Two weeks ago, we wrote  a post about the new UK Tier 4 General Student Visa (GSV). It has come to our attention that there has been some confusion regarding the new minimum language level introduced by the UK Border Agency for students who want to apply for a General Student Visa (GSV).

Please note that students DO NOT need to be at B2 level upon entry.  The UK Border Agency clearly states that a student must be at CEFR Level B1, ready to study a course to attain Level B2.

The UKBA website provides further information regarding this matter:

We have raised the minimum level of English language course that Tier 4 (General) students can study, to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Before you can apply to study an English language course in the UK, you will need to show that your English language skills are at CEFR level B1 or higher. (There are exceptions if you are a government-sponsored student or if you want to study a pre-sessional English course that meets certain requirements.)

Below is a summary of the CEFR levels:

Learn more about CEFR Levels.

Over the past month, we’ve received a lot of inquiries from business executives all over the world who are looking for intensive business English programs in New York and London. For our business students looking to brush up their English and acquire an MBA degree from an English-speaking institution in the US or UK, you can find and compare the best online MBA programs, see online MBA rankings and costs, and get advice on the best online MBA programs for you.

An online MBA is the perfect program for international business executives who are busy and can’t take two years off to pursue a full-time on-campus MBA abroad. It’s also a great way to practice your business English skills, as these MBA programs are taught in English and students come from all over the world. These programs are typically 100% online, although a few schools also have local study centers and offer some on-campus component. Though the program is mostly online, teamwork with other students is part of the MBA program, providing more opportunities to interact with other students in English.

For those interested in this, check out online MBA costs and contact our partners directly.

Our partners at Language Studies International are offering a great deal at their new Chichester location. Now through April 16th, you’ll receive 10% off the weekly package price for the 2010 Young Learners courses for 12-17 year olds. The package includes:

• 20 lessons per week of English
• Full Board Accommodation
• Daily weekday Activities
• Saturday Excursions
• Health Insurance

Spacious and green, the vibrant University of Chichester campus provides the beautiful backdrop for this residential course. Structured morning classes, designed to engage and stimulate, are followed by informal afternoon activities presenting students with further opportunities to practice their English language skills. The surrounding countryside, quirky seaside towns and beaches offer a fascinating array of excursions and activities for our social programme. This is a summer experience not to be missed!

If you are thinking of sending your children to learn English this summer, don’t miss this great opportunity at LSI Chichester! But remember, the offer expires April 16th. To find out more about studying English in Chichester, please contact us.

Seattle Central Community College now offers an exciting new on-campus housing option for international students: The Studios on Broadway.

The Studios on Broadway are located directly across the street from Seattle Central Community College, only blocks away from shops, coffee shops, restaurants and movie theaters on Capitol Hill, one of Seattle’s most vibrant neighborhoods. This brand new, state of the art building offers 28 furnished apartments and houses up to 79 residents. Units come in a variety of sizes and floor plans, and can accommodate as few as two people, or as many as four. The building includes many great features, including laundry rooms on each floor, secured access, on-site maintenance, wireless internet access, views of beautiful Mt. Rainier and Cal Anderson Park, and optional parking or bike storage.

Starting Spring quarter 2010, the Studios on Broadway will provide short-term housing for new international students aged 18 or older when they first arrive in Seattle and enroll at Seattle Central. Students can live in The Studios on Broadway for a two quarter license period: Fall and Winter quarters or Spring and Summer quarters. Housing fees vary depending on the duration of the license period (5.5 months for the Spring/Summer or 6.5 months for the Fall/Winter) and the number of people per unit (2 to 4), and range from $4,385 to $5,515. Housing fees include utilities (electric, water, garbage, sewer, and high speed internet), as well as basic furniture and appliances (bed, desk, chair, clothes storage unit, stove and refrigerator). During each license period, information and resources are provided to residents to help them find and transition into permanent housing for the rest of their stay and studies at Seattle Central Community College.

Applying to live in the Studios on Broadway is easy! Once they have received their F-1 student visa, students can submit their Housing Preferences & Application Form. Applications for the Studios on Broadway are accepted each year starting April 15th for Fall/Winter quarters license periods or November 15th for Spring/Summer quarters license periods. Upon reception of a student’s housing application, our office will reply with a placement proposal and information on how students or parents can process payment by wire transfer to confirm and secure booking.

In order to help residents feel comfortable in their new environment, a mandatory orientation will be held after moving in. During this fun event, students will not only get a chance to meet other residents and develop a sense of community, but also review building rules and safety information, learn laundry and cooking tips, and receive valuable advice for living with roommates. Student residents will also be introduced to the staff of Community Assistants, a group of student workers who will be responsible for assisting them with getting used to living in the Studios on Broadway, check-in/check-out, and concerns. Detailed information about the new resident orientation will be provided to residents in their Acceptance Packet.

To learn more about The Studios On Broadway and Seattle Central Community College, please contact us.

A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a requirement for obtaining a UK Tier 4 General Student Visa (GSV).  Since February 22, visa letters are no longer be valid. The UK has started using an electronic system.

The electronic system will use a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS). Unlike the Form I-20 used for US visa applications, this is not an actual paper certificate – it exists only as a number on the UK Border Agency website. What will happen is as follows:

1. You register for an English course in the UK on our website
2. We’ll send you confirmation documents, but instead of a visa letter we send you a CAS reference number
3. You must quote the CAS reference number when applying for the UK visa

In many ways, this new electronic system will be an improvement. In particular, the CAS will be available for use as soon as we’ve processed it, so there will no longer be any need for us to send you visa letters. Students will therefore save money on hefty express mail fees!

Please remember that a CAS costs £10 and we will add this to your invoice. The £10 fee is non refundable, compulsory in all cases where a CAS is required. It is not an administration charge we have added but the actual cost of the process.

None of these changes affect Student Visitor Visas. They will continue to be processed using visa support letters.

Our partners at Kaplan Aspect are currently offering a great housing discount available to students at any Kaplan New York location.

A promotional price of $295 per week will be offered to students who stay at Residence Upper East, twin rooms, between February 27th – April 3rd (Sat-Sat). This offer is valid with any new course or extension. The standard advertised price is $400 per week, so you end up with a weekly discount of $105! As the promotional rate will be in place for 5 weeks, you could save up to $525!

Here’s a couple reasons why you might want to stay at the Upper East Residence:

• You’ll be in the heart of Manhattan, just a few steps from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and 30 minutes away from Kaplan NY centers!
• The rooms have modern designs and private bathrooms.
• Each room  has a flat screen TV, microwave and mini fridge.
• You’ll have access to a shared kitchen so you can cook your own meals.
• You can go to the residence gym any time of day since it’s open 24/7!

Remember, this offer ends April 3rd so make sure to contact us now if you’re interested!

Our partners at Kaplan Aspect are offering an apartment accommodation promotion for Westwood students.

Students who stay in apartments (twin rooms only)  between February 27th and May 1st, 2010 receive a $40 per week discount.
The weekly price during the promotional period is 300 USD.

Here are several reasons why you might want to consider an apartment option:

• They have fully equipped kitchens.
• They are in a nice, safe, clean and leafy area near the UCLA campus.
• One apartment is shared by 3-4 students max – there are 2 bathrooms per apartment (one per bedroom) and a large living room.  Some apartments even have balconies.
• There is a big laundry room on site.
• Apartment buildings and furnishings are new and good quality.
• They are located within walking distance from  the school.  It takes 5-17 minutes to walk from an apartment to the Westwood campus.

Don’t miss this great housing opportunity in Los Angeles! To find out more about our Westwood location, please click here or contact us.

There have been significant changes to the visa application process for students coming to the UK.  As of 22^nd February 2010 all applicants for Tier 4 General Student Visas (GSV) and Child Student Visa (CSV) are required to have a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS) issued by their sponsor school. A CAS is a unique electronic reference number and will replace visa letters for students applying for a GSV or CSV. We hope that this will make applications quicker and faster in future and allow both school and agent to track a student’s visa progress.

We are committed to following UKBA rules to the letter and demonstrating good practice in our student recruitment.  This way, we can be a reliable partner to you and provide you with the excellent service you expect. For this reason, it would be helpful to clarify a few of the key UKBA policies which will affect students applying for General Student Visas (GSVs) for the UK.

1. As you will be aware, all students applying for a GSV must now be capable of studying at Pre-Intermediate A2 level as described by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) So, students who are beginners or elementary level (A1) are not allowed to come to the UK on a GSV. If any students test as beginners or elementary upon arrival at a Language Studies International school and they are on a GSV then we will not be allowed to accept them and will have to report them to the UKBA. We therefore ask that when enrolling your students you check their level. If you believe that they are not capable of studying at Pre-Intermediate A2, we would strongly advise that you recommend that they apply for a Student Visitor Visa (SVV) which allows study at any level. If a low level student really wants to apply for a GSV, you should advise them to first take lessons in your country and then re-test at your office before applying.
2. The UKBA require that language schools, as an organisation licensed to sponsor students, ask for documentation to show that a student is able to follow a course at a minimum of CEFR A2 (pre-intermediate) level. Language International schools will continue to follow the guidelines that the UKBA has given as to the information that should be used. This evidence can  include the following:

• A secondary school attendance record or leaving certificate showing the student has had English classes for 3-5 years
• A secondary school examination certificate showing a level of English achievement
• An attendance certificate from evening classes in English language
• College or University certificate showing attendance and achievement in an English course
• Previous IELTS test score
• University of Cambridge ESOL certificate
• TOEFL certificate
• TOEIC certificate
• A reference from an appropriately qualified person to state that the student has previously studied English, citing course name and dates. The referee must also give their contact details on headed paper and interview the student to confirm their level of English is sufficient for the course.

Note on Tier 4 General Student Visa Applications

1. Please remember that we are unable to accept English tests (online or written) which could have been conducted unsupervised. However, it may be possible in the future to conduct online live tests with our teachers. We will contact you shortly about this possibility.
2. Students will be required to pay £10.00 for the issuing of their CAS which will be added to their invoice from now on (please note that this is a non-refundable charge). Furthermore, any changes to course dates or options after the initial application will require a new CAS to be issued which would cost an additional £10.00. It is also worth noting that under UKBA regulations we are obliged to report students who have not arrived at school 10 working days after their start date. We would therefore ask you to continue to ensure that all students’ details are correct and accurate at the time of application, that they are aware of the extra £10.00 surcharge that they would have to pay for any subsequent changes and that they are aware of the UKBA conditions for their stay in the UK.

If you have booked a course to start after 22^nd February 2010 and are still applying for your Tier 4 GSV, please contact us as soon as possible to obtain a CAS.

If you have not yet done so, we recommend that you also check the UK Border Authority website:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

Alternatively, please contact us with any questions you may have

Today, a student from Russia had inquired to ask about booking an English course in Boston for 20 months. We checked with our partner school Kaplan Aspect whether this is possible, and here’s the message we received:

“…our I-20 is only valid for 13 months and the actual duration that they can study is 12 months.  Actually, in order for us to extend the I-20 after 12 months, there should be a valid reason as to why the student will need to study more than 12 months.  Normally Immigration thinks that learning English for 1 year should be enough for the preparation of going to college if they did their best while studying during those 12 months.”

So for those of you contemplating about studying English in the US for more than a year, the immigration policy in the United States unfortunately makes it tough for foreigners to study English here for more than a year. For those interested in studying in the US for greater than 12 months, consider taking a post-graduate degree at a university instead.

Read more information about English classes in the US.

According to New York Times writer John F. Burns, the United Kingdom has decided to re-evaluate its immigration policies in an effort to eliminate terrorist threats and illegal entries into the country. Those applying for student visas will now face a much stricter screening process. While this change in policy was hastened by the Detroit terrorist attack in which a 23-year-old Nigerian was arrested after having spent three years as a student in Britain,  the British government  ordered these restrictions in November of last year. The primary aim of this decision is to dissuade the illegal immigration that has put a strain on the country’s education, medical care and welfare system.  Restrictions will include a requirement that students know enough English to pass a British high school exam, rather than just “beginner’s English.” Similarly, those coming on a student visitor visa for less than 6 months will no longer be allowed to bring their family members. Although the directive will affect all non-EU citizens, it is primarily targeted towards the Indian sub-continent and the  Arab and Muslim world. The government has halted all student visa approvals from northern India, Nepal and Bangladesh for the time being.

To read the complete article, please click here.

If you have any questions or concerns about the visa process, contact us.