaking countries is a one-time opportunity and thus needs a careful measure from the student’s and guardian’s side. If you fail to secure a visa on first attempt, there may be less visa possibility in your next attempt or no 2nd time for you. Please always research carefully before selecting the right destination, college or university, good agent, and plan wisely before choosing to study in Australia or other popular study destinations.
(This blog has been wriiten by Rajendra Acharya to clear all the doubts, concerns and rumors about abraod study visa process. Mr. Acharya is an academic advisor, who has more than 11 years of expereince in the field of overseas education and tests preparation. He has expertise especially in the English speaking countries that includes: USA, UK, Australia, Canada and NZ.)