Student Immigration Blog: To the UK!

Visa Letter has arrived! Hallelujah!

2009-07-06T14:36:00.003-04:00

Aberystwyth has finally sent me my visa letter! I am ecstatic, as it has taken several months, plenty of paperwork, and a mysterious labyrinth of a process that no one at the University Admissions Department seems to be fully aware of. As was recently highlighted, I have had to jump through several hoops and make numerous calls to the university to no avail. Well now everything is fine.

In terms of finances, my federal loans have come through very easily once the proper steps (never actually made clear to me throughout the process, as it is quite different from the Student Aid for domestic schools) were taken. Now it is just a question of coming up with another 10 000 or so dollars to meet the tuition and maintenance fee requirements, which my father, bless his soul, is doing everything in his power to help me attain. Things are looking up for my Student Visa, and I am quite happy about that!

An Open letter to Aberystwyth

2009-06-23T14:42:00.001-04:00

Dear Aberystwyth University:

You were not my first choice, however you became my first choice because you told me you could provide me a visa letter in time to apply for the old system of Student Immigration, instead of the incredibly difficult Tier 4 PBS (Points Based System). You told me to confirm my offer from the university, thereby rejecting completely and irrevocably my other choices, and that the Visa letter would be on its way.

This was in January.

Then Febuary: «We need a financial statement from you before we can send the letter»

Financial statement successfully completed and received by the school

On to March: «We are having trouble right now with the visa letter processing as the new system comes into place at the end of the month»

31 March 2009 Tier 4 Comes into affect (aka i'm now fucked)

April's Problem: «We've sent it twice by courier, you should have received it»

Upon not receiving the letter, I called again

June's Visa letter hick up: «We can't process your visa letter until we certify your loan»

Federal loan certified

I'll be calling tomorrow to see what your excuse is now, and I will be making it quite clear that I am ready to chuck it in until next year where I can go somewhere better and have more time to get the required funds for the Tier 4 Student Visa, that I have received nothing but duplicitous and conflicting, not to mention at time annoyed answers from the staff in various departments. If you want my fees (about 3 times what a UK student pays) you need to start supporting me in my endeavor. It is not right that I am left on my own to pursue this without the slightest bit of help from the you the University. I don't expect handholding, I expect truth and consistency.

My trip to first trip to Aberystwyth!

2009-04-29T07:52:00.001-04:00

I recently paid my future home of Aberystwyth a visit, and I found it to be a lovely and enchanting place, full of friendly people and hospitable establishments, with plenty of things to do, see, and try. It was as if every moment spent there was one spent in the glorious present, free from the inhibitions and constraints of everyday life around here.

My arrival in the UK was not quite a warm welcome, it seemed like an endless walk from the airplane to passport control, where I was greeted by a border agent who did a fairly thorough job of checking my identity and plans and reasons for being in the country, despite my being a non-visa national, which surprised me a bit.

The subsequent Tube ride seemed like forever, although it did give a panoramic view of West London, its gardens and sheds and shops and streets. London Euston where I had to buy my ticket to Aber was quite a mess, and I spent nearly a half hour trying to get a ticket to my destination. I was shocked to find out that one must pay for using the loo in many public places, 30 bloody pence! (exact change of course)

However the ride from London Euston through to Birmingham New Street was quite an interesting ride past the green English countryside which has occupied so much of my dream scape these past few years. Past Birmingham and through the urbanised West Midlands with their many allotments and Masjids, which made way for Shropshire and its verdant pastures. An eternity later I arrived on the Welsh coast and climpsed for the first time what I hoped would be a wonderful place to live and prosper. How right I was.

The town itself, though counting among its inhabitants only 25 000 people, is positively buzzing with activity, from early in the morning till late into the night. The variety of shops, restaurants, pubs, clubs and other entertainment venues is quite tantalising, and the residents are quite welcoming.

During my sojourn at Aberystwyth I made a great many friends and acquaintances, and hardly encountered any rudeness or aggression whatsoever. The residents of the town, as well as the transplants, truly make one feel at home and among friends.

It wasn't long before the loneliness that a solo traveller faces was broken by a friendly face from Surrey, England, who was staying at the same hostel. That night we went out for a laugh and oh what a laugh it was. The next day was the Aberystwyth University Visiting Day, where I saw the campus and got a better idea of the program I would participate in (Education), as well as a fruitful meeting between myself and the head of the French department.

Later on that day I made other friends and we chilled late into the night. It was indeed a revealing several hours, where I got to see exactly what and how the British youth think about the current political and economic situation, as well as an intimate look at what exactly the youth of that area do for fun. It was quite fun and a very good learning experience.

The next two days spent in Aberystwyth were spent walking and talking and chilling and doing basically whatever I pleased. It was only upon leaving Aber that I realised exactly how much I would miss it, and precisely how much I wanted to return.

Oh halai that one day I will live there and be happy!

What will a Conservative Government mean for Immigration in the UK

2009-03-22T11:21:00.002-04:00

The way in which David Cameron has approached the subject of immigration has been very careful. He leaves his shadow ministers to do most of the dirty work, only really commenting on the «issue» when there is something so outrageous to the British public that he must (such as several thousand illegal immigrants working for the security services). However that is not to say that the Conservatives don't have a comprehensive scare-mongering platform for Immigration.

Their main gripe: Population growth. The population is of the Great Britain is expected to reach 70 million within the next 20 years, something that strikes fear into the heart of Middle England. It is estimated that there will soon be more pensioners than workers, meaning that the social services system will be under more pressure and that the country will become more crowded and more diverse.

None of these are problems however. An increase in immigration will mean able-bodied qualified young men and women will come and support the ageing population through their tax contributions and the services they provide in Health, Education, civil authorities, etc. Diversity is a non-starter, already 1 in 10 children in Britain are mixed race, not to mention the UK being comprised of 4 distinct national groups along with many other strong minority communities. And crowding, well let us remember that there is a huge amount of empty land in the UK which is neither protected nor build on.

And lets not blame Conservatives alone for this fear-invoking prediction, NuLabour Immigration Minister has pledged to not let this happen!

NuLabour and Immigration: A Farce

2009-03-22T09:26:00.003-04:00

NuLabour has made a fool of itself by succumbing to the xenophobic, often racist, anti-immigrant sentiment that has gained some popularity these days. As the economy shrinks and unemployment reaches 2 million, the Brown government has chosen the bigoted Phil Woolas for its Immigration Minister, the one who believes that there are too many immigrants in Britain. This shows that the government is in fact desperate to put on a tough face in the realm of immigration.

However the true doctrine of any Labour party, the party of the workers, should be to accept and welcome immigrants as our brothers and sisters in toil. Immigrants don't come to the UK for a handout, they come to make a better life for themselves and their families. Should they not be included in the Labour dream.

I don't think that the British public is inherently racist or xenophobic or even anti-Immigrant, I think it is the political parties, the think tanks, and the tabloid media which stoke the fires of this sentiment and make it progressively difficult to be and become and immigrant in Britain.

Yes I could talk for Britain

2009-03-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

It's not that I've ever actually been there, let alone live there. Simply is that the United Kingdom has called to me since I was 15 years of age. The British Isles, their climate, their personality, their verdant landscape and grey skies, the deteriorating cities and the dazzling marvels of modern development.

More so than anything, it is the culture, media and society which have so greatly attracted me to the United Kingdom. There is such a political openness, issues are thoroughly discussed in nearly all forums. There are sacred traditions such as the BBC, the NHS, and numerous other organisations which serve the British people for no profit at all. They complain a lot, they haggle a lot, they are direct and to the point, and yet evasive (these are of the the politicians I speak).

I love the demography of Britain, the constantly changing face of a society which is quickly becoming truly multi-racial in composition. The upheavals nearly every week over this or that scandalous government mishap.

I love the British sense of pride. Not nationalistic, simply proud to be British. The way in which they celebrate their ethnicity is beautiful, the different communities that live side by side. The British simultaneously love and hate their country, constantly dreaming of escaping to the nearest Mediterranean hot-spot, while still loving every moment of the drizzle falling on the grass.

I love the country-side still intact, the city centres that seem vibrant and youthful. The diversity of landscape, the the waterways, the extensive areas of natural beauty. Oh yes, I could talk for Britain.

Xenophobia and closing borders in the United Kingdom

2009-03-20T08:15:00.000-04:00

There has been little good news lately in the realm of UK Immigration:

There has been introduced a 50 pound tax on all student and work visas,
A report saying that 75 percent of Britons want unemployed immigrants to return home,
The news that the Government is planning to raise tuition fees for home students, which will inevitably means an increase for international students.

If that weren't bad enough, and this is pretty bad, considering all this info has come out in the past week, there is the news that migrants are facing increased hostility in the this economic climate. Not surprising. The capitalist system operates under a system of divide and conquer, divide us into native and migrants, employed and unemployed, these are the ways in which they hold onto power. Let us one day see through this and realise the strength we have!

Hopefully that as Labour descends from power and the Conservatives come into power, a powerful left-wing will emerge in the party of the masses, one that is strong enough to counter this recent wave of xenophobia and panic.

Deception at Aberystwyth

2009-03-17T12:37:00.000-04:00

The small seaside town of Aberystwyth, in Mid-Wales, is seen as quite an idealic spot. But beneath the surface there lurks several unseemly elements: Impolite, cold, uninformed staff, indecisive and unhelpful staff, and worst of all, liars. Now to be fair I have only spoken on the phone to the staff and advisers at Aberystwyth, however it is my opinion that they are not in the business of helping students succeed in their ambitions. That is surprising seeing as how my tuition fees will be roughly 3 times higher than what a UK/EU student would have to pay.

The worst incident was that which concerned my visa letter. You see in the United Kingdom a foreign student must confirm their place at a university, thereby officially and completely rejecting all other choices, before they can secure a visa letter to start their immigration application. I was advised to do this and that my visa letter would be forthcoming, well before the new Tier 4 rules came into effect, and thus I would be exempt. I was instructed to simply confirm my place on UCAS Track (the UK University Admissions clearing-house), fill out a financial statement, and then I would be issued with the necessary paperwork to secure a visa.

Unfortunately, this did not happen. Despite following their instructions explicitly, they then informed me that as Tier 4 was coming into effect within the next two months, they would be holding off all Visa Letters until after the new scheme begins.

So you see, despite having better options available, such as the two year BA Secondary Education and French program at University of Wales Institute at Cardiff, a much cheaper and shorter program for the same qualification, I chose Aberystwyth because they were the ones who could assure me that I would be able to apply for my visa before the new rules come into effect. Alas, no.

Don't get me wrong, Aberystwyth was my second choice, and I think I'm going to like it a lot, but still, to go through all that just to be let down, and have subsequently shot myself in the foot, there is nothing wrong with Aber!!!

My story so far, and what is ahead...

2009-03-17T07:19:00.006-04:00

In my post-secondary education career (all two years of it) I have vacillated from school to school, sometimes in Montréal, sometimes in Hartford, sometimes New Hampshire in the United States. However the goal has always remained the same: To earn the necessary experience and qualifications in order to study in the United Kingdom. These sojourns at various educational establishments have all been a means to an end: A Bachelor's Degree in Education and French in the UK (along with Qualified Teacher Status).

I believe I am lucky to have had two years after my formal schooling in order to learn and explore myself, travel, work, and generally live my life in the way in which I wanted. I found that the typical American college experience is not to my liking, and as Montréal is no longer a viable option, one is forced to look across the ocean for a quality education in an environment in which one is content.

I currently hold a United States high school diploma, as well as a Certificate in French from the Université du Québec à Montréal, and numerous credits in Education and other requirements for my major, none of which is transferable to the UK. However all of these qualifications have allowed me be accepted on an unconditional offer at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, (as of late, known as Aberystwyth University) in their Education and French program, and so to me the money and time seems well spent.

One just hopes that the dreams for which I have worked so hard are not shattered by bureaucracy and xenophobia...

Visa Worries

2009-03-16T21:04:00.002-04:00

My dream is to study in the United Kingdom, and eventually settle there permanently. However my dreams look as if they may not be realised any time soon due to recent changes in the United Kingdom's immigration policy.

Today with a further 15 days to go in the month of March, fear has set in. Tier 4 (Students) of the tne points-based UK immigration system comes into effect on the 31 of March and I am scared. Tier 4 has become one of the scariest words in the English language for me. It means that it will become significantly more difficult to apply to the United Kingdom for a student visa than it was previously.

The main components of the scheme are as follows:

A student must be issued a visa letter from a registered sponsor, to whom the student will be tied and whose records of attendance and academic success will be regularly checked by the Immigration authority if there are any problems
And a surplus of £5,400 in the bank in order to prove that you can support yourself, on top of your course fees (for those studying in London it is £7200 , although I will fortunately be studying in Wales)

Now you may say that seems sensible enough, and trust me, compared to what the previous figure was (£9 000, and then £7200 ) this is not so bad, and as you can include your accommodation expenses, which must be paid upfront anyway, so the figure is more like £2 000 extra, which in and of itself is not so horrible.

I also benefit from American citizenship (although my life would be unbelievable less complicated if I had the Portuguese citizenship to which my ancestry may or may not enable me to take up) which means I am entitled to the generous aid packages which are offered students to study, and many international schools, including mine, is included in the scheme.

So all and all I don't have much to be afraid of, it just seems like the game has been made so much harder by the new rules.