Advice on getting student visas

I GOT MY VISA!!!!

just got the email

Yea!!! I'm so glad for you, pitt!  You're one step closer to your bf!!!  Now the big step of *gulp* buying the non-refundable plane tickets!  Yargh!

Im starting my Masters in London in the fall.  Thus far, I have only filled out my online application, and have done so for my wife.  She would like to get a work-permit, and from what I have read in this thread, it seems that this should be no problem since I will be a FT student. 

I have set up an interview at the NYC consulate for next week, should I take all documentation there that a person would normally send in?  Are there any special things I should look out for since I am trying to get my wife a work-permit to allow FT work?

Your wife doesn't need a work permit.  She comes to the UK as a student dependent and therefore doesn't need a work permit.  Besides, a work permit requires an employer to sponsor and cannot be obtained like a normal visa.   Your wife is eligible to work full time as a dependent of a student.

Your wife is eligible to work full time as a dependent of a student.

Yep, just like me!  We didn't even have an interview and everything went off without a hitch.   BTW, when you get your visas back and hers says, "No recourse to public funds," it only means you guys can't go on welfare.  That one threw us for a loop for a minute.

Congratulations on starting your Masters!  Hooray for London students!

Thanks everyone for the info.  I guess I shouldn't have made an appointment, but it's this Friday so it'd be stupid to cancel.  My wife will not be able to make the trip to New York with me, do you think that I will be able to get her visa along with mine when I go to the cosulate with this in mind?

Hello All!

First, let me start by saying that it is great that a resource like this is out here on the net.  My wife and I got married June 24th 2005.  I have been applying to do a masters degree in architecture since the beginning of the year.  I did interviews in the UK and all.  I got into schools in the US and in the UK and have decided that the UK would be best for me and my wife.  She is American, but did her undergraduate there in the UK. 

So, I have been dealing with post-acceptance stuff, all leading up to the critical visa.  Now I know I am pretty late here, but I JUST paid my whopping tuition deposit and received my letter from the school stating I have paid the deposit, and have officially accepted my place at the school.

Both my wife and I have binders made up with at least the following:

Me:
-Visa app
-Passport
-Birth Certificate
-Marriage License
-Bank Statements
-Payroll Stubs
-Undergrad Diploma
-Undergrad Transcripts
-School Acceptance Letter
-School Verification of Initial Payment

Her:
-Visa App
-Passport
-Birth Certificate
-Marriage License
-Bank Statements
-Payroll Stubs
-Undergrad Diploma

One thing that has been lingering is my loan apps.  I have been extrememly organized throughout this entire process, yet my loans are still not finalized.  Both (stafford and private) of them state that they are awaiting information from the school, yet when I communicate with the school, they assure me that everything has been sent out.  Now I know the physical implications of mailing things from the uk and back, but this seems to be taking too long.

My question is, are loan approvals an important part of the application?  I do have money saved up in my bank account.  Also what else would my wife have to submit in her visa app?  Would it help to add any documents I have from the school to her application?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

One thing that has been lingering is my loan apps.  I have been extrememly organized throughout this entire process, yet my loans are still not finalized.  Both (stafford and private) of them state that they are awaiting information from the school, yet when I communicate with the school, they assure me that everything has been sent out.  Now I know the physical implications of mailing things from the uk and back, but this seems to be taking too long.

My question is, are loan approvals an important part of the application?  I do have money saved up in my bank account.  Also what else would my wife have to submit in her visa app?  Would it help to add any documents I have from the school to her application?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Andrea and I got caught with this one, you have to have Proof Of Funds, that means a letter of approval for your loans or a bank statement showing enough money to get you through your studies without working (that means the course fee and your living expences).  Without this they won't even entertain the application.  We turned up in New York with everything but the approval letter and they sent us away within 5 min.

As for getting the loan, this to is a nightmare.  It took Andrea the best part of 4 -5 months to get everything through.  The only thing I can advise is get on the phone EVERYDAY + try and get really high up in the loan companies.  Andrea only started to make progress once she started to speak to somebody fairly high up in the organisation.  The school isn't perfect either to expect to get on the phone and ask them to fax things back and forth to the loan company.  If you wait for the post it will take forever. 

I don't want to make you worry just giving our experiances but to sum it up you have to chase, chase, chase all the way.

I'm Jmaster's gf and he's right. I had to have a specific contact that I worked with at the school and the loan co. I got both their direct lines and fax numbers and email addresses. I then played the go-btwn. I had to do the legwork and push both of them. It was an uphill battle all the way, but in the end, I got what I needed and I have a student visa. Good luck!

PS: I made up a worksheet for myself to track each call made and msg left. That way - I had proof in case someone tried to cover for laziness. I had to be diligent and pushy.

Your wife doesn't need a separate application.  She applies as a dependent of a student on your application.

Thanks for the replies y'all!

I too have been keeping a log of each call, and boy does it help!

I have been on the phone most of the morning trying to sort out the loans.  They say they can fax me a pre-approval form since all that is needed is some small details from the school.

I just got the faxes, and they are incomplete . . . I had them fax em to two different locations, and both of them are different and both are incomplete!  wow.

Do you think it will help to include copies of all of my documents with my wife's application?  Also, what kind of proof of funds will she need?  I think our parents will be helping us some, so I guess we should get that money into her account asap.

Posted by: Kristi
Your wife doesn't need a separate application.  She applies as a dependent of a student on your application.

Hmm, we did this on the web and all they asked me is her name, her birthdate, her location, and if she will be traveling with me.  Do I just submit her stuff along with mine?

Yes, submit her stuff with yours.  Her passport, birth cert, your marriage cert and all your proof of funds, and the acceptance letter from your uni.

Thx Kristy, hopefully I can get these faxes straightened out.  Just went to take pics today and we are almost ready to post!

They say they can fax me a pre-approval form since all that is needed is some small details from the school.

They did this to Andrea and thats what she took to NYC, that wasn't acceptable to them and they turned us away.  Proof of funds to them is an loan Approval Letter or money in the bank or both.

Hope this helps and good luck

Steve

since you went down that path, I will take your word for it.  I think the approval letter is just a phone call away.  Hopefully they can fax it over to me tomorrow or early next week.  But the BC will probably want originals.  Boy are we cutting it close!  I really don't see how I could have done it any faster.  I will just blame the school.  The sent an acceptance letter late in May.  Then we were told if we were applying for scholarships, our tuition deposit deadline was July 31st.  I tried to be proactive to pay it all of July 1st.  Still, here we are and we have not sent this off yet!

A friend of mine that will be attending the same school as me sent his in without all of the loan stuff.  We'll see how he fares, but I think it has been over a week and they have not replied to him yet.

Better take the safe route on this one.  Thx steve!

I'd echo what Jmaster and pittpanther said.  Get your final approval letters for EVERYTHING or else you'll get told to reapply later.  Final letter for loans, uni, etc.  You'll need your final acceptance letter when you go thru immigration on your new visa so make sure you carry it with you when you fly over.

My student visa from the LA consulate took about 10 days to process thru the mail.  You're probably not cutting it as close as you think you are.  The Consulate won't approve a visa for more then 12 weeks before entry anyway.  I sent my visa stuff off in the beginning of July and I had tickets to leave for August 1.  It wasn't a problem.

Cool, I will hold off a few more days until we have everything final.

One thing, how did you all organize this stuff?  One person suggested someone had used 3 ring binders.  I have some thin (1/2") 3 ring binders and some vinyl sheet protectors.  One binder for each of us.  Is organizing all of the documentation like this commonplace?  Is it helpful for the people processing, or does it just get in the way?