English Language Exam Required for Australian Student Visa

Are you someone who wants to study culinary arts or take up English courses in Australia? Then, it is best for you to know what you need in getting an Australian visa.

Australia is not only a destination for travel and tours but also a country of academic excellence. A number of Filipinos are quite encouraged and persuaded to finish a degree in some of the most prestigious universities in the world located in Australia. However, getting an Australian student visa is not a piece of cake. It will take time and pretty a lot of money in lodging applications. Here are important details on what you should have in applying for the said visa.

First and foremost, applicants should meet the requirements of the GTE or the Genuine Temporary Entrant in Australia. This will validate your intention in staying in the country temporarily. Some factors that are to be considered in the GTE requirement are as follows: circumstances in the applicant’s home country, the applicant’s potential circumstances in Australia, the applicant’s immigration history, the value of the course to the applicant’s future, and other matter to the applicant’s intention to stay temporarily. In addition, the applicant needs to present a CoE or Confirmation of Enrollment from the academic institution they have applied for. Furthermore, the applicant has to present evidence of his or her financial statements. This is needed to verify whether the individual can afford the school fees and the living expenses in Australia. The next requirement is by far one of the most important in the initial steps in applying for the visa – an English proficiency examination.

Applicants should pass an English proficiency requirement which depends on the academic institutions. Each institution has a required English proficiency test and test score requirement. Below are the accepted English proficiency exams in Australia. 

For the candidates, the best thing is to double check on the English test requirement that the institution needs. In addition, if the test is not available in the Philippines, there are other options or tests that the candidate can choose from with their equivalent scores from the other exams.

Canada Immigration: Saskatchewan Offers Brighter Future for Filipinos

Filipinos can be found anywhere in the globe. This is a common observation by other foreign nationals when they describe Filipinos. Truly, Filipinos are one of the nationalities that always seek for employment from countries abroad. This is due to the better salary packages and benefits they get from foreign companies and of course, the chance to travel overseas. A few years ago, Filipino nurses kept flying abroad as the demand kept rising on countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Recently, there has been god news as Saskatchewan open its doors of employment to Filipinos.

Saskatchewan is bordered by the province of Alberta, Northwest Territories, Manitoba and states of Montana and North Dakota. Unlike any other cities in Canada, Saskatchewan gets more hours of sunshine. However, the place is far from any bodies of water. The city can be affected by drought and can have very cold winter season.

Considering the increasing and cut-throat competition of employment in the world, Saskatchewan has recently released a list of in demand occupations to qualified high skilled applicants to work for their city even without job offer. Good news indeed for Filipino workers! The good thing about this announcement is that the province of Saskatchewan considers work experience within the last 10 years unlike in Quebec where experience is only considered in the last five years of work.

These are the highlights under the newly announced Saskatchewan International Worker Category effective 2nd of December 2013:

• The program is for those who wish to immigrate to Canada, particularly in Saskatchewan, and settle in Canada as permanent residents.
• No job offer requirement is needed from an applicant.
• Applicants between the ages 18 to 50 years will be allotted points.
• Applicants should have completed a degree in the university or at least three years in the university.
• Relatives living in Saskatchewan are not a requirement, but if an applicant has any, bonus points will be given.
• Applicants must pass an English proficiency examination. French is neither required nor relevant to Saskatchewan.
• Applicants must at least a year of experience in a skilled position in the last 10 years as a minimum year requirement.
• The work experience must be on the list of the two hundred listed occupations. Visit this link and find out the jobs that are in the list http://www.saskimmigrationcanada.ca/looking-work#job websites.

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/340228/pinoyabroad/ofwguide/immigration-guide-200-jobs-in-demand-in-canada-with-no-job-offer-requirement

For Filipinos planning to take advantage of this opportunity, the first step will be taking an English proficiency examination. Check the jobs and the companies for the English proficiency exam requirement (IELTS or TOEFL) and score that they demand.

Study in USA - Costs and Requirements Foreign Students Need to Know

Studying abroad is actually very costly. Yes, it is true that aiming to be in universities can cost an arm and a leg. You have to consider the fee for the visa application, tuition in the university, and finally the living expenses once you are already in the US. There will always be scholarship programs but still you need to have some money for your living expenses. Though everybody knows the expense in studying abroad, there are still a lot of students who long to experience education in the US.

Aside from the costs to be paid, there are also a number of requirements once should acquire prior to studying. The visa application can take a lot of time and is pretty costly too. The first thing candidates need to do is to get enrolled in the university of their own choice. This is done by completing the requirements of the said university. Usually, this will include an entrance examination in the form of essays where they can gauge how good an applicant is in using the English language. Another requirement needed is an English proficiency examination like the IELTS or the International English Language Testing System examination. Schools have particular scores required for their applicants. What applicants need to do is to get the acquired score. Students should learn more on these by visiting the university’s or college’s website. Once you are accepted and officially enrolled in that certain academic institution, then one can already start processing the other documents for his or her student visa. When you are granted a US student visa, the next thing you should be worrying about is the costs that you need to pay once in the US.

Of all expenses, the tuition is the most expensive item one must be worrying in his or her education. The tuition in the US can start from USD10,000 up to a whooping USD55,000 a year. Yes, that is a big sum of money. Scholarship grants are up for grants for those lucky and really smart individuals. The next thing you need to consider is the accommodation. Most often, freshmen are asked to live on-campus for them to adjust with the environment and living on-campus can be pretty more expensive than staying off-campus. Rent can range from USD3,000 to USD8,000 a year. People living in their own apartments still need to consider the utilities such as electricity, telephone, gas, travel allowance, clothing, and food. A budget of USD500 can cover these other expenses.

Studying abroad is promising yet one should be aware on the cost of living once there. Students should be prepared financially once decided to study in the land of milk and honey.

Steps for Applying a US Student Visa in the Philippines

Are you ready to study in the United States of America? Have you got all the requirements needed? Well, if you are still confused on what to do once you apply for a US student visa, then you have come to the right place.

For an individual to be awarded an F-1 Visa (Academic Student), he or she must first be accepted in a degree program, diploma or certificate in an academic institute. These academic institutes should be granted authorization by the US government to accept foreign students. Once an individual is given an F-1 visa, he or she is now allowed to enter the US as a full time student.

The first thing that these candidates should acquire is an I-20. This I-20 is a receipt which indicates that a student has been accepted and already enrolled in an academic institution.

There are certain documents one should prepare for the application. Candidates must make sure that all of these are original. Here are some requirements students have to take note of:

a. DS-160 Online Non-immigrant Visa Electronic Application

Log on to ceac.state.gov/genniv/ and complete an online application through the Consular Electronic Application Center. Once done, be sure to print a hard copy of the confirmation page.

b. Passport

Passports must be in good condition and should be valid for at least six months from the scheduled departure from the US.

c. Photographs

A US visa application photograph is needed. Photo centers already know the required background for this.

d. Proof of Relationship

This is applicable to those people applying with or for dependents. They need an original marriage certificate from NSO (National Statistics Office) if applying for spouse or a child and an original birth certificate if applying for dependents.

Next, you have to schedule your appointment. Book it via the Embassy Call Center or VisaPoint System. Make sure all requirements are ready and provide an email address for the embassy to send the Appointment Confirmation Receipt.

Remember that you have to pay the MRV or the Machine Readable Visa fee at any branches of BDO and Citibank branches in Makati, Libis, Binondo, Alabang and Cebu. A fee of USD140 should be made in Philippine peso. Do not forget to bring your DS-160 confirmation page and Application Confirmation receipt sent thru email at the bank teller when paying. The MRV receipt will be attached with these documents that you need to bring on the day of the interview. Furthermore, applicants should pat the SEVIS fee of USD200 the can be paid through www.fmjfee.com.

On the day of the interview, go straight ahead to the appropriate gate at least a couple of hours before your scheduled interview time. Bring all the documents you have. After the interview is done, you will know whether you are granted a visa or not.

Moreover, applicants should check the IELTS or the International English Language Testing System exam score these academic institutions require upon lodging their applications.

Source: http://www.philippines.idp.com/usa/student_services/visa_applications.aspx

Potential Reasons Why Your US Visa is Cancelled

The land of milk and honey – everybody has got that American dream. Different nationalities around the world are dreaming to walk down Rodeo Avenue, see Time Square, and take a photo at Mount Rushmore. Who would not be enticed with the beauty and elegance of visiting the United States of America? Unfortunately, it is not an open city and getting a visa to the US is indeed a lot of work to do. 

 

photo source

Filipinos dream big and most of them want to visit or even work in America. The problem comes along in fulfilling the requirements for the said visa. Some are lucky to have been awarded a visa, whilst some come home with a frown on their faces. However, it is not a true that that you are already safe to go to the US once awarded with a visa because the US Embassy can have it cancelled in any time. Just like what happened to a former Filipino politician who was on his way to the US to visit his sick son just to receive a call that the US Embassy had cancelled his visa. Read the story here.

The problem here is that the US Embassy, as part of their protocol, does not release any reason why a certain visa has been cancelled. As for the politician’s case, the embassy had received some information that led to the cancellation of the visa but it was not to be disclosed. Having known that this politician have just had his visa cancelled, we can make a conclusion that it is also possible to happen to any common individuals who already have their US visa. Hence, it is good for Filipinos to know what the usual grounds are for the US Embassy to have visas cancelled.

A visa can be revoked:

1. If the holder is inadmissible to the US on security, criminal, medical, financial or other grounds.
2. If the holder of a non-immigrant visa is not entitled to the visa because he or she does not meet the criteria for the visa category (section 214b). 
3. It is also found in this section that some candidates do not meet the right requirement on the English proficiency exam requirement. Most candidates are focused on the overall band score rather than the specific scores set by the institutions they are applying for. Because of this, the visa is possible to be revoked. 
4. If a potential reason for inadmissibility or ineligibility, usually involving law enforcement, is suspected. The decision to revoke a visa can originate from the State Department in Washington DC or with the consular officer at a consulate.

Hence, as you apply for a visa, make sure that you have all the necessary requirements. Double check everything and read more information on this visa application. Time and money are wasted once your visa is revoked; thus, being aware of the rules and regulations on US visa applications is highly needed.

Sources: http://www.visarefusal.com/visa_revocation/ and http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/01/02/14/ex-solon-blasts-us-embassy-visa-cancellation