Over 1,000 students harbouring dreams of higher education overseas turned up for The Hindu International Education Fair 2020 where they got an opportunity to interact with experts on education, consular officers and diplomats from various countries. The experts shared dos and don’ts of documentation with key takeaways being planning in advance, and ‘honesty’ in submitting documents.
Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, encouraged students to file applications on their own and not engage visa agents who “complicate things”. He said applicants often tend to pay agents a lot of money for something they can do themselves. “You have to be honest with yourself. Do I have everything here? If not, my advice is to defer for a year; make sure you have everything before you apply,” he said.
Touching upon how counterfeit documents can lead to applicants being barred from the UK, he said, “If you produce an incorrect document, and when I say ‘incorrect’, I don’t mean a mistake on your part, or that you have put the wrong piece of paper in. I mean something which is actually forged or counterfeit. In that case, you are going to face a 10-year ban from travel to the UK. Often these problems arise not from the individual; they arise also because of agents who do extra things.”
Describing the UK as a world leader in education, Mr Fleming said universities there are renowned for their quality, diversity and impact. He added that the visa issue rate for Indian students is 96%.
Responding to a question about the new graduation immigration route, Mr Fleming said, “The rules for graduation route will apply to anybody who goes to the UK starting this September. The details haven’t been published. It will come out. It does require that you will apply for a further permission to stay in the UK. It is not like you will get a visa for five years, and not three. You have to apply separately after you graduate.”
Ari Katz, Vice Consul, US Consulate General in Hyderabad, said education in the USA can be expensive and that applicants should factor in tuition cost, living and travel expenses. He said that students must prepare for the interview by being ‘genuine’ and honest, and discouraged them from taking the route of rehearsed speeches.
Taking questions from a participant on what applicants should do if they change plans and want to work after finishing a course, Mr Katz said applicants should have concrete plans and need to speak ‘convincingly’ about them. “You need to have plans beyond working in the US,” he added.
Responding to a question on nervousness of applicants during interviews, Mr Katz advised students to be ‘prepared in a genuine way’ and plan. He discouraged them from using scripted speeches. Mr Katz also said that visa interviews are short, and clarified that a visa allows applicants to arrive at a port of entry but it is the Department of Homeland Security which determines the length of stay.
