School too expensive?

I'm wondering if the Unmarried Partner Visa still has the income requirement for her. Because if it does she would not meet that. She is still in College.

All family/partner visas have the same income requirement - £18,600 per year. However if you are already living in the UK when you apply for the unmarried partner visa, then you only have to earn a JOINT income of £18,600, so she wouldn't need to earn it all by herself, you can combine both your incomes to meet the requirement.

If you are not already living in the UK when you apply for a fiancé or spousal visa (or an unmarried partner visa if you have been living together in a different country) then only her income can be considered, so she would have to be earning the full £18,600 herself.

This would all be a long way off though - first you need to finish community college, then either move to the UK as a student and live together for 2 years (2017) or you could do a 4-year US degree with a 1-year study abroad in the middle, go back and finish your degree in the US and then think about getting married (2018/2019).

So in either of those cases you're looking at your girlfriend being around 21-23 by the time you'd be able to apply for an unmarried partner or fiancé/spousal visa and would hopefully have a decent-paying job by then.

I did some looking up and found flight to be on average from 900-$1200 depending on the date it's schedual for.

Flights are a lot more expensive now than they used to be, because of all the airline taxes that have been added in recent years. I used to be able to get flights to the US for as little as £300 in the off-peak seasons, but now they're more like £500.

Even if i did decide to go into debt that much would still cost me a lot. For two years would be the same to study for 4 years here in america. My best bet is to study abrod for free!

How are you going to study abroad for free? Do schools even offer that option?

You also can't study abroad for a whole degree - you can usually only do study abroad for 1 semester or 1 year of your degree. I know one US student who came to my UK university for 1 year and another who spent 1 semester in Wales in her sophomore year and then 1 semester in Brazil in her junior year.

When I did a study abroad exchange program, I had to pay fees to my UK university (and the US exchange students going to the UK had to pay fees to their US university), plus I had to pay for my US accommodation, food, books, and spending money myself.

The whole year abroad cost about $14,000 in total:

$800 tuition
$6,000 student loan for accommodation and food
$4,000 in general spending and travelling during the year - earned by working full time for 2 months before I left and from some savings I had.
$3,000 on 3.5 weeks of travelling at the end of the year - my mum very kindly gave me the money she'd earned from selling some shares she had.

My flights were about $1,000 but I managed to get my local council in the UK to pay for them.

Because of my year in the US I ended up with more student loan debt than my friends, because I borrowed extra money for the year abroad and I have 4 years of loans to pay off instead of 3 years.

All family/partner visas have the same income requirement - £18,600 per year. However if you are already living in the UK when you apply for the unmarried partner visa, then you only have to earn a JOINT income of £18,600, so she wouldn't need to earn it all by herself, you can combine both your incomes to meet the requirement.

If you are not already living in the UK when you apply for a fiancé or spousal visa (or an unmarried partner visa if you have been living together in a different country) then only her income can be considered, so she would have to be earning the full £18,600 herself.

This would all be a long way off though - first you need to finish community college, then either move to the UK as a student and live together for 2 years (2017) or you could do a 4-year US degree with a 1-year study abroad in the middle, go back and finish your degree in the US and then think about getting married (2018/2019).

So in either of those cases you're looking at your girlfriend being around 21-23 by the time you'd be able to apply for an unmarried partner or fiancé/spousal visa and would hopefully have a decent-paying job by then.

Flights are a lot more expensive now than they used to be, because of all the airline taxes that have been added in recent years. I used to be able to get flights to the US for as little as £300 in the off-peak seasons, but now they're more like £500.

We have discussed this many times that this whole process will take time, if our love is strong enough it will last and we will get trough this together. The income requirement is really an issue because we both are so young and that amount of money would take ages to save up for. That might not even be possible until i have a stable job to afford it.
  I have 2 years of college left and will transfer to a university. If i can study abroad my first year i will do it for sure. I think with this school you can sign up once you meet the class requiremnts for the UK.

How are you going to study abroad for free? Do schools even offer that option?

You also can't study abroad for a whole degree - you can usually only do study abroad for 1 semester or 1 year of your degree. I know one US student who came to my UK university for 1 year and another who spent 1 semester in Wales in her sophomore year and then 1 semester in Brazil in her junior year.

When I did a study abroad exchange program, I had to pay fees to my UK university (and the US exchange students going to the UK had to pay fees to their US university), plus I had to pay for my US accommodation, food, books, and spending money myself.

The whole year abroad cost about $14,000 in total:

$800 tuition
$6,000 student loan for accommodation and food
$4,000 in general spending and travelling during the year - earned by working full time for 2 months before I left and from some savings I had.
$3,000 on 3.5 weeks of travelling at the end of the year - my mum very kindly gave me the money she'd earned from selling some shares she had.

My flights were about $1,000 but I managed to get my local council in the UK to pay for them.

Because of my year in the US I ended up with more student loan debt than my friends, because I borrowed extra money for the year abroad and I have 4 years of loans to pay off instead of 3 years.

Not for free, but i won't be paying the money out of pocket, i will have fianancial aid, and scholorships to cover the cost.

here is the website for the university program for study abroad. https://edabroad.uncc.edu/prospective-and-current-students/steps-studying-abroad

 I looked into the universities program and it is possible to re apply for study abroad as long as they offer the same classes that will help me graduate. In some situation the classes you take abroad will not give you enough credits to graduate on time which is why some people only study abrod for one year.
ALso thank you for the advice, you gave me a general idea what i can expect in cost.

We have discussed this many times that this whole process will take time, if our love is strong enough it will last and we will get trough this together. The income requirement is really an issue because we both are so young and that amount of money would take ages to save up for. That might not even be possible until i have a stable job to afford it.

The thing with the income requirement is that you either meet it or you don't. It's not really something you can 'save up' for because it is based on your current income. It is possible to use savings, but if neither of you are working in the UK, then you will need £62,500 (approx. $100,000) in savings to qualify.

You can't meet the income requirement while you are students, because it's simply not going to be possible, so you'll just have to put it to the back of your mind for the next few years and concentrate on the 'now' - how you will see each other and spend time together while you are both studying - and then you can consider how to meet the income requirement once you have graduated and you have jobs.

Also bear in mind that the immigration rules and visa requirements are changing all the time and they may change completely between now and when you are able to apply for the visa. We have a general rule of thumb here on the forum that any visa information that is more than 6 months old may well be out of date!

Before July 2012, there was no minimum income requirement and it only took 2 years to gain permanent residence on a spousal/partner visa; a year or two before that, you could not qualify for a fiance/spousal/unmarried partner visa unless you were both over 21. Now both of those rules have changed and now there is an income requirement, it takes 5 years to gain permanent residence, and you only have to be 18.

And they are already reviewing the new income requirement to decide if it's too high. It could take months, or even years, to make a decision on it, but the income requirement may well be completely different by the time you're ready to apply.

I have 2 years of college left and will transfer to a university. If i can study abroad my first year i will do it for sure. I think with this school you can sign up once you meet the class requiremnts for the UK.

Not for free, but i won't be paying the money out of pocket, i will have fianancial aid, and scholorships to cover the cost.

here is the website for the university program for study abroad. https://edabroad.uncc.edu/prospective-and-current-students/steps-studying-abroad

 I looked into the universities program and it is possible to re apply for study abroad as long as they offer the same classes that will help me graduate. In some situation the classes you take abroad will not give you enough credits to graduate on time which is why some people only study abrod for one year.

Ah, okay. From what you've posted and from other people I know in the US, it seems like it's easier to study abroad through a US university than it is to study abroad through a UK university.

My study abroad year was set - I didn't have a whole lot of choice about where I studied in the US and I had no choice about WHEN I studied - it was my third year, or not at all.

I had to apply for a specific major that offered study abroad while I was in high school - my official degree title was "Theoretical Physics with North American Study" - I had to get specific grades in first and second year, and I had to be up to a certain standard in mathematics, in order to be allowed to go.

Then my UK professors specified which classes I was required to take in the US in order to be able to graduate in the UK and I was only given the choice of four different US colleges to attend: University of New Mexico, University of Kansas, University of Iowa and Central Michigan University... except I wasn't allowed to choose CMU after all because they did not offer one of my required classes that year.

ALso thank you for the advice, you gave me a general idea what i can expect in cost.

No problem, although bear in mind that my study abroad year was 10 years ago so costs are higher now (back then, I could get one-way US domestic flights for $50, but now the same flights cost $100-200), and also living and travel costs in the UK are higher than in the US, so my estimates may be completely out for studying in the UK.

The University of Essex recommends that an international student will need about $8,000 in living costs for the year, and that's not including any tourist travel you wish to do around the UK and Europe. It will depend where you are living though (university accommodation or private renting), as university accommodation may be more expensive.

If you were applying for a regular Tier 4 student visa to study for a degree in the UK (paying the full international fees), rather than doing a study abroad exchange program, you would be required to show £7,200 (about $12,000) in living costs for the first year if you were studying outside Inner London and £9,000 ($15,000) if you were studying in Inner London.

Hi there,

I wanted to add a few extra thoughts / considerations:

If you had your heart set on an UK education, but can’t afford the travel, what about distance education?

For example, University of London
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/courses/search/?filters=tid%3A557%20tid%3A546&solrsort=sort_title%20asc

I also see at your university, the closest UK program (geographically) to Essex is the University of East London one:
https://edabroad.uncc.edu/programs/europe

Also, I don’t think anyone has mentioned professional bodies and professional regulation issues between the US / UK for computer sciences. This is often and extra challenge regarding employment. For example, in the UK, the main IT body is the British Computer Society:
http://www.bcs.org/

Do you know the equivalent ones in the US and your state and what issues there might be for professional practice in the future in the US, if you have a UK degree?
I think a US one might be:
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/guest/home

Lastly, is your course accredited?  This will help with gaining employment. I think these might be relevant organisations:
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=65

If GibbyGab is around, she may be able to provide an insight into studying in the UK and other practical issues.

Hope that helps. 

Also bear in mind that the immigration rules and visa requirements are changing all the time and they may change completely between now and when you are able to apply for the visa. We have a general rule of thumb here on the forum that any visa information that is more than 6 months old may well be out of date!

Before July 2012, there was no minimum income requirement and it only took 2 years to gain permanent residence on a spousal/partner visa; a year or two before that, you could not qualify for a fiance/spousal/unmarried partner visa unless you were both over 21. Now both of those rules have changed and now there is an income requirement, it takes 5 years to gain permanent residence, and you only have to be 18.

And they are already reviewing the new income requirement to decide if it's too high. It could take months, or even years, to make a decision on it, but the income requirement may well be completely different by the time you're ready to apply.

I hope the future the requiremens change for the better. Maybe reduce the cost by a lot! I will most likely be living with her in the future. But it seems like those visa cost req. are a huge pain in the ass.

Ah, okay. From what you've posted and from other people I know in the US, it seems like it's easier to study abroad through a US university than it is to study abroad through a UK university.

My study abroad year was set - I didn't have a whole lot of choice about where I studied in the US and I had no choice about WHEN I studied - it was my third year, or not at all.

I had to apply for a specific major that offered study abroad while I was in high school - my official degree title was "Theoretical Physics with North American Study" - I had to get specific grades in first and second year, and I had to be up to a certain standard in mathematics, in order to be allowed to go.

Then my UK professors specified which classes I was required to take in the US in order to be able to graduate in the UK and I was only given the choice of four different US colleges to attend: University of New Mexico, University of Kansas, University of Iowa and Central Michigan University... except I wasn't allowed to choose CMU after all because they did not offer one of my required classes that year.

It's much better to study abroad throgh a us college here. Because i can get scholorships and grants to help fund the schooling in UK.

No problem, although bear in mind that my study abroad year was 10 years ago so costs are higher now (back then, I could get one-way US domestic flights for $50, but now the same flights cost $100-200), and also living and travel costs in the UK are higher than in the US, so my estimates may be completely out for studying in the UK.

The University of Essex recommends that an international student will need about $8,000 in living costs for the year, and that's not including any tourist travel you wish to do around the UK and Europe. It will depend where you are living though (university accommodation or private renting), as university accommodation may be more expensive.

If you were applying for a regular Tier 4 student visa to study for a degree in the UK (paying the full international fees), rather than doing a study abroad exchange program, you would be required to show £7,200 (about $12,000) in living costs for the first year if you were studying outside Inner London and £9,000 ($15,000) if you were studying in Inner London.

It is quite expensive, in the mean time i will work my hardest at a job to save money to help any cost that i have to pay for. I think a year of working should be enough for that.

Hi there,

I wanted to add a few extra thoughts / considerations:

If you had your heart set on an UK education, but can’t afford the travel, what about distance education?

For example, University of London
http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/courses/search/?filters=tid%3A557%20tid%3A546&solrsort=sort_title%20asc

I also see at your university, the closest UK program (geographically) to Essex is the University of East London one:
https://edabroad.uncc.edu/programs/europe

Also, I don’t think anyone has mentioned professional bodies and professional regulation issues between the US / UK for computer sciences. This is often and extra challenge regarding employment. For example, in the UK, the main IT body is the British Computer Society:
http://www.bcs.org/

Do you know the equivalent ones in the US and your state and what issues there might be for professional practice in the future in the US, if you have a UK degree?
I think a US one might be:
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/guest/home

Lastly, is your course accredited?  This will help with gaining employment. I think these might be relevant organisations:
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=65

If GibbyGab is around, she may be able to provide an insight into studying in the UK and other practical issues.

Hope that helps. 

  This did help thanks! I actually did some research today and found a way to get into the University of Esesx. I found a local university called university of carolina, UNC.EDU which offers study abroad at University of Essex!!!!!. Lucky right? Now i can be right next to her if everything works out. She was so happy when i told her about it.
 
 The only thing now is to get good grades in community, get accepted into the school and Afford it than transfer in. I really hope i can get into this school next year. My plan is to take the required classes i need for a whole year at community college and then tranfer in as a sophmore and study abroad right away. The requirement for study abroad at this school is to be a sophmore with C average. Here is the progam req
http://studyabroad.unc.edu/programs.cfm?pk=1830

   Also i would like to note that i will not be paying the fees to the University of Essex. As an exchange student i will only be paying the cost of the school i am attending in the US. Except for travel cost. More info here. http://studyabroad.unc.edu/handbook.cfm?pk=0&hbk=31&ch=1&ustatus=UNC&hbkTerm=Fall&hbkYear=2014&showsub=0

I would like to thank everyone for yout help. I now have a plan set in motion that i have to work hard at in order to acheive!! I hope i can start working a job and visit her by next summer. And i hope nothing goes wrong like not being accepted into the university of north carolina, or not being able to afford it. Because if that does i can't study aboard!!

You may find that a lot of the legwork and planning to spend sophomore year abroad actually occurs in freshman year.  You would obviously also have to be accepted to UNC first before applying for a year abroad as well.

I would also strongly suggest that you choose your US university not only based on where its exchanges are based, but for other reasons as well. 

1. I guess most important would be the exact major you're interested in, as the focus of each program can differ from uni to uni. 

2.  I thought you were planning on attending UNCC  (assuming maybe it's local and you can live at home?, So if you have to move elsewhere, would the cost of accommodation in Chapel Hill affect your plans for the remainder of the degree (and ability to save money for future flights?) 

3. Is Chapel Hill even a place you would want to live?  Tarheel territory can get a bit crazy if you're a Blue Devil or Wolfpack fan....

4. There are plenty of excellent universities in NC (again, assuming you're from there), so I would really assess the whole degree program rather than just whether they have an exchange with the University of Essex.

5.  The partner relationships that US and UK universities can often change.  When I first started looking at exchange programs, my university had a partnership with the University of Manchester.  The next year when I applied, it didn't anymore.

I would really recommend that you consider a large variety of factors when making such a big decision that can affect the rest of your life.  There are many public universities in North Carolina, which all operate independently.  Research all 17 here .

You may find that a lot of the legwork and planning to spend sophomore year abroad actually occurs in freshman year.  You would obviously also have to be accepted to UNC first before applying for a year abroad as well.

I would also strongly suggest that you choose your US university not only based on where its exchanges are based, but for other reasons as well. 

1. I guess most important would be the exact major you're interested in, as the focus of each program can differ from uni to uni. 

2.  I thought you were planning on attending UNCC  (assuming maybe it's local and you can live at home?, So if you have to move elsewhere, would the cost of accommodation in Chapel Hill affect your plans for the remainder of the degree (and ability to save money for future flights?) 

3. Is Chapel Hill even a place you would want to live?  Tarheel territory can get a bit crazy if you're a Blue Devil or Wolfpack fan....

4. There are plenty of excellent universities in NC (again, assuming you're from there), so I would really assess the whole degree program rather than just whether they have an exchange with the University of Essex.

5.  The partner relationships that US and UK universities can often change.  When I first started looking at exchange programs, my university had a partnership with the University of Manchester.  The next year when I applied, it didn't anymore.

I would really recommend that you consider a large variety of factors when making such a big decision that can affect the rest of your life.  There are many public universities in North Carolina, which all operate independently.  Research all 17 here .

1. You are completely right, i should be choosing a major based on the program. I have looked into their program this past week and i have to say it's better than the one at UNCC. UNCC makes you take a bunch of general classes while UNC gets me straight into the classes i need.

2. At UNCC i can get there by buss and at Chapel Hill i will be staying on campus. I do not think it will affect my plans for future flights. I run my own buisness which has a lot of revenue coming in to help pay for flights.

3. Yes, i consider Chapel hill a nice and quite place away from all the city where i can focus on studying.

4. I have looked at this school a few years ago and wanted to attend it, but now that it has exchange program there is even more reason for me to join. Along with thier amazing computer science program as well.

5. I hope not, that would suck! if it did change on me =p were there any requirements for you to apply for example, be a sophmore or have a certain amount of credits?