Student Visa Info

You already know the many benefits of study overseas. Here are just a few Advantages:

Academic advantages

(1) The understanding of another culture unavailable to you through academic study alone

(2) Study subjects that are not offered at King’s

(3) Enhance your foreign language skills or learn a new language

(4) Gain an international perspective on an area of study

(5) Experience a new and very different academic system

Career advantages

(1) Jump-start your career by gaining valuable international experience

(2)Make your CV stand out

(3) Develop cross-cultural communication skills and sensitivity

Personal advantages

(1) Grow in self-confidence and independence

(2) Adventure and fun

(3) Meet some great new friends

(4)Travel and explore new places you’ve only dreamed about

(5) Gain a deeper awareness of the values and way of life of the UK and its place in the world

Study overseas allows you to gain necessary new standpoint on the history, culture, and concerns of people around the globe. This includes such vital issues of our time as globalization, democratization, human rights, development, culture, identity and the environment.

H-1B Visa The H-1B or “Specialty Worker” visa is available for a United States company who wishes to directly employ a foreign article for a temporary period (initially 3 years) in a “specialty occupation.” A specialty occupation is defined as “an occupation, which requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge to fully perform the occupation.” The location or the job for which the foreign national would be hired must be one that requires a baccalaureate or a higher degree or the equal, and the degree requirement must be common to the industry or the company must show that it in general requires the degree in such position. The H-1B specialty worker status is limited to an initial three years period, but can be extended upon application for not more than three more years, for a total stay of six years. To obtain an H-1B nonimmigrant visa, a United States company must file a petition at the regional Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) service center. When filing the petition the company must post a job-site disclosure, declaring the actual salary paid, and all the locations where the foreign national will be employed. The company must also file a Labor form Application with the U.S. Department of Labor, attesting that it is offering the foreign national not less than the prevailing salary for such a position in the region of employment. The filing process for an H-1B petition is quite complicated and the requirements are quite wide. Therefore, it is recommended that one should seek professional help to prepare it.

B-1 Visa B-1 (Visitor for Business) VisaThe B-1 visa is available for any foreign national who wishes to enter the United States for any business-related function, such as to attend conferences, take orders, to negotiate with accessible businesses or customers, or to execute service agreements. However, the visitor must be conduct temporary business activity for a foreign employer, and the trip must not lead to gainful employment in the United States. B-1 status is approved for the period of time necessary to complete the business activity and usually does not exceed six months. However, should the visitor require more time, s/he may apply for an addition while in the United States at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. The application for extension must be received by the CIS before the expiry of the B-1 status. To obtain a B-1 visa one must apply directly at the U.S. Consulate. The applicant must prove that s/he has a permanent residence status in another country and has no intention of abandoning this status. However, there are state of certain countries, who do not need a visa beat from a U.S. Consulate to enter the U.S. for a maximum temporary period of 90 days under a Visa Waiver Pilot Program (VWPP). There is no extension of the 90-day period, and those who enter the U.S. under the VWPP may not be able to change to a different nonimmigrant status or to permanent resident status, except for the immediate relative (spouse or children under 21) of a U.S. In order to obtain a different status, the visitor must leave the country and then apply for a new visa.

The MBA is a challenging study program for the following reasons:

1 There is a great deal of interesting material to soak up

2An intense study format and

3An experienced and international body of aggravated MBA students

The MBA Studies format is challenging whether you choose full time or part time. A solid training to each class session and class participation is strategically important as amazing amount of material is covered during each day. Teaching sessions are extremely interactive; the diversified work experience and creativity are highly valued during in-class discussions. Professional and active attitude are expected as well within teamwork sessions. For the same reasons the MBA Programme is hands-on and well in touch with the real business world. All these add to the value and quality of the Programme. And this is why it is important to try to grab the experience others are offering; equally crucial is to forward your work experience to others. Your time spent at an MBA School will become your competitive advantage strategically and in financial terms, sooner or later.

For the duration of the MBA Studies you and your colleagues form bonds that will most most likely stay forever, the outcome being, on top of everything else: “speaking the same language”. This network will be fruitful throughout your working life and beyond, and often you will find your colleagues from the least expected corners of the world.

I must confess that I have only been able to fully appreciate the advantages of my MBA Studies years after my graduation; after various jobs and positions held I could fully put into practice what I had learned. I also often received help and given a helping hand to many of my MBA ex-colleagues.

Your incentive is the professional business environment, the speed with which you absorb new things, and the creativity surrounding you. If you choose the innovative school that follows the needs of the market with respect to effective business operations (for example e-commerce, telecommunications), you will learn even more and really feel at the top of the technological developments.

Anyway, what you really learn during your MBA studies is time management and prioritizing. What you should know already before coming to study an MBA, is that quality is strategically important in business life and beyond.

Study abroad can be an educational and eye-opening adventure, where learning extends to the world beyond the classroom walls. There is no alternate for living and studying in a foreign country if you want to gain in-depth knowledge of another culture’s customs, people, and language. In addition, you will find that living and studying or working in another country can develop important transnational competencies that can be of interest to future employers.

Personal development

Students who return from a study abroad program often see it as an experience which matured them personally and mentally. They praise being exposed to new ways of thinking and living, which encourages growth and independence. For many students, going abroad to study is the first time they have really been away from ‘home,’ from familiar surroundings of the USA, as well as from friends and family. This is seldom an easy experience, but it is generally praised as worthwhile, often even life-transforming. After immersing themselves in a new culture, mastering the challenges of learning in a new and different academic environment, and experiencing the many highs and lows of being a ‘foreigner,’ students characteristically return home with increased self-confidence and justifiable pride in what they have achieved.

New Perspective on World dealings

Study abroad can broaden your intellectual horizons and deepen your knowledge and understanding of international, political, and economic issues. It is almost certain that you will return from your sojourn abroad by means of a more informed and accurate perspective on world affairs. You will also have direct knowledge of how another culture approaches the tasks and challenges of everyday life, a sense of how ‘global’ the international culture has become, and an appreciation of the importance of international cooperation.

You will probably also gain a broader understanding of, and appreciation for, the United States, its way of life, and its role in worldwide affairs. Through your professors, the other students in your program, and people you meet, you’ll learn how others view the United States and its world role. If you live in a country where English is not the native language, or is spoken only by some, you will learn the practical importance of learning another language and using it.

Career improvement

But study overseas does more than promote academic enrichment and personal growth. It also can enhance your employment prospects, especially in the fields of business, international relationships, and government service. Employers increasingly seek graduates who have studied abroad. They know that students who have successfully completed a study abroad program are likely to possess international knowledge and often second-language skills. Such students are also likely to have other transnational competencies that graduate and professional schools and employers value now as highly: cross-cultural communication skills, analytical skills, an understanding of and familiarity with local customs and cultural contexts, suppleness, resilience, and the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal constructively with differences. (See From Toward Transnational Competence, IIE 1997.)

What Are Your Reasons? What Are Your Goals?

After considering these potential benefits, you must still ask yourself why you, yourself, want to study abroad. Take some time to think about your reasons, for they will become your goals and your personal measures of success. Perhaps you want to learn a second language, or perfect one you already be familiar with. You might want to learn about another culture, expand your studies, or prepare for graduate school. Maybe you want to travel and meet new people. Whatever your reasons are, write them down and share them with your professors, family, friends and, most importantly, with your study abroad advisor.

There are a host of valid reasons for wanting to experience foreign study. Whatever your reasons, they should be positive ones. Study abroad should not be seen as an escape route from problems at home or on campus. Adjusting to life and learning in a foreign environment will have its stressful moments, and the more you are able to focus on your goals, the additional you’re likely to benefit from the knowledge.