Student Visas for overseas education
Your gateway to international education, a student visa is an official document which is granted to the applicant who gets selected to a university abroad. This guide clarifies common types, application steps, and key documents required while applying for your student visa. Remember, meticulous planning is key – start early and gather the required documents like a valid passport, proof of admission, and financial stability for a successful study visa application.
Student Visas, as the name suggests are visas issued to applicants whose primary purpose of visit to a foreign country is for the purpose of higher education.
Why Choose Us?
While getting offers and admission to the university is extremely important, these legal documents stand in the way of all your pursuits. Every country is governed by its Immigration Laws. These could vary in terms of the requirements of documents to the different proof of funds acceptable to what all the visas would let you do apart from studying in the country. Also, some broad commonalities are visible in all student visa applications.
Analyzing Visa services
Student Visas are often classified based on two broad distinction points
Student Visa Classification Based on Type of Programme/ Student
Irrespective of the duration of the course, some countries classify student visas basis the type of student. This could be the level of degree applied for (undergraduate, graduate or doctoral), exchange student or student applying for a vocational/ diploma course. Broadly speaking, as these visas also depend on the type, of course, the student is applying for, these are somewhat linked to tenure. However, in these categories, the first point of distinction is not how long the programme would be for. If you are, say, for instance, an exchange student, you could be going for 3 months or 3 years, the category would still be based on the type of student and not the tenure.
When do I start applying for student visa?
Once students receive their Letter of Acceptance from their desired university, it should be treated as a green signal to start their application procedure for their Student Visa. Applicants should check what is the process of submitting a student visa based on the country and the waiting times for an application. Based on these details applicants should plan their admission applications and upon confirmation begin with the visa process. The applicants must pay the fee wherever required in time and through proper channel also.
What type of student visa do I need?
A student visa is called by several names, depending on your study abroad destination.
- While in the UK, a student visa is called a Tier 4 (General Student) visa.
- in the US, the student visa is referred to as an F-1 visa if going for a full-time course or course that lasts for more than six months, then there is M-1 visa in USA which is for vocational courses students and the J-1 visa which is for exchange students.
- Then in Australia the visas for undergraduate and graduate courses also varies, they are divided based on subclass and level of study.
Usually what are the student visa application processing times?
Usually the processing times for student visa vary per country and per the application so received. In some countries like USA, Indian students can apply one year prior for a student visa if they get offer letter from the university, otherwise the Indian students can automatically get their student visa applications fast tracked also. Plus 90% of the student visa applications are processed in Australia and New Zealand within 30-40 days on average. Thus, the processing times will vary per country.
Can I work on my student visa?
Most student visa holders allow students to work for 20 hours/week once their semester begins in various countries abroad. In countries like Australia, student visa holders or international students are allowed to work for 48 hours a fortnight, while New Zealand allows 40 hours of part-time per week and US, Canada and Italy allow only 20 hours a week for international students to work part-time in these countries at both on-campus or off-campus.