Educationist Dr. Karan Gupta simplifies the student visa process for the US, Europe, Singapore, Australia, UK and Canada for you

The United States has long held a reputation as being one of the best English speaking countries in which an Indian student can pursue his or her education. In fact, there are over 186,000 Indian students currently studying in one of the many great universities that are located across the US. The process of attaining a visa to study in the United States is definitely not the easiest, but it is doable for any dedicated student. As long as you’ve kept your grades high, and are determined to pursue an education in a world class American university, then all you need to do is follow simple guidelines and you’ll be holding an American student visa in no time!

Visa Description

For any Indian student who wishes to study in the USA, you will generally be pursuing one primary type of visa. It is called the F-1 visa, and it is the visa that one would need if one intended to study in any university, high school, private elementary school, or language school program within the USA. With this visa a student is allowed some part-time work, but it is primarily restricted to 20 hours a week on campus. This visa will allow you to remain within the United States for the duration of time that it will take you to complete your studies.

Necessary Documents

Applying for any student visa is going to require a ton of paperwork, and the United States is no exception. In order to apply, you are going to have to compile quite a bit of documents. Here is a list of all those documents that you’ll need to successfully get yourself through the visa application and interview process:

• A receipt for the application fee of approx $200 USD
• A valid passport with an expiration of at least six months prior to the date in which you intend to complete your studies
• All prior passports still in your possession
• A completed Non-immigrant visa electronic application form, known as a DS-160 and confirmation page
• You must prove that you have the finances to cover at least one year’s cost of tuition, rent, and living expenses within the United States
• Evidence of English proficiency in the form of a successfully completed TOEFL or IELTS as well as your mark sheets of your past academic record and any other standardized tests that you have taken including the SAT, GRE, GMAT, or ACT
• The original copy of your I-20 form that has been signed by your US school or programme
• You may also include any supporting documents which you believe may support your case

 Steps Required to Receive your F-1 Visa

1. The first step that you’re going to need to accomplish is to be accepted to a SEVP certified school within the United States. You cannot apply for your F-1 visa until you have been accepted.
2. Next you’ll need to acquire your I-20 form. This can be done once you’ve paid your SEVIS I-901 fee, which is an additional approx INR 10,800 ($160 USD) fee that must be paid on top of the visa fee. Once the fee has been paid your school will supply you with a signed I-120 form.
3. Once you have your completed I-20, you should go online and fill out your DS-160 application form for your F-1 visa. You will again have to pay an INR 13,600 ($200 USD) fee for the submission of this application.
4. You will next be required to schedule two appointments, the first being at the Visa Application Centre (VAC) where you will have your fingerprints and photo taken, and the second for an interview at your closest US embassy or consulate. In order to schedule this appointment you will be required to provide your passport number, the date you paid your visa fee, and the ten digit barcode that you will receive on your DS-160 confirmation page, so be sure to have this information nearby.
5. When you go to your visa interview, make sure that you bring all of the documents that are listed in the previous section. As long as you meet all requirements, bring all of the necessary documents and answer all questions honestly and confidently in your interview, your visa should be approved without any issue. But remember, visa approval is at the discretion of the consular officer and he or she must be convinced that you are a genuine student who wishes to study in the US and come back to your home country.

A student visa from the United States can be one of the most difficult study abroad visas that you can attempt to acquire. While the process may be long and difficult, remember that tens of thousands of students are granted F-1 visas each and every year. If earning a degree within the USA is truly what you desire, and then just follow the steps laid out, and with a little hard work and dedication you’ll be studying abroad in the university of your dreams!

Student Visa for Singapore, France, or Germany

Getting a student visa from most countries can be a long and difficult process. Three popular study abroad destinations with vastly different visa requirements are Singapore, France and Germany. If your goal is to study in any one of these exciting destinations, it’s important that you’re aware of what’s required to get your student visa in each. We’ll explore in depth exactly what it takes to get the necessary visa to study in any one of these great countries.

Singapore student visa

Home to some of the world’s top ranked universities such as National University Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University, Singapre is a popular destination for Indian students. Singapore attracts students that are serious about their studies from all around the world. The student visa in Singapore is known as a Student Pass. In order to apply for a student pass, you must first be offered admission into a full-time programme in one of Singapore’s Institutes of Higher Learning. Once you have been accepted, your institution must register you to Singapore’s Student's Pass On-Line Application and Registration System known under the acronym SOLAR. From there you will be able to apply for your Student Pass. In order to apply for your pass you are going to need to have these documents prepared:

·       Your SOLAR login and username, as well as the registration notification that you received from IHL

·       A valid passport

·       A copy of the front two pages of your passport

·       Your arrival and departure card that you are given upon your entry to Singapore

·       One passport photo taken within the last six months

·       A signed and completed copy of the eForm 16 will have been submitted through SOLAR

·       All documents must be translated into English

·       An approved copy of your medical report

·       A copy of your in-principle approval letter

It’s important that you submit your application early, but not too early. Singapore requires that you submit your application at least one month before your study deadline, but it will not accept applications that are submitted more than two months before you’re scheduled to begin courses. The cost for the entire process is around Rs.4500.

France student visa

In France there are a few different types of student visas that can be acquired. The first is simple to acquire and allows a student to reside in the country for up to three months. This is ideal for a short student exchange programme or a semester abroad student. There is also the temporary long-stay visa which allows a student three to six months for studying, but for the serious study abroad student you’re going to want a long stay visa. This visa will last you for the duration of your studies, but the guidelines are bit more stringent when it comes to getting it. The cost for a long stay visa is around INR 13,500 (Campus France fee), as well as the visa issuance fee (Rs.8200 approximately). In order to apply for the long stay visa you will be required to provide:

·       Two recent passport photos

·       A valid passport

·       A completed copy of your long-stay application form

·       The registration letter that you received from your university

·       Your Campus France identification number

·       A cover letter and resume/CV

·       Evidence that you’ll be able to financially support yourself while studying in France

·       Valid medical insurance coverage within France

·       A completed copy of your Office Francais de Immigration et de Integration or OFII form

·       Copies of any degrees or academic diplomas that may be relevant

·       Proof of residency in France

·       A copy of your round-trip airline ticket for shorter stay visas, or a copy of a one-way ticket for those applying for long-stay visas

·       Academic interview at Campus France before proceeding to apply for the visa

Once you have all of your documents in order, the rest of the application process should go fairly smoothly. It’s just important to give yourself plenty of time for the visa approval process prior to the start of your courses.

Germany student visa

If you intend to study in Germany for more than three months, it will be necessary for you to acquire a Student Visa. To acquire this visa, first you will need to be accepted to a university within Germany. You’ll next be required to pay a visa processing fee of about INR 6100 plus nominal fees. The application process will require you to procure these documents:

·       A valid passport

·       A completed application form

·       Two recent passport photos

·       You acceptance letter to a German university

·       Your academic transcript

·       Evidence of some proficiency in the German language

·       Valid health insurance within Germany

·       Proof that you will have adequate funds to support yourself while in the country

·       An official form declaring the authenticity of all documents

Once you’ve completed the application process, you can then proceed to schedule an appointment for a visa interview. Upon successful completion of your interview, you should be issued your student visa.

Knowing what will be required of you in order to apply to study in any nation is absolutely vital if you hope to complete the process successfully. By being properly prepared you can turn what can oftentimes be a long an arduous process into one that runs smoothly.

The process of attaining an Australian, British or Canadian student visa can be long and complicated for any student. Many people get overwhelmed simply at the thought of it. Although it may require quite a bit of paperwork and other challenges to get any one of these visas, the process is really not all that difficult. Armed with the necessary knowledge and applying early, will help you conquer the ABC visa processes.

Australian Student Visa      

Australia, is becoming an increasingly popular study destination for Indian students. With great universities, beautiful beaches, and a friendly English speaking populace, it’s easy to see why. For those students who wish to apply to study in Australia, you’ll need to apply for the Student Visa Subclass 500. You should submit your application early, as the process may take up to 12 weeks, so punctuality is definitely important here, as it is with any visa application. In order to attain your visa you’ll need to submit a variety of documents, which include:

• A visa application
• The visa fee of around INR.29,100
• Your valid passport
• Your confirmation of enrolment from the Australian university
• Medical forms
• Your results to the IELTS (with a score of at least 5.5)
• Any academic or work experience documents that you may have
• A statement of purpose
• Evidence that you’ll be able to financially support yourself while in the country with clear funding for at least 12 months

While this may seem like a lot of paperwork at first, most of it is rather easy to compile. Once you’ve submitted your application and all relevant documents, you will be issued a Transaction Reference Number, which you can then use to check the status of your application online.

UK Student Visa

Home to some of the world’s best and most prestigious universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge, the United Kingdom has been a hot spot for Indian students who wish to study abroad for some time now. In fact, well over 26,000 Indian students decide to make the UK their study destination each year. In order to study in the UK, any adult student is required to obtain a Tier 4 visa, which will cost around INR 33392 plus any VFS fees. When applying for your Tier 4 visa you will be required to present the following documents:

• Your valid passport
• Visa application
• You must submit your mark sheets, certificates and/or transcripts along with the CAS from the institute that you plan to attend
• Evidence that you’ll be able to financially support yourself while in the country

Make sure that you submit all your visa information no later than three months prior to your planned arrival in the United Kingdom, as it may take 3-6 weeks for your application to process. You are also eligible to apply for a Priority visa which can be issued in 5 working days but will land up paying over INR 20,000 in addition to the visa fees. Remember, student visa applicants are not permitted to apply for the UK Super-Priority visa which is issued in 1 business day.

Canadian Student Visa

Canada is another one of the top locations chosen by Indian students who wish to study abroad. More than 130,000 students decide to make Canada their location of study, giving them some of the most international university campuses in the world. In order to acquire a study permit for the Great White North there are several documents that you will need to present, which include:

• Proof of English language proficiency, this can come in the form of either the IELTS, Cambridge English Advanced test, or the TOEFL
• A completed application form
• Your valid passport
• The letter of acceptance that was originally received from your university
• Proof that you will be able to support yourself while in Canada
• A letter of explanation as to why you wish to study in Canada
• Results of required medical examination
• Evidence that your study permit fee of approx INR 8,834 ($150 CAD) has been paid

Once again, it’s important that your application is submitted early, in this case at least three months prior to your intended study date. The cost of living and some other documentation requirements may vary depending on the region of Canada you are applying for, so make sure to check the requirements of the province in which your university lies.

As you can clearly see, gaining a student visa to any one of these popular destinations can be fairly complicated. While it may seem like an insurmountable task at first, it’s important to take everything on one task at a time, breaking the process up into small, easily accomplishable daily activities. By breaking it up, it will make the whole process seem that much easier. Just make sure to start the process early, and before you know it you’ll be boarding a plane to your dream destination!

The author is an alumnus of Harvard Business School