Student questions

You can satisfy the financial capacity requirement either by showing funds covering travel, twelve months' living costs and your first year's tuition, or by evidencing an annual income of at least AUD 60,000 (AUD 70,000 if family members are included). The living-cost component is a set figure that changes periodically. What matters as much as the amount is that the funds are traceable to a documented source — money that appears suddenly before lodgement is the most common reason applications run into trouble.

It replaced the former Genuine Temporary Entrant requirement. You are asked to explain your circumstances, why you chose this course and provider, and how the qualification fits your plans. It is assessed as a whole against the rest of your application, so consistency matters more than polish. Write it yourself, in your own words.

Yes, subject to a cap on hours while your course is in session, with more freedom during scheduled breaks. The cap has changed more than once in recent years, so check the current condition on your own visa grant notice rather than relying on what a friend was told in a previous year. Work rights are a visa condition — exceeding them can put your visa at risk.

No. Gaps are assessed rather than automatically penalised, and many successful applicants have them. What matters is documented evidence of what you were doing — employment records, further study, professional certification or family circumstances. An unexplained gap is the problem, not the gap.

No, and you should not plan on that basis. The Temporary Graduate visa is a temporary permission to work after graduating; it is not a residency pathway and does not automatically lead to one. Skilled migration is a separate process with its own criteria, which change independently of student and graduate visa policy. Choose a course you want to work in.

February is the largest intake with the widest course and scholarship choice; July is nearly as large for most disciplines. Some professional degrees admit only in February. The right answer usually depends on when your English result and documents will realistically be ready — rushing a February application is often worse than a well-prepared July one.

Not necessarily IELTS specifically. PTE Academic, TOEFL iBT and, at some institutions, the Duolingo English Test are also accepted. Two separate standards apply, though: the university's admission requirement and what the Department of Home Affairs accepts as visa evidence. Confirm both before booking a test.

Your first year's tuition fees, plus living costs of £1,529 per month if studying in London or £1,171 per month outside London, for a maximum of nine months. That is £13,761 or £10,539 in living costs for a full-length course. Critically, the money must be held for 28 consecutive days and your closing statement date must be within 31 days of applying. These figures are published directly by GOV.UK.

Your maintenance funds must sit in a qualifying account for 28 unbroken days, and the statement's end date must fall within 31 days of your application date. Applicants trip on it by transferring money between accounts mid-window, by applying too early, or by applying too late so the statement has gone stale. Work the calendar backwards from your intended application date and do not touch the money during the window.

Yes. Applicants from Nepal must provide a tuberculosis test certificate, and it must come from a clinic on the UK-approved list. A test at any other clinic, however reputable, will not be accepted. Check the approved clinic list on GOV.UK before booking.

GOV.UK states you will usually receive a decision within three weeks when applying from outside the UK. That is published guidance, not a guarantee, and it can extend during the peak period before the September intake. Never book non-refundable travel before your decision.

Yes. The twelve-month taught master's is the UK's standard postgraduate structure, not an abbreviated version of something longer, and it is recognised as a full qualification internationally. It is intensive — two taught semesters plus a dissertation — so the compression is in the calendar, not the content.

It depends on your course type and level. Rules on dependants have been significantly tightened in recent years and continue to change. Verify the current position on GOV.UK before making any family or financial plans — do not rely on what applied to someone who travelled in an earlier year.

They are two separate standards. At degree level your university, as a licensed sponsor, can assess your English itself and confirm it on the CAS. Below degree level you must sit an approved Secure English Language Test at an approved centre — a standard IELTS booking will not satisfy this. Always ask your university which test and version they need before you book.

It is short — often just a few minutes — and conducted through a window at the Embassy. The officer is assessing whether you are a genuine student, whether your studies are credibly funded, and whether you intend to return to Nepal afterwards. Expect direct questions: why this course, why this university, who is funding you, what will you do after. Answer briefly and honestly in your own words.

There is no fixed published threshold. Your I-20 states your institution's own estimate of tuition and living costs for one academic year, and you need to show you can meet that. The SEVIS fee of USD 350 and the MRV fee of USD 185 are separate. Credibility matters as much as the amount — the officer assesses whether the funding story holds together.

No. This is the most common mistake and it actively harms applications. Consular officers conduct many interviews every day and recognise rehearsed answers immediately, which raises rather than settles doubts. Understand your own plans well enough to explain them naturally, then answer the question you are actually asked.

It depends entirely on the institution. Some accept a three-year degree, some require a credential evaluation showing equivalence, and some require an additional year of study. Establish this before you apply — it can rule out programmes and it is far better to know early.

Additional review after an otherwise positive interview. It is not a refusal. It adds an unpredictable amount of time, cannot be expedited, and there is no reliable way to estimate its length. This is the main reason you should never book non-refundable travel before your passport is returned with the visa.

No. F-2 spouses are not permitted to work under any circumstances, and this is strictly enforced. F-2 children may attend school. If your spouse intends to work, F-2 status is not a workable arrangement and you should factor that into your decision before applying.

No. OPT is temporary work authorisation tied to your student status. Staying longer requires an employer to sponsor a different visa, most commonly the H-1B, which is subject to an annual cap and allocated by lottery — meaning even a strong candidate with a willing employer may not obtain one. Treat OPT as valuable experience in its own right, not as a step in a guaranteed sequence.

CAD 22,895 for living costs for a single applicant studying outside Quebec, plus your first year's tuition and return travel. IRCC updates this figure every September, and it rose substantially when the current basis was introduced — budget above the minimum rather than exactly at it. Additional amounts apply for accompanying family members.

A Provincial or Territorial Attestation Letter confirms you hold a place within your province's allocation under Canada's study permit cap. Most applicants need one, and most provinces require you to accept your offer and pay tuition before the institution can request it. From 1 January 2026, master's and doctoral students at a public DLI are exempt.

Not necessarily, and this is the most important thing to check before you enrol rather than after you graduate. PGWP eligibility depends on the institution being an eligible DLI, the programme meeting minimum length requirements, and — for some applicants — field-of-study requirements introduced recently. Private college programmes in particular have had eligibility restricted. Verify for your exact programme on IRCC's site.

Because they do. Since 2024 Canada has introduced a study permit cap, added the PAL requirement, sharply raised the funds threshold, and revised PGWP and spousal work permit eligibility more than once. This is the one destination where advice from someone who applied even two years ago is likely to be materially wrong.

Possibly, but eligibility for a spousal open work permit has been narrowed and now depends on your programme level and institution type. It is no longer broadly available as it once was. Verify current eligibility before making any family plans.

No — Canada's public college sector delivers genuinely employment-focused qualifications and is well regarded by employers. The important distinction is not college versus university but public versus private, and whether your specific programme carries PGWP eligibility. Check that, not the label.

Cold enough that proper winter clothing is a necessary up-front cost, not an optional one. Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and much of Ontario and Quebec see temperatures far below anything in Nepal. Vancouver and Victoria are considerably milder. Factor both climate and cost into your choice of province.

There is no fixed minimum. Immigration Service Delivery states explicitly that no set sum guarantees approval or refusal — the visa officer assesses whether your funds are adequate for your circumstances and whether you can support yourself without casual work or public funds. €10,000 for first-year living expenses is the commonly quoted guide figure. Because there is no bar to clear, aim for a complete and traceable financial picture rather than a single balance.

Generally yes, in full or substantial part — and this is one of the biggest practical differences between Ireland and other destinations. Before transferring the money, make sure you understand your institution's refund policy in the event of a visa refusal, and get it in writing.

In Dublin, genuinely hard. There is a well-documented student housing shortage with high rents and limited supply. Secure accommodation before you travel rather than expecting to find something after arrival — students who plan to sort it on the ground frequently struggle. Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford are considerably easier.

Yes. On Stamp 2 permission with an eligible programme you may work up to 20 hours per week during term time, and up to 40 hours per week during the defined holiday periods — June to September inclusive, and 15 December to 15 January. Note those are fixed calendar dates, not simply whenever your institution is not teaching.

Generally no. Students holding Stamp 2 permission are not usually able to bring dependants to live with them in Ireland. If family accompaniment is important to you, this is a significant point to weigh before choosing Ireland.

The Irish Residence Permit is your immigration registration card, obtained after you arrive. You must register with immigration and pay the registration fee within the stated period — commonly cited as €300. It is a separate, required step, and missing the deadline creates real problems.

Usually for EU membership and the concentration of technology and pharmaceutical employers. Ireland's degrees are recognised across the EU, and the density of multinational European headquarters in Dublin and Cork creates unusually direct links between universities and those industries. The trade-off is a smaller system with fewer institutions and programmes, tighter accommodation, and no ability to bring dependants.

NZD 20,000 for each year of study if your programme lasts a year or more, or NZD 1,667 per month for shorter study. This is for living costs and is in addition to your tuition fees, which are normally paid before the visa is granted. Immigration New Zealand publishes these figures directly, so there is little ambiguity — but show a comfortable margin rather than the exact minimum.

Up to 25 hours per week during study for eligible students, and full-time during scheduled holidays. Note that this was increased from the long-standing 20-hour limit, so older guidance you may read elsewhere is out of date. Not every student visa carries work rights — check the conditions stated on your own visa.

Yes, and the small number is actually an advantage for applicants. All eight appear in the major international rankings, which means the gap between the best-known and least-known is far narrower than in systems with hundreds of providers. You are much less likely to accidentally choose an institution that carries little weight.

It is genuinely the most remote destination in this guide, and it deserves an honest answer. Flights are long and connect through Asian or Gulf hubs, and the cost means most students do not return home during their studies. If being able to travel home for family events matters to you, weigh that seriously — Australia is considerably closer and better connected.

Yes. International doctoral students are generally charged domestic tuition rates, which is a distinctive New Zealand arrangement and makes doctoral study substantially more affordable than in Australia, the UK or the USA. Combined with doctoral scholarships, it is one of the strongest cases for choosing New Zealand.

Possibly. Partners of students in defined categories — particularly postgraduate research students and those in specified fields — may be eligible for a work visa. It depends on your own level and field of study, so confirm the current position for your specific programme before making plans.

New Zealand has strict border controls on food, plant and animal material to protect its agriculture, and they are strictly enforced with real penalties. Declare everything on arrival — instant fines apply for undeclared items, including things travellers consider harmless like packaged snacks or spices from home. Declaring costs nothing; not declaring can cost a great deal.