Once the university application process is out of the way, it’s tempting to imagine that the worst of the paperwork is over and done.
If you’re working as a counsellor at an international school then that’s probably not far from the truth (at least, that is, until September comes around again).
But unfortunately, your students can’t take a break from paperwork just yet.
As soon as they receive any and all of their acceptance letters, the clock starts ticking on another important document submission deadline – applying for their student visas.
For an international student, a visa is often the final piece of the application jigsaw. It’s also one of the most important steps in the whole university enrolment process – after all, it’s the document that ultimately gives a student the right to live and study in their new host country.
It’s therefore completely understandable for the student visa process to be one of the most nerve-wracking components of the enrolment process.
For many students, there’s likely a tiny but niggling fear that their visa application will be rejected for some reason and they won’t be able to take up the place at university that they worked so hard to attain.
Luckily, in most cases that fear is totally unfounded. As we’re so fond of reminding our students, most host countries are keen to welcome international students and there is plenty of guidance out there to ensure that their visa application journey is as smooth as possible!
But, as ever, the different international destinations will all have slightly differing visa application processes. And getting to grips with them can be hard.
Your more self-sufficient students may not come to you to ask about visa issues at all.
If your students do approach you for help and you’re unsure of where to direct them – don’t worry, you’re in luck.
We’ve compiled the visa processes and requirements for some of the most popular international study destinations. Click on any of the named countries below and you can get a quick and digestible overview of the student visa process.
