The UK study guide

UK visa processing times

2014-05-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Each and every applicant wants to know about the processing times for UK Visa. There were times when the applicant has to wait a blind time and was unable to know how much time the concerned agents require to process the UK visa application. I have heard students saying that they have waited for a very long time- more than 6 months for their UK visa application to be processed. Now with the passage of time the UK Border Agency is trying to make the services better so they have started a new system through which one can easily find out how much time one’s UK visa application requires to be processed. The thing that we are looking forward is visa tracking system which is still not available. We wish there were such systems so that the applicants could easily track their application.

So, on the UKBA website you can check how much time your UK visa application requires. However there is no guarantee of the time required for your particular visa application because it shows processing time in general and not in particular.

So if you want to know about the processing time for your visa application then visit the link below and in the table bar below “I made my visa application in” select your visa application centre and then click Find Out

Here is the link. GO

Breaking NEWS, Judiciary Vs Pak Army

2012-12-05T03:57:00.001-08:00

Yes, a skirmish occurred in Peshawar between Judiciary and Pak-Army Personnels. It is reported that on 05/12/2012 a Bailif from the Court of a Civil Judge Peshawar, namely Saima Irfan, carrying court warant issued against the principal of Army Publica School Pehawar was stopped by the security guards with the help of loaded guns, at the very gate of the school. Alongwith the bailif was the police ASI, Constables and a lady constable of the concerned Police Satation as was directed by the court to help the Bailif to arrest the Principle. The soldiers of Pak-Army did not bothered to receive either the notice or to give any considerable explanation/reason and thus the Police alongwith the Bailif of the District Judiciary Peshawar had to come back without any proceedings. The Bailif said they were stopped at the door of the school and a Subaidar ordered the security to shoot anyone who would try to enter the school without his permission.
After that when the judge came to know about the incident from the reports of the Bailif of the court, She called the Commanding Officer Peshawar Cantt in explantion and the Subaidar concerned was directed to appear personally in the court on next date. Meanwhile the Principal of the Army Public School is to be served through Non Bailable Warrant of Arrest through CCPO, Peshawar for 08/12/2012.
Problems do occure in Pakistan but such types of NEWS are very heart breaking for the Pakistanis as they regard both the institutions with utmost regard. Such types of collisions should be avoided between Judiciary Vs Pak Army because these two are the only two bodies Pakistanis have a trust in.
This has been an alarming NEWS for the people of Pakistan that Judiciary has started a cold war against Pak-Army. There are millions of people who knowledge the sacrifices of Pak-Army and the are of the view that the judicial system in Pakistan is to preserve the corrupt and the criminal of the country. Judiciary in Pakistan is considered as a spider web through which the strong ones pass very easily and the innocent are often caught due to their failure of being unaware of how to be corrupt or criminal.
On the other hand their are people who EXPECT something from Judiciary, but this should be kept in mind that the judicial system is so much polluted and complex that often it is said that " a lean compromise is better than a fat lawsuit."
Such acts need to be stopped in future if both the departments are serious in the welfare of the state.

Both must regard each other and should not try to overcome or to overtake the other side.
I being a Pakistani want to see both of them play their role within the given limits.

New English language requirements for UK student visa

2010-03-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

As you know that in the TIER-4 points based system that was launched in early 2009, there was nothing mentioned about the English language requirements for UK student visa but now that the rules has been changed and made a bit tougher, the UK government has decided to allow only those students who posses good English language skills.

It means that a student must show good English language skill before coming to the UK. The problem is that no one is exempted and those who are going to study pure science and medical are also have to prove their English language efficiency. However, students on official sponsorship are not mentioned so they are the only exempted creature.

All this means to bring forth only those who are genuine students and are going to UK only to continue their study and nothing more. The UK Border Agency says that the new rules have been imposed to discourage the adults coming to UK for seeking employment in the disguise of students.

In fact, the UK no more needs manpower because after the 9/11 when the USA tightened the immigration rules, the UK started receiving a large number of students from all over the world. Thus almost all of those students contributed to the UK labour market but now the UK needs jobs for its own youth after the world, and so is the UK, has been hit by the global economic crisis.

However, we are here to discuss the language requirements for the UK student visa and nothing more.

So if you are an interested student then you should go for your UK student visa only when you could prove your advance English language skills.
For UK student visa requirements click here..........

Australian Development Scholarship for Pakistani students

2010-03-10T02:50:00.000-08:00

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) invites applications from interested Pakistani nationals under the Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) programme 2011.

Australia provides scholarships through ADS to the individuals of the developing countries so that they may study in the Australian education institutions. The aim is to improve technical and leadership capacity of individuals working in government or private sector.

These scholarships are available to all citizens of Pakistan (currently living in Pakistan the year round) for Master level study in Australia starting in the semester 1, January 2011. The scholarship cover full tuition fee and provide extra stipend.

Priority Areas are;

1. Maternal, neonatal and child health services

2. Basic education services

3. Rural development and food security

4. Governance

The deadline is Friday 07 May 2010. So hurry up.

For complete information about the requirements and how to apply visit http://www.adspakistan.com.pk/

The UK government to control immigration

2010-02-10T00:08:00.000-08:00

This is now quite clear that the UK government has finally decided to control the increasing immigration to the state. Nobody is going to blame the UK Border Agency for the tougher immigration/visa rules that has been imposed from time to time because this is a fact that after 9/11 the UK started receiving a large number of immigrants as the visa procedure to the USA became very complex. The UK has been one of the favourite destinations for the international students after the USA. So we can say that the students looking for their higher education in either state are to suffer now because of the tightened rules for entry to these two countries. The English language and the quality of education in the UK and the USA are the foremost factors that attracted the international students from all over the world and especially Asia.

The international students contributed a lot to the UK labour market but now that the world is suffering from the global economic crisis and unemployment has been witnessed in some of the worlds richest countries (including the UK), the UK no more needs the cheap labour being provide by the international students because its own nationals come first. It is for this reason that the UK government has decided not to allow students on short courses to work for 20 hours a week but for 10 hours only and they would not be allowed to bring any of the dependents to the UK. Secondly the dependents of the student on courses below degree level will not be allowed to work.

The UK Border Agency in this connection says

“Migration has brought benefits to this country, but we need to control it carefully in order to minimise its impacts on public services and communities.”

We make no complaints against all this as they reserve the right to control immigration by bringing in new changes for the goodwill of the nation but we request that the genuine students should not be harassed by introducing new amendments after amendments.

Secondly, we request that the processing time for the UK student visa/student visa appeal and the Administrative Review should be standardized so that the students may not waste their precious time by walking to and from the streets of the British High Commission.

Click here if you want to know more about the new rules introduced.

Note please; here we are to discuss UK student visa only and not any other sort of visa.

New rules to reduce the UK student visa ratio

2010-02-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Yes, finally the UK announced some new rules to reduce student visa ratio. These rules require no legislation and are to come in force within a few weeks.

This could be the most shocking news story of the week for the students looking for their higher education in the UK as there is no support for the students in this new review but the rules are going to be tougher and tougher so that the international students may suffer and suffer.

The new rules are to be imposed upon all the international students outside the European territory but Last week, the UK suspended student visa application from the Northern India, Bangladesh and Nepal following a sharp decrease in awarding student visas to Pakistani students.

Thus, this is quite obvious that the students particularly from South Asia are to face the new dilemma and if you are an optimist then you should believe the Home Office spokesman who said "It's a general tightening up of the system, it's not aimed at any area in particular."

According to the new rules each and every student coming to the UK have to prove English language skills above beginner level and presently there is no exemption i.e. the level and subject of study does not matter.

Secondly, a student on short course to the UK would be permitted to work for 10 hours a week instead of 20 and bring no dependents to the UK and that the Dependants of students on courses below degree level will not be allowed to work.

This new policy is a part of the programme controlling migration.

But why the UK government wants to reduce the student visa ratio? This is now the most important question click here to read more…….

The Processing time and Administrative Review for UK student visa

2009-12-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

Almost each and every day we face students asking about how much time does the administrative Review for the UK student visa takes to be processed.

This topic has been in discussion since the UK Border Agency has started the new TIER-4 Points Based system for UK visa. According to this system the right to appeal against the UK student visa refusal has almost been abolished and one can say that a student has no right to appeal against the UK student visa refusal- outside the UK but to apply for an Administrative Review of the refusal decision. However, a student does have the right to appeal against the decision in certain cases. For information about the appeal click here…….

Here we are to discuss the time frame for the Administrative Review. For basic information about AR click here…….

The UK Border Agency says that the Administrative Review is processed within 28 days and if there is some more time required then the applicant will be informed in written form. So according to this statement of the UKBA an applicant should either get the result within 28 days or some information about the reason for the delayed process. The statement of the UKBA about the processing time for the Administrative Review has been quoted below.

“We will aim to let you have the result of the review within 28 days. If, in exceptional circumstances, we are unable to complete the Administrative Review within 28 days we will notify you in writing as to when to expect a decision.”

But we are sorry to say that there are hundreds of students lamenting the behavior of the UKBA in this regard. Most of our students complain that even after passing the period of 28 days they have received neither the result nor any other sort of answer from the Agency. There are some students waiting for months-but still no answer. Following are some of the examples taken from the comments of the students who are waiting for there Administrative Reviews.

1. Why is there no option to check the status of the admin review?

All that is stated on the tier 4 guidelines is a lewtter will be mailed. within 28 days / i submitted mine last Sep 3 ,2009 and today is Nov 3 , i have no update still.

2. i'm a bit confused in respect of how many days the administrative review takes to be decided.

3. I filed my administrative review its more than 28 days ..I filed it last Sept 30 and until now i havent received any notification of the status of my application...

4. i applied for AR on september 18,2009 and after two days 3 months will complete and i don't received any mail in my mail box or junk folder. i daily chk my mail box. i also mailed to british embassy 2 weeks before but still no reply.

This doesn’t mean that this happened or may happen to all the applicants but this shows that there are some students suffered and some still to suffer.

However, we hope that the UKBA may set some standards for the time an Administrative Review application may take and if there is any such standard, then why not act so??????

Delay in Administrative review for UK student visa

2009-12-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

The UK Border Agency has started the TIER-4 or Points Based System so to make the visa process easier and faster but this system has been widely criticized by the applicants because of the delay in the process of Administrative review for UK visa.

According to the new system, if a student is not satisfied with the visa refusal decision and if he/she thinks that the decision was made in an error then the student has the right to ask for administrative review and get the application checked by the British High Commission once more. But this is not as easy as it seems to be because we have seen students waiting for a long time to get the result of their Administrative review for UK student visa.

The UKBA says that the Commission will either answer the Administrative Review application within 28 days or inform the applicant if it is going to take more time. But sorry to say that all this is not true as there are thousands of students who have applied for the AR and even after months there is no answer from the BHC.

This unfair attitude of the British High Commission wastes the precious time of the students and on the other hand it discourages the students so much so that their future plans are vanished forever.

The most shocking news is that this type of treatment is reserved for the students of backward states. This is not fair, so we all request the UKBA to amend such rules and to treat all the students equally whether from developing countries or the developed. But we are hopeful that the UK Border Agency will try to make things better in the future.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul;

And sings a tune without a word,

And never stops at all,

Write your experience/opinion in the “Comments” below.

Study abroad in Germany

2009-12-17T07:14:00.000-08:00

Almost every student wants to study abroad in Germany because Germany has a lot to offer for the international students. The universities and colleges in Germany offer high standard education and their degrees are readily accepted throughout the world. For international students, German universities offer programmes taught in English language thus an international student needs not to go through the time consuming task of learning a new language. However, there are German language programmes available for international students in almost every university of Germany.

Education is almost free in Germany as compared to the UK, USA and Australia etc. because there are many universities offering free education to students whether national or international. However there are some universities charging tuition fee but that is the lowest possible fee at university level throughout the world – from 150 to 500 Euro per semester. So the cost of education is very low in Germany but if you compare the standard of education in Germany with any other country of the world, you will see that Germany is amongst the best and top quality education provider countries of the world because Germans never compromise upon quality.

German universities encourage international students to apply so there is a world of scholarships available for post graduate students and especially for those following their PhD. There are some special programmes open only for international students and most of these programmes are fully funded and do not charge any tuition fee.

The universities in Germany believe both in practical and theory and the combination of these two techniques give a good basis to your research thus making Germany one of the best educations providers of the globe.

There are students from almost all corners of the world studying in Germany so you will have the opportunity of a multicultural society and thus you will see your attitude towards other nations and nationals of the world changes as you get closer to them.

So come and study in the heart of Europe, in one of the wealthiest countries of the world, which is bordered by nine other developed countries.

Whoever you are and wherever you are, you are welcome, because in Germany the only thing that matters is your talent and nothing else.

List of German Universities

2009-12-02T04:01:00.000-08:00

This list of all German Universities and colleges provides you access to the WebPages of all the Universities in Germany so that you may find all the information on the website of your favorite university or college.

So if you need any sort of information about a university or college then visit its link by clicking the name of the institute.

Study gap or gap years and the UK student visa

2009-11-22T02:10:00.000-08:00

We see most of the students are confused about the gap in their study or study gap and are puzzled to think whether they could get the UK student visa or not because they are of the view that these gap years may ruin their visa case.
This was true in past but now it is a good news that the UK Border Agency has started a new UK student visa system called TIER-4 or Points Based system and according to this system the academic qualification for a certain course/programme has to be evaluated by the concerned University or College and the UK Border has noting to do with these things.
More clearly, it is the duty of your academic sponsor to check your documents or eligibility for the course you are applying or not and if he/she issues you an unconditional letter of acceptance/admission then the UK Border Agency will not investigate about the gap in your study while awarding you the UK student visa.
So the study gap or gap years should not affect your UK student visa as per-existing policy of the UK Border Agency. Therefore you should not be worried about your gap years even if your were idle during all this time but it is good to show the experience certificate of your job (if any) during the gap years because thus you can prove that during the gap years your were not involved in any harmful activity and that you were minding your own business.
For UK student visa requirements click here

Scholarship in the UK for international students

2009-10-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Most of the international students look for scholarship in the UK to fund their studies because the tuition fees in the UK are somewhat high as compared to other European countries.

In the field of scholarship, the UK has a lot to offer. There are various organisations offering scholarship to the international students studying in the UK. But all this depend upon the selection criteria of the scholarship awarding institution. There are some scholarships reserved for the students of certain nationalities and on the other hand there are funds available to all nationals. I mean to say that there may be a good option available to you but all you have to do is to look for the scholarship suitable to you.

There are some scholarships schemes awarding funds that cover all the costs related to the study of a student while on the other hand there are scholarships covering only the tuition fee or the half of it. All this depends upon the awarding body and its policies.

The universities and colleges in the UK also offer scholarships to the students enrolled. So you can search the website of a certain university or college for available funds. Such types of scholarships are easily available to the students of the institute and thus the competition is low for such awards.

The selection criteria vary for each type of award so a student must be familiar with the requirements for a certain scheme. A student must know about the dates and deadlines for the award he/she is interested in. Remember, that some schemes require you to submit your application one year before you start your study. So you should give full consideration to the dates or you may waste your time.

So if you want to study in the UK and need scholarship for your study then you should go through the following link, as this link contains a list of the most high awarding scholarships schemes in the

Click here to go to the list of scholarships available in the

If you want to look for scholarship in a certain university then you should go to the list of all universities in the

and search the website of your favourite university.

How can I get scholarship in the UK?

2009-10-14T20:38:00.001-07:00

You can get scholarship in the UK if you have the ability and if you have the passion towards your study. A student can easily get scholarship in the UK if his/her academic career is good enough to impress the selection team. There are some scholarships schemes in the UK that are highly competitive but this is not the case with all scholarships schemes. A student can get scholarship reserved for a certain subject or for a certain nationality and these types of scholarships are easy to win as compared to those available to the students from the rest of the globe. However, it is recommended that a student should apply for all suitable funds and then wait for the response, as the selection committee knows better, about the selection criteria.

We have tried our best to search for the most honourable scholarships schemes in the UK available to the international students and here we give you a list of the schemes. Go and search the official websites yourself to find out more about these schemes.

Click on the title of the scheme to know more

British Chevening Scholarship

Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships

Commonwealth shared scholarship scheme

Overseas Research Students Award Scheme

USA/Canada Research Fellowship

Asia Research Fellowship

Marshall Scholarship

Fulbright Scholarsip

Scholarship in Arts & Humanities

Hotcourses Scholarship Search

Further scholarship links

Is Sweden a student friendly country?

2009-10-09T06:27:00.001-07:00

Most of our students want to know whether Sweden is a student friendly country or not. This is not an easy question to be answered in a simple sentence because there are arguments on both sides and no one could answer with simple “Yes” or “No”.
However it is a fact that Sweden is a growing destination for students from all over the world because the state of Sweden is striving hard to facilitate the international students and to give them some pleasant memories when they go back to there homelands.
While solving this puzzle we have to accept the fact that Sweden is about to overtake UK and Australia because we have seen students complaining about the visa problems and the big monster “the mounting tuition fees” in the UK and Australia.
Keep in mind; we have not mentioned the education in USA because after 9/11, it is almost impossible for the students of some countries to get a US study visa.
We have reports from students saying that the states of UK and Australia are selling education rather than providing education. This clearly means that education in these countries is a business rather then a service to humanity.
In past, most of the international students were directed towards the UK and Australia because only in those countries all study programmes were available in English language which was the language readily accepted to the international students. Here we do not mean that other countries did not provide study programmes taught in English but we want to make it clear that there was a limit to such programmes.
Now thanks to the Swedish education policy makers that there are a lot of (more than 500) programmes available in English language for international students and all for free. Yes, there is no tuition fee. Once again thanks to them for taking these bold steps. This is what we call “serving humanity”. This is the greatest ever contribution in the field of education and it shows the greatness of the state of Sweden. There is no discrimination in their system and all students are given equal opportunities to quench their thirst.
While discussing student visa problems we have seen that the UK and the USA are the top most countries mocking the wishes of international students. Before getting visa a student has to go through a tiresome procedure and the response is often in the reverse. For most nationals it is just killing time and nothing more. On the other hand the Swedish visa procedure is the soft most procedure of the glob and a student can easily get study visa if he/she meets all the requirements. However in the year 2008 and 09 we have reports that some students visas were rejected by the Swedish migration board even after the students met all the visa requirements. This may lead towards defame on the part of Sweden but we hope that the state of Sweden may take a notice of all this and may try to satisfy the students.
The standard of education in Sweden is high and high as compared to that in the UK and Australia because there are colleges and universities in the UK and Australia selling degrees to international students and this is shameful news in the field of education.
In the UK you can expect thousands of ghost colleges selling degrees.
While in Sweden each and every student has to satisfy the institution otherwise he/she will not be granted an extension in the visa.
I may go no further but give you a chance to express your experience whether you think Sweden a student friendly country or not. If you have anything in your mind/memories, just write it in the comments below and I would appreciate your efforts.
It would be of high value if you write about the problems a student faces while in Sweden.

Is TOEFL certificate accepted for Australian student visa?

2009-10-03T00:01:00.001-07:00

I was amazed to see that TOEFL is not accepted for Australian student visa. The Australian High commission says that the only accepted English Language test certificate is that of IELTS.
Every student know that IELTS and TOEFL are the best known tests for English language but there are some countries that only accept IELTS from the British council as a proof of English language ability of a student. On the other hand there are some countries where both of these tests are acceptable and it doesn’t matter whether a student provide IELTS or TOEFL certificate. But in the case of Australian visa, it does matter and it is clear that a student can’t have a student visa without showing IELTS certificate and TOEFL means nothing in the Australian High Commission.
However, this is the choice of the Australian Commission abroad to Accept or reject certain tests but a student has to do what he/she has to do.
Not only for student visa but for admission in a University or College in Australia, a student is required to produce IELTS certificate. However the score requirements are different for some universities and colleges but for the High Commission a student has to have the required band/score. I mean that the acceptance or admission letter means nothing for the High Commission if the test score is lower than what is required by the Commission.
 Following is the IELTS test score required for different level of study.

Diploma/Advance
Diploma ( 5.5)

Bachelor, Graduate Diploma,
Masters degree, Doctorate (6.0)

So take the IELTS test first if you are interested in studying abroad in Australia because applying for Australian student visa without IELTS is just a waste of time and nothing more.
The criteria could be different or could be changed for a country. So it is good to visit the Australian High Commission in your country for more and updated information.
The information that I provided are general and not specific to a country.

My Swedish study visa got refused

2009-09-27T20:25:00.001-07:00

Yes, it is true that my Swedish study visa got refused and I am puzzled to think what is the reason behind all this?
The Swedish migration board (migrationsverket) refused my visa without any explanation. I am not using the phrase ‘proper explanation’ because there was no explanation at all, in the refusal letter that I received from the board.
I had heard that the Swedish migration board awards visa to all students who are admitted to a state university or university college and can show all the relevant documents needed with the application for visa – along whit the bank statement. But all this is not true because I got the negative answer even after fulfilling all the visa requirements. My application form and the whole visa case was thoroughly checked by myself, my friends, an education consultant and the Fed-Ex representative but even then all this came to nothing.
It means that the Swedish migration board has changed its policy and now we can expect some shameful and dishonest decisions against the students of some countries. In other words you may call it a ‘clear discrimination’ of the Swedish migration board.
If a student gets admission in a state university and fulfills all the visa requirements, then why don’t they award the visa? This is the question that has troubled me?
I am a student of English Literature with a master degree in the field from the University of Peshawar. I have proved my ability with IELTS and I had secured admission in the University of Kalmar in Sweden in the English programme, but even then they refused my visa saying that you have already done a Master degree in English and the programme you are to study in Sweden is at undergraduate level. I can’t understand what do they mean by all this but I do understand that the programme I had selected was according to my needs. I was to draw something of that programme as that course was very intensive in its mood and that could prove a good start for my higher studies in the same subject.
Yes, today I do remember the Fed-Ex representative who told me that the embassy will never award you visa because your selected programme of study is considered to be just a language course. I told him that the programme includes Literature, Linguistics and conferencing for the students but even then he refused to take my application. Then I called the Embassy of Sweden in Islamabad and inquired about the problem but they told me to submit the application the very next day. They also informed the Fed-Ex about the matter and all this was done just to make me silent and nothing more. But at last, they did it, they refused my visa and today I am thankful to the Fed-Ex representative for his frank remarks but I am sorry that I could not act upon what he suggested.
So what do you learn form my story? If you want to help students like me then Please share your experience/story in the comments.

Any interview for UK student visa?

2009-08-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

The UK Border Agency in the new TIER-4 POINTS BASED SYSTEM, also called points system, has not mentioned interview as one of the basics for UK student visa. So a student does not need to go through any interview for UK student visa.

But the case is not as simple as it sounds to be. The British High Commission abroad may call a student for interview if it is required to make the final decision. This means that the visa officer has the authority to call a student for an interview and ask the questions that has puzzled him/her.

However, to avoid the problems of an interview, a student should apply for visa with a complete application with nothing missing or confusing.

So try to make sure that you provide all the information needed with all the relevant documents to the British High Commission abroad so that the ambassadors might find your case easy to follow and thus you may receive an earlier decision.

Never try to deceive or confuse the ambassadors by providing false information or your visa will be refused. Bear this in mind that if you are failed to provide all the documents needed, you will not be called by the High Commission to complete your set of documents. They will refuse your visa without asking for the completion of documents.

As I have told you that it is the discretionary power of ambassador to call a student for an interview but even at the time of interview a student is not allowed to submit new documents.

If you want to know the requirements for UK student visa then click here…..

For information on appeal against UK student visa refusal click here…….

For administrative review click here…….

Puzzled about the role an education consultant/immigration lawyer click here…….

Do I need health/travel insurance?

2009-08-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

A student is allowed to travel to the UK without any insurance but even then it is recommended that each and every student should have health insurance certificate before he/she starts the journey. To say more clearly, the UK Border Agency does not ask for any sort of insurance certificate with the application for student visa but it is very reasonable and sensible to insure your health before you leave for the United Kingdom or any other country in the world.

So if it is not mandatory then why should a student have an insurance proof?

Suppose, unfortunately, a person travelling abroad gets seriously injured while he is all all alone. What would happen to him if he cannot pay for his own treatment because in some countries, treatment could be awfully expensive? Do you think he should come back to his motherland and after getting the treatment should once again move towards his destination? If you think so then you are completely wrong because when he comes back, his visa might get expired and this is the second great loss. What a pity if a person comes back with wounded limbs and broken heart.

If you think the case is serious then you must say that it is better to get insured before leaving ones motherland because the insurance cost you only a few dollars (suppose 100) but it could be of worth more than US$ 50,000.

When you travel to or living in a far-off country you are alone to face any sort of threat. Any sort of casualty may happen to you and there would be no one to help you out. But if you have health insurance then the company that has provided you the insurance certificate would be there to help you and cover up all the costs that are related to your injury without claiming any fee because you have already paid them when you were in your home country.

When you want to receive an insurance certificate that would cost you only a few dollars but when you have received it, believe me that this certificate could be used to cover up to thousands of dollars to treat you in case of any injury. In many cases an injured person would be able to receive up to 30,000 Euro to cover the health expenses. A health insurance certificate is not only valid for travel to but within the country you are going to live in.

It is valid up to some specific duration and that is up to you whether you want to have it for 3/6/12……..months or only for a few weeks.

Not only for UK but you can get an insurance proof for any country of the world.

There are various insurance companies scattered throughout the world, so you can easily visit a branch located in your locality for more information.

Wishing you a safe journey!

For UK student visa requirement click here…

Should I contact a lawyer if my visa gets refused?

2009-08-08T00:05:00.000-07:00

It is not recommended by the UK Border Agency to contact either a lawyer or an educational consultant in any case. But if unfortunately your visa gets refused, The British High Commission will clearly inform you about the reason behind the refusal. So you can check the reason and try to wash it out with proper explanation, if you can.

You should know that when a certain visa gets refused, the case is reviewed by a visa officer within 24 hours and even then if the problem is there, the applicant will receive a written explanation for the refusal decision, from the embassy/high commission. If you are given the right to appeal against the refusal of your visa then you will also receive the notice of appeal for your visa. This notice of appeal means that you are eligible to appeal against the refusal of your visa. This notice contains guidance for the student on “how to appeal against the visa refusal”. More about appeal against visa refusal…..

In some cases there is no right of appeal but even then another option called administrative review is available. It means that you can apply for a review of your application without any fee, but all this must be done within 28 days from the date you receive the refusal notice. More about administrative review…..

So you don’t need to contact any lawyer if you are clever enough to understand and handle all this but if you think you are puzzled and there is no way out then a lawyer may be a good option for you because a lawyer related to immigration is a very competent person and deals this types of problems skillfully. All you have to do is to look for a skilled lawyer and not a fraud, as there may be dozens of sharks pretending to be an expert lawyer. So be cautious in the selection and believe me you will win your visa if all the requirements are fulfilled.

What I personally recommend is that you should go through this site and believe me that you will find all sorts of information so that you can do it by yourself without contacting any educational consultant or lawyer for immigration (immigration lawyer).

For new UK study visa system click here

For visa requirements click here

Wishing you best of luck!

Work in the UK while studying

2009-08-06T22:38:00.000-07:00

The UK is considered to be one of the costly states in the world. That is why most of the international students need to work in the UK while studying.

The UK allows the international students to work because the students are the cheapest workers thus helping the economy of the country by not only paying huge amounts of fees to the universities or colleges but also provide cheap and easily available labour force

If a student is admitted to a course lasting more then 6 months then the student is allowed to work for 20 hours a week. However, the employment must not be taken as full time. A student can only work as a part time worker but there is another option to work for full time on Saturday & Sunday of every week and if the student does not want to work during the semester times then there is an opportunity to take a full time job in the vacation for three months in a year.

Exceeding the limit of 20 hours a week during the semester times may cause serious problems to the student as this is against the laws of the UK Border Agency and this may result in the cancellation of visa and once the visa is cancelled than there is no other option but to leave the country.

More clearly, a student may be deported if found working in the UK for full time without any permission.

However, a student may work for more than 20 hours a week if the job is a part of the course of study.

But if a student has completed a degree course in the UK then it is legal to take some full time job. For this purpose the student must show proof of a completed degree course in the UK, a valid work permit and crystal clear immigration history

Students under 16 are not allowed to work as this is against the child labour policy.

What is administrative review?

2009-07-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

Administrative review for UK study visa

In case of a study visa, if the application of a student is refused and the student thinks that the visa refusal decision is not fair then there is an option available called administrative review.

More clearly, a student may ask for administrative review if he/she thinks that the decision to refuse the visa is not reasonable.

When a student asks for an administrative review, an entry clearance officer who was not involved in the original decision will review the application and make a decision.

Administrative review is free of charge but request for the administrative review must be made within 28 days from the date the student receives the refusal notice.

A student should not submit new/additional documents for administrative review. An applicant can only apply for one administrative review against the refusal of visa application.

So, before you apply for visa make sure that you provide all documents required for UK study visa so that there is no need for any review.

Note please that the administrative review is a bit different process from appeal against the refusal of visa.

Under the new TIER-4 POINTS-BASED SYSTEM there are limited chances to appeal against the refusal decision of your visa. However a student can ask for administrative review as this is the commonly used and recommended procedure when a visa application is refused.

It is wise to be serious and take some time before making a visa application so that neither appeal nor administrative review is needed.

If you have the following questions in your mind, just click on the question and find the answer.

What is the new TIER-4 POINTS-BASED SYSTEM for UK study visa?

How can I appeal against the refusal of my UK study visa?

What are the UK study visa requirements?

You can also contact an immigration lawyer/immigration specialist if you are confused.

Appeal against visa refusal

2009-07-29T00:28:00.000-07:00

Before you apply for visa make it sure that you meet all the visa requirements so that there is no reason for visa refusal and thus no need for any appeal against visa refusal.

The UK Border Agency has started a new system for visa called the TIER-4 POINTS-BASED SYSTEM. With the introduction of this new system, the immigration requirements have changed a bit and it is good that this new system is student friendly.

So if you are a genuine student and want to apply for visa then you are welcome and believe me you will get your visa without any difficulty, but you must fulfill all the visa requirements.

However, if unfortunately you apply for visa and your visa is refused, you will receive written explanation for the visa refusal. Remember that every refusal is reviewed by a visa officer within 24 hours to make sure that the refusal decision is fair. For some types of visa refusal there is a right of appeal against the decision and for this purpose the visa officer will send you the notice of refusal along with the notice of appeal. The notice of refusal will explain the reason for the refusal while the notice of appeal contains appeal form and it will also explain how to appeal against the refusal.

The UK Border Agency says that you can appeal if;

• “the decision is unlawful by virtue of Section 19B of the Race Relations Act 1976 (c.74) (discrimination by public authorities), and/or

• The decision is unlawful under Section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 (c.42) (public authority not to act contrary to Human Rights Convention) as being incompatible with the appellant's Convention rights”.

It is better to do all this by yourself but if you are puzzled and don’t know how to do all this then it is far better to contact an immigration lawyer as they are the experts and can deal with such problems very smartly.

Besides the appeal you have the option of administrative review. In this process you can just ask to check the refusal decision and this procedure is known as administrative review which is free of charge, but you must ask for administrative review within 28 days from the date you receive the refusal notice.

Wishing you all the best!

Study abroad in the UK

2009-07-28T05:51:00.000-07:00

Nowadays every student wants to study abroad in the UK and this is because the UK education system is at the highest level of excellence and the degrees awarded by the UK educational institutions are readily accepted throughout the world.

This is true that the education in the UK can be costly but if you compare it with that of the USA, you will see the difference that the UK degrees are not as costly as in the USA.

On the other hand, International students are offered scholarships in various fields of studies and believe me that, in the UK, there are hundreds of scholarships scattered. Besides scholarship, an international student has the option to work for twenty hours a week so a student can earn some money to cover up the cost of study in the UK.

It is witnessed that most of the students fear to take the step because they lack relevant information and don’t know how to get admission in the UK and then how to apply for student visa. It is true that in the past the UK visa service was very complicated and this was the reason that even a genuine student did not have the courage to apply for UK student visa as almost ninety percent visas used to be rejected without any proper explanation for the visa refusal. But now the system has been changed and this is a positive change because from now onwards only genuine students would be able to study abroad in the UK.

Yes, the UK Border Agency has introduced a new system for UK visa and thus the requirements for UK student visa have changed a bit. This new system is called the new Tier-4- points based system.

In this blog we have discussed this new system in detail and all the questions of a student have been solved carefully. You will find information on the points and how to earn these points to be eligible to apply for visa. As you know that in the new system you have to earn 40 points before you apply for visa. Information on the bank statement and the visa letter are given in a very simple way so that the student gets the answer to a problems and not a puzzle in the answer.

So if you are interested and want to study in the UK then start your preparation and don’t waste time…….. or time is there to waste you.

Requirements for UK student visa

2009-07-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Every student must give full consideration to the Requirements for UK student visa before making an application for visa because this is the most important step and this is the point where a student gets puzzled. Believe me that this is not a problem at all if a student is familiar with all the documents needed for student visa.

As you know that the UK Border Agency (according the new TIER-4 POINTS BASED SYSTEM) has started new form for the UK student visa and there are some new requirements as well.

In the new points based system, a student has to earn the required points (40 points) before making an application for student visa. To earn the 40 points and to be able to apply for visa, a student needs the following documents.

 A visa letter or the letter of admission from a licensed sponsor. This letter makes 30 points for a student.

 Proof that the student can fund his/her studies in the UK (in the form of bank statement, scholarship or student loan etc). This proof makes 10 points for a student.

 Passport or other travel document.

 Four resent passport size photographs (45mm x 35mm and

o taken against a white background;

o clear, of good quality, neither framed nor backed;

o on standard photographic paper;

o full face and with no sunglasses, head covering (unless for cultural or religious reasons but the face must not be clearly visible).

 Proof that the student has paid the visa fee.

 Health certificate from IOM confirming that the student is not suffering from infectious tuberculosis (TB).

 A filled application form. Forms are available on the UKBA website or you can visit the website of the British High Commission in your country for application form.

 IELTS test certificate (minimum 5.5), although not compulsory but it has a very good impact upon the visa.

 Biometric data.

 All of the above mentioned documents with NIC and all educational documents shall be produce in original and attested photocopies. This depends upon the High Commission whether a student is asked to submit the original documents or some of them.

Please make sure that these are the general requirements for UK student visa. For specific requirements you should visit the British High Commission in your country or you can also visit the British Council if you need any sort of help.

The UKBA http://www.ukba.gov.uk/

NOTE PLEASE; According to the New Rules it is compulsory to have advanced English language skill. Read more
Wishing you good luck!

Tuberculosis test for UK visa

2009-07-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Nationals of some countries are required to produce a Tuberculosis (TB) health certificate before they apply for visa. For this certificate the applicant must be tested for Tuberculosis (TB) at certified health centre or hospital run by the International Organisation for Migration. This test includes a chest X-ray.

If you want to apply for visa with your wife/husband and children then you need to produce the TB clearance certificates of all those members of your family.

Remember that only certificates issued by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) will be acceptable for your visa and if you fail to produce the TB test, your visa will be refused and you will be given no right to get your application fee refunded.

Pregnant women are exempted from chest X-ray - they will be given an optional sputum smear test.

After you get the test result that you are free from infectious TB, you will be given a TB health certificate, by the IOM clinic, and this certificate is valid for full six months. You should submit this certificate with your application for visa in the normal way and bring it with you to the UK, as you will be asked for this certificate at the air port.

If unfortunately, your test shows that you are suffering from infectious TB then you will not be allowed to apply for visa. Then you should seek treatment and after a successful treatment, when you get a certificate that you are free from infectious TB, you can apply for visa.

Presently, nationals of Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, Sudan, Tanzania and Thailand are required to produce TB clearance certificate before they apply for visa.

To check whether you need this certificate and for further information, please visit the UK Visas website