Applying for a study permit on a visit visa in a different country

[Sheikh_18]

I'm applying for a study permit in a country that is not my country of residence, and I'm there on a long visit visa. I've lived in this country my whole life, and recently I graduated so I'm staying with my parents until I leave for university. There is no reason at the moment for me to go back to my home country. Additionally, I have visited my home country on long vacations during the summers and winters.
Is applying on a visit visa going to be a major red flag? And if so, how can I explain everything in my SOP. I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me exactly what I need to write in my SOP for this. Lastly, since I'm a student, my ties with my home country are my parents and their assets and investments, and family members I have back home.

 

[Naturgrl]

I'm applying for a study permit in a country that is not my country of residence, and I'm there on a long visit visa. I've lived in this country my whole life, and recently I graduated so I'm staying with my parents until I leave for university. There is no reason at the moment for me to go back to my home country. Additionally, I have visited my home country on long vacations during the summers and winters.
Is applying on a visit visa going to be a major red flag? And if so, how can I explain everything in my SOP. I'd really appreciate it if someone could tell me exactly what I need to write in my SOP for this. Lastly, since I'm a student, my ties with my home country are my parents and their assets and investments, and family members I have back home.

You can apply. You show ties to your home country - job opportunities, family, investments etc. Their assets and investments are not your ties. They are not in your name.

 

[Sheikh_18]

You can apply. You show ties to your home country - job opportunities, family, investments etc. Their assets and investments are not your ties. They are not in your name.

Best I can do is show job opportunities, career prospects and family. Plus I've heard people saying that if you are being sponsored by your parents then that somehow shows ties.

 

[Naturgrl]

Best I can do is show job opportunities, career prospects and family. Plus I've heard people saying that if you are being sponsored by your parents then that somehow shows ties.

How old are you?

 

[Sheikh_18]

Im only 18. I just gradauted

 

[Sheikh_18]

I don't live in my country of citizenship. I live elsewhere, and i have lived here my whole life. However since im 18, im on a visit visa rather than a residence visa. This was my concern. Is it too big of red flag if i apply on a visit visa

 

[Naturgrl]

I don't live in my country of citizenship. I live elsewhere, and i have lived here my whole life. However since im 18, im on a visit visa rather than a residence visa. This was my concern. Is it too big of red flag if i apply on a visit visa

It will be an issue because you do not have a residence visa. Your immigration status is not solid. You are a visitor so need to show ties to country of citizenship.

 

[Sheikh_18]

It will be an issue because you do not have a residence visa. Your immigration status is not solid. You are a visitor so need to show ties to country of citizenship.

Exactly. So what are the best ways I can do that, considering the fact that im just a student

 

[Naturgrl]

Exactly. So what are the best ways I can do that, considering the fact that im just a student

In your SOP, discuss your program and the job opportunities available in your country of citizenship. Outline your plans there when you finish your studies. Your parents don’t live there so not a tie.

 

[Sheikh_18]

In your SOP, discuss your program and the job opportunities available in your country of citizenship. Outline your plans there when you finish your studies. Your parents don’t live there so not a tie.

Does family include only parents and siblings, or are cousins, aunts and uncles included?

 

[Naturgrl]

Does family include only parents and siblings, or are cousins, aunts and uncles included?

Your immediate family are your parents (if married your spouse and children), and your extended family are your siblings. Cousins, aunts, uncles are not considered ties.

 

[Amusement7340]

Your situation is incredibly similar to mine. I was born and brought up in Dubai (UAE), and when I turned 18 I had to get a visit visa once my residence visa expired and I didn't have a job and I already finished high school. However, I am not sure at which point I had applied for my study permit (before or after residence visa expiry). I am a citizen of India

When I applied for my study permit in Dubai, I didn't know about all these rules like home ties and financial information etc. I just applied at got it. I never knew that people get rejected so often

I only submitted my parents bank statement (don't think I submitted client information or any letter from them) and that's all. My younger brother just did the same last year (though he had a residence visa) and was approved without any issues

One thing to note is that my brother and I have extensive travel history. We have stamps and visas for like 15+ unique countries, so maybe that helped.

Also, unlike what Naturgrl said, I never showed any ties to India. Even though I might have had a residence visa (and my brother definitely did), I'm pretty sure the visa officers know that the visa becomes invalid once you turn 18/you lose your job/you leave the country for 6+ months. They are not stupid. I cannot just go back and live in the UAE just because I have ties or a family there. It is a very different country with very different processes. I'm not sure how ANY expat student from the UAE is ever able to show ties to UAE, it doesn't make sense to me.

My reply is not advice to you at all, it is just a data point about what I did in a situation which may be quite similar to yours (again, I do not remember if I applied after my residence expired or not). Also, don't forget that you are allowed to upload a 'client information' document which can explain your situation. If I knew about the high rejection rate while applying, I would've definitely said I was a resident of country xyz my whole life, I turned 18 and now I cannot get a residence visa but parents etc. still live there so I plan to come back and look for a job and get a residence visa.

I have literally 0 ties to India so if I knew back then how hard it was to get the permit, this is what I would have done since I had literally no other choice

 

[Sheikh_18]

Your situation is incredibly similar to mine. I was born and brought up in Dubai (UAE), and when I turned 18 I had to get a visit visa once my residence visa expired and I didn't have a job and I already finished high school. However, I am not sure at which point I had applied for my study permit (before or after residence visa expiry). I am a citizen of India

When I applied for my study permit in Dubai, I didn't know about all these rules like home ties and financial information etc. I just applied at got it. I never knew that people get rejected so often

I only submitted my parents bank statement (don't think I submitted client information or any letter from them) and that's all. My younger brother just did the same last year (though he had a residence visa) and was approved without any issues

One thing to note is that my brother and I have extensive travel history. We have stamps and visas for like 15+ unique countries, so maybe that helped.

Also, unlike what Naturgrl said, I never showed any ties to India. Even though I might have had a residence visa (and my brother definitely did), I'm pretty sure the visa officers know that the visa becomes invalid once you turn 18/you lose your job/you leave the country for 6+ months. They are not stupid. I cannot just go back and live in the UAE just because I have ties or a family there. It is a very different country with very different processes. I'm not sure how ANY expat student from the UAE is ever able to show ties to UAE, it doesn't make sense to me.

My reply is not advice to you at all, it is just a data point about what I did in a situation which may be quite similar to yours (again, I do not remember if I applied after my residence expired or not). Also, don't forget that you are allowed to upload a 'client information' document which can explain your situation. If I knew about the high rejection rate while applying, I would've definitely said I was a resident of country xyz my whole life, I turned 18 and now I cannot get a residence visa but parents etc. still live there so I plan to come back and look for a job and get a residence visa.

I have literally 0 ties to India so if I knew back then how hard it was to get the permit, this is what I would have done since I had literally no other choice

Thanks for the reply. I have a few things to clarify if its ok with you. Firstly, when did u apply, is this recently or a few years ago? It is quite interesting that you got your visa without showing any ties to India. Also Im not exactly clear on what you said you would have done if you knew about this, since you had literally 0 ties to India. From what I know the visa officer is supposed to be confident that you will go back to your HOME country after your studies. Lastly it really makes a huge difference whether someone is applying with a residence visa or a visit visa, atleast from what I've heard from people and their experiences. If there's any way you can confirm if you applied with a residence visa or not, that would be helpful.
Thanks for your time.

 

[akinfas]

Once you are in your country of residence legally, I do not think you have a problem, your SOP should show your trajectory of stay in your country of residence and your ties to your country of citizenship(Parents/siblings etc). Good luck.

 

[Amusement7340]

Thanks for the reply. I have a few things to clarify if its ok with you. Firstly, when did u apply, is this recently or a few years ago? It is quite interesting that you got your visa without showing any ties to India. Also Im not exactly clear on what you said you would have done if you knew about this, since you had literally 0 ties to India. From what I know the visa officer is supposed to be confident that you will go back to your HOME country after your studies. Lastly it really makes a huge difference whether someone is applying with a residence visa or a visit visa, atleast from what I've heard from people and their experiences. If there's any way you can confirm if you applied with a residence visa or not, that would be helpful.
Thanks for your time.

I applied 2019, my brother applied 2022.

We both had residence visas.

I didn’t show any ties to India because I didn’t have any ties at all to India. I also didn’t show any ties to Dubai because I didn’t know we had to show ties.

I just filled in the application forms, submitted it, and got approved within 20 days. I didn’t upload client information or anything.

Not saying your case will be this simple, but mine definitely was. As I mentioned, I have extensive travel history and my parents have a high net worth. I guess that was enough for them to see.

To add: I am not the first Indian citizen to apply from Dubai and I definitely won’t be the last. As I said, immigration officers are not stupid. They know that it is impossible to go back and live in Dubai if you do not have a job (and thus cannot get a visa to live there). I am not sure how big of a role ties to homecountry play if you are an expat born and brought up in another country. I think the officers may be quite understanding of this. Clearly, all my experience is completely anecdotal but I have several (20+) friends from highschool who are also studying in Canada. I have never heard of a rejection from them.