Changes summarized for SPP- Canada

1. Any application submitted after September 01st, 2012 will require IELTS overall of 6.0 and no individual band less than 5.5.

2. No student can apply if he or she has average grade of 49% or less than 49% - in most recent completed studies - 12th or bachelors or diploma.

3. A new requirement for students to be depositing to a Canadian bank - tuition and/or living for studying in Canada is proposed to come into effect for January, 2013 applications.

4. Until that becomes effective - SPP applicants can apply with student loans, we will immediately let you know once the above becomes. Effective.

To watch for:

1. Do not apply for students who do not meet the IELTS criteria.

2. Do not apply for bank loans where a fixed deposit is secured, but, without a maturity date on that deposit.

3. Do not apply for students who have several failed courses, large gaps of 4 or more years in studies (regardless of their work experience), and inconsistent in program choice with past studies.

4. Do not apply for students where bank loan is guaranteed by a third party who is not in blood relation to the student.

For more information, contact us.

Approved English Language Tests/comparisons

For reference/information, please find link below of  table of approved SELT tests recognised by the UKBA.

This comparison chart shows the equivalence between various tests including IELTS, TOEFL ibT and Pearsons Academic. Pearsons Academic English tests are becoming more widely available, with result turnaround times usually taking less than 5 days.

This table has been collated in line with UKBA guidance:
http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/applicationforms/new-approved-english-tests.pdf  

New Student Visa Application form for Canada

This is to inform you all that the Visa Application form for Canada Student VISA application i.e. IMM1294E form is changed.

All other forms i.e. Consent Form, Family information form and Student Questionnaire are same.

Only the main application form has been changed. Please use this new form for all the Student Visa Application from now onwards. You can visit the link given below for the new application form.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM1294E.PDF

Please feel free to get back to us for any query you may have.

University of Northampton, UK have been acknowledged as UK’s No 1 University for Employment.

In the latest HESA figures, 96% of our graduates from full-time courses 2010/11 were in employment or further study within six months.* Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford said: “It is great news for The University and for all our students; whether new graduates, undergraduates or those still contemplating their further education options in a tough economic climate. “We knew that we were producing graduates with more than just great qualifications in their chosen field and now we have the statistics to prove that. Students leave us with the skills that mean they can compete for the best jobs in a competitive job market. “We are committed to being the number one university for social enterprise and every Northampton student gets a chance to get involved in these socially responsible businesses. It gives them a taste of the real world and also helps benefit the wider community on so many levels. “It means our students have a depth of knowledge in their core academic area subject AND a breadth of experience and confidence across more broad themes too that help make them more attractive future employees. I call them T-shaped students – they have the deep understanding of their study subject (the I) but the top bar of the T means sticking your head up out of the I, looking around and working with other disciplines and understanding how they work together to solve real problems. Universities have traditionally not been very good at putting the T’s on students. That’s where we are different and is demonstrated by these employability statistics.” From September all undergraduates can also take our Northampton Employabilty Award. The extra-curricular, non-credit bearing Award identifies transferable skills from volunteering or part time positions. *

Source: HESA Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Survey 2010/11. July 2012, compared to full university status HEI’s for full time study first Undergraduate degree leavers. 95.6% of leavers who obtained first degrees from full-time courses 2010/11 at The University of Northampton were in employment or further study within 6 months of completing their course

Compulsory TB screening for UK students from 1st November 2012

Most of you might be updated on this already but for the benefit of those that aren’t, please note that the pre-entry TB screening comes into effect from 01st November 2012 where all students must submit a TB clearance certificate along with their visa applications failing which their visa will be refused.

How to obtain the TB clearance certificate?

Only approved TB clinic reports will be accepted. Click on the following link for a list of approved clinics:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/countries/india/tb-screen.pdf

Student needs to call the clinic and book an appointment before visiting, Student takes a chest X ray and obtains the TB clearance certificate Validity of the TB test is 6 months Student needs to submit the clearance certificate along with the application at the time of submitting his/her documents at the VFS. The approximate cost for the TB diagnostic test is Rs. 1,500. Students who are to apply for the Tier 4 (General) Student visa (6 months and above) follow the instructions as described above.Likewise, it does not affect 6 month visitor visa applications to see family, for tourism or for business.

TB screening, including the list of approved clinicians in India and frequently asked questions, is on the British High Commission’s website: http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk (under “visiting the UK”) and the UK Border Agency’s website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/countries/india (under “applying for a UK visa”).