Studying Abroad: Guidelines,Fees and Help thread

alamode · May 15, 2012

Syavash said:
I was talking globally, not Pakistan. So my claim still stands, besides I did not say ACCA isn't getting saturated, I just meant it is relatively less saturated than the undergrad business field. Besides its what you study further that distinguishes you, all entry level qualifications would be saturated, no? And by Entry level I do not mean "of less importance" but simply those you can undertake directly after your schooling.

Well yeah if you're speaking globally then yeah its relatively less saturated but for a pakistani acca, it doesnt matter if the field is saturated abroad unless he can go abroad and get a job on the basis of ACCA which in current circumstances is very difficult.

Well you can start CA directly after your schooling, i dont think that would make it an entry level qualification. Just like CA, ACCA is also meant to be the final qualification, its just that over her in Pakistan ACCA's dont have the reputation they deserve.

Hassan Aftab · May 15, 2012

alamode said:
Well for CFA Level 1 you dont even need to have a bachelors degree. You just have to be in the final year of your bachelors degree. Plus CFA dont even require you to submit any proof or anything. If you want to sit CFA, you just go on their website and pay the fees via credit card and enter your information and thats it you're enrolled for the exam. However for sitting Level 2 exams you must have completed a bachelor level degree. I had emailed CFA when i was sitting the exams, and at the time i had completed ACCA and they told me that ACCA is taken equivalent to a bachelors degree so even if you dont have the BSc from Oxford Brookes you can still sit CFA after finishing ACCA and if you have the BSc degree and havent completed ACCA, then yeah you can also sit Level 2 on that basis. You can give Level 1 any time, just have to ensure that you have the degree before sitting for level 2.

Im not sure about LUMS but was looking at IBA and they do take ACCA/CA students. Requirements for MBA programs are usually a 4 year Bachelors Degree plus 2 years experience after completion of the Bachelors Degree. The experience requirement varies from University to University but most require a 4 year Bachelors degree recognized by HEC. From what i know if you have done A Levels, Then you can obtain BSc from Oxford brookes and then apply to HEC for equivalency and they will give you equivalency of 4 years Bachelors but if you have done Inter, then you will get 3 years bachelors equivalency. Im not sure about this though, you should confirm from HEC. Secondly ACCA Membership (Passed all papers + 3 years Experience) is equivalent to Masters now so im guessing if you become ACCA member you can go for MBA after that by getting Masters equivalency from HEC.

Well CIMA would be a good option, ACCA and CA are essentially the same thing but CIMA is a different field so it would be a diversification.. CFA would be a great combination as well but there are no exemptions and CFA is very expensive too.

The articleship is counting towards CA and also ACCA membership, its for 3.5 years its a requirement for anyone who wants to do CA from ICAP to undergo a training contract with a Audit Firm.. They pay us peanuts.. 8000rs per month is the standard rate, On passing module E you earn 11,000 and on passing module F you earn 30,000 during your training contract. After your contract is finished and you've qualified as a CA you can join any company and usually the average salary these days of a freshly qualified CA is around 70-90 thousand a month. But this route is now closed, I joined CA after doing ACCA and claimed exemptions from Module A to D, Now ICAP has reduced exemptions for ACCA so it is not possible to directly go into audit firms on a CA contract.. ACCA's have to pass some papers of Module B,C and D now after doing ACCA to join an Audit firm which i think is a disgrace to be honest.. We study in ACCA things which are taught in Module E and F in CA yet ACCA's are now only getting exemptions of 4-5 papers in CA..

Well lastly, you can get an ICAEW contract but ofcourse you need pawwa for that.. Only EY is giving ICAEW contract out of the big 4.. The small firms are also giving but they are very low in number. Apart from that you also do you ICAEW training contract in any company.. Some companies are registered with ICAEW like ICI, Shell, PSO, Unilever too i think plus recently KESC also got registered so you can obtain ICAEW contract in these companies but again, pawwa counts because there are so many ACCA affiliates and alot of acca affiliates want ICAEW contracts.. In total there are only 9 companies in Karachi registered with ICAEW for training contract and thousands of acca affiliates dying for ICAEW contract so its very tough to get one here at the moment. Maybe if more companies get registered things will change.

Ok, so I did my O-Level and got in to FIA. I did do my A-Level but the results were nothing to write home about, Es.

So I got my admission in FIA (first 3 exams of ACCA) on the basis of my O level result. So, would I still be able to get the equivalence once I clear ACCA and the relevant experience?
As you can tell, I am no inter, virtually no A level either, so I suppose I really should go for that OXford Brooke's BSc degree. Do tell me if it has any worth (its from England, right. If so, it must be equivalent to only 3 years of Bachelors)

Regarding ACCA being considered equivalent to Masters, well last I heard it was considered equal to an M.Com which doesn't quite sound like something very extra ordinary if you ask me.
And it's an MBA Finance that I am looking to combine with my ACCA qualification (sounds like a good thing to have, no?).
Being said that, I might as well be interested in what IBA has to offer to ACCA students. But as you can tell, I don't have an appreciable A-Level score and I don't quite understand why they require experience besides an ACCA certificate itself.

Kindly define how CIMA is different from ACCA, and how exactly CA isn't too similar in that regard. (I always thought CA had much more worth and blended well with ACCA so it would be a better second option to have with ACCA but ICAP has no exemptions for ACCAs anymore, as you mentioned).
I do know that CIMA offers a hell lot of exemptions to ACCA affiliates, so is it really a worthy qualification to have, when one already is an ACCA (apart from the qualification being a fast track approach and 'diversified')

So, I get the impression that I can't exactly do that CA articleship when I do complete my ACCA studies in two year's time (InshAllah).

I can get an ICAEW contract here in Pakistan?
Does that mean I actually get to study the course (with exemptions for ACCA affiliates/members) in some Pakistan-based foreign FIRM (only).
Please elaborate on this ICAEW training contract that you mentioned. Is that like study and work, combined? If yes, is that a paid affair?

And how do I find out about all these firms offering this in Pakistan, when and where?

Also, do mention what's the ideal time to start any of this second backup qualification thing, AFTER I am an ACCA member or while I gain experience (as an ACCA affiliate).

Please explain pawwa for me.

Last of all, in my case (i feel i have presented quite a bit of detail regarding my case so far for you to decide this), which qualification would you now suggest as a secondary option with my ACCA that would really brighten my chances of a successful career and kind of guarantees a decent job straightaway. (Had MBA Finance in mind under the knowledge that Finance sounds like a well diversified concept compared to Business and Accountancy involved in the ACCA)

PS: It's a pity that we don't have combined ACCA programs like ACCA+ fully funded MBA/MSc Finance in Paskitan, unlike some colleges abroad that offer such luxuries.

Syavash · May 15, 2012

alamode said:
Well yeah if you're speaking globally then yeah its relatively less saturated but for a pakistani acca, it doesnt matter if the field is saturated abroad unless he can go abroad and get a job on the basis of ACCA which in current circumstances is very difficult.

Well you can start CA directly after your schooling, i dont think that would make it an entry level qualification. Just like CA, ACCA is also meant to be the final qualification, its just that over her in Pakistan ACCA's dont have the reputation they deserve.

It would be difficult but I am assuming, since I live in the middleeast already, I shouldnt have much of an issue finding a job?

Hassan Aftab · May 15, 2012

Syavash said:
It would be difficult but I am assuming, since I live in the middleeast already, I shouldnt have much of an issue finding a job?

Do those guys in the Middle East necessarily require a person speaks Arabic when they recruit people for ACCA related jobs etc.
And exactly which countries in the Middle East might well be the dreamland for an ACCA member, strictly in regards to finding jobs?

Syavash · May 15, 2012

Hussey said:
Do those guys in the Middle East necessarily require a person speaks Arabic when they recruit people for ACCA related jobs etc.
And exactly which countries in the Middle East might well be the dreamland for an ACCA member, strictly in regards to finding jobs?

Depends on where you apply, some do require Arabic some dont, but its always a plus. Not sure about the second point, but I'd say a job in Saudi Arabia would be considerably better than in the UAE since you can save more there and its alot less saturated.

alamode · May 15, 2012

Hussey said:
Ok, so I did my O-Level and got in to FIA. I did do my A-Level but the results were nothing to write home about, Es.
So I got my admission in FIA (first 3 exams of ACCA) on the basis of my O level result. So, would I still be able to get the equivalence once I clear ACCA and the relevant experience?
As you can tell, I am no inter, virtually no A level either, so I suppose I really should go for that OXford Brooke's BSc degree. Do tell me if it has any worth (its from England, right. If so, it must be equivalent to only 3 years of Bachelors)

Regarding ACCA being considered equivalent to Masters, well last I heard it was considered equal to an M.Com which doesn't quite sound like something very extra ordinary if you ask me.
And it's an MBA Finance that I am looking to combine with my ACCA qualification (sounds like a good thing to have, no?).
Being said that, I might as well be interested in what IBA has to offer to ACCA students. But as you can tell, I don't have an appreciable A-Level score and I don't quite understand why they require experience besides an ACCA certificate itself.

Kindly define how CIMA is different from ACCA, and how exactly CA isn't too similar in that regard. (I always thought CA had much more worth and blended well with ACCA so it would be a better second option to have with ACCA but ICAP has no exemptions for ACCAs anymore, as you mentioned).
I do know that CIMA offers a hell lot of exemptions to ACCA affiliates, so is it really a worthy qualification to have, when one already is an ACCA (apart from the qualification being a fast track approach and 'diversified')

So, I get the impression that I can't exactly do that CA articleship when I do complete my ACCA studies in two year's time (InshAllah).

I can get an ICAEW contract here in Pakistan?
Does that mean I actually get to study the course (with exemptions for ACCA affiliates/members) in some Pakistan-based foreign FIRM (only).
Please elaborate on this ICAEW training contract that you mentioned. Is that like study and work, combined? If yes, is that a paid affair?
And how do I find out about all these firms offering this in Pakistan, when and where?

Also, do mention what's the ideal time to start any of this second backup qualification thing, AFTER I am an ACCA member or while I gain experience (as an ACCA affiliate).

Please explain pawwa for me.

Last of all, in my case (i feel i have presented quite a bit of detail regarding my case so far for you to decide this), which qualification would you now suggest as a secondary option with my ACCA that would really brighten my chances of a successful career and kind of guarantees a decent job straightaway. (Had MBA Finance in mind under the knowledge that Finance sounds like a well diversified concept compared to Business and Accountancy involved in the ACCA)

PS: It's a pity that we don't have combined ACCA programs like ACCA+ fully funded MBA/MSc Finance in Paskitan, unlike some colleges abroad that offer such luxuries.

Well if things remain as they are, i dont think you would be able to get an equivalency of 4 years from HEC since you dont have Inter or A levels. You do have A levels even if they are E's maybe HEC will consider though im not sure. Anyway the OBU degree is recognized by HEC as a 3 year degree at a minimum so you can do MBA's from university which would accept 3 years bachelors but i dont think there are many here in Pakistan but you can definately go to UK for MBA on the basis of BSc in Oxford brookes because its a bachelors degree from UK and it is fully recognized in UK so yeah you can do MBA on its basis without any issues in UK.

Well yeah ACCA is equal to Masters of commerce but ofcourse MBA and MCom are very different things. I only mentioned it because if you are equivalent to M.Com then since M.Com is higher then bachelors, Universities would probably accept you for MBA program on the basis of MCom equivalency from HEC. And yeah an MBA Finance from a good university would definitely be a good combination, i myself am considering it !

IBA just recently started asking for experience, I dont think the experience requirements are there in other universities though plus the experience has to be after you get your graduate level degree so 2 years experience after you complete ACCA or BSc.

Well CIMA is more concentrated on Management Accounting whereas ACCA and CA have papers of management accounting, audit, financial reporting, tax etc etc. You can take ACCA as a general Business and Finance qualification whereas CIMA is a purely Management based qualification whereas CFA is Financial Analysis based. CA and ACCA courses teach almost the same subjects they are complete carbon copy of each other but CA atleast in pakistan has more value. Abroad ACCA and CA both have the same qualifications. Have a look at jobs in the UK, 90% of the time they advertise that they need a person who has ACCA or ACA qualified with so and so number of years of experience. Its only in pakistan that the monopoly of ICAP has made the difference between CA and ACCA so big.

Alot of my friends are doing CIMA qualifications just inorder to diversify into a new field. If you ask me, i dont see the worth in it though. Its a good qualification to have though. It depends, if you want to go into management accounting then you should go for CIMA.

Well you cant do CA article ship directly after ACCA but yeah like i said you can get Icaew contract in pakistan but its very difficult to get one. To get a ICAEW contract in a firm here is even more difficult, ICAEW doesnt require you to do their articles from a audit firm like ICAP does so you can join any organization which is registered with ICAEW as well. ICAEW only holds the Advanced Stage papers here so you will have to complete ACCA and make sure you take P6 and P7 as optional papers so that you can get full exemption from ICAEW. Then you will have i think 3 papers remaining all you need to do is get a training contract in a company or firm and start your training. You can give 2 papers whenever you want, the last paper which i think is a business study can only be given in the last year of your contract i believe. If you get an ICAEW contract in a firm, then they will pay you the same money as they pay to ICAP trainees.. If you get a contract in a company then they will probably pay you more, it depends on the company but usually its 10-20 thousand a month initially.

Here is the list of authorized firms and companies who can provide ICAEW contracts in Pakistan: http://www.ewpakistan.com/downloads/List of ATOs.pdf
KESC recently joined ICAEW and its name is not updated in that list.

Well you should start any other qualification you like as soon as you become an ACCA affiliate. Theres no point in waiting to be honest and pawwa is reference.. or source in other words..

Anyway i think you should consider ACCA + MBA. Would be a good combination but nothing can guarantee a decent job straight away though !

Syavash said:
It would be difficult but I am assuming, since I live in the middleeast already, I shouldnt have much of an issue finding a job?

Well since you're already in the middle east i dont think it should be that difficult. I dont know what conditions are over there but it definitely helps if you're in the country

Hussey said:
Do those guys in the Middle East necessarily require a person speaks Arabic when they recruit people for ACCA related jobs etc.
And exactly which countries in the Middle East might well be the dreamland for an ACCA member, strictly in regards to finding jobs?

Some do, some dont.. I think UAE or Saudia would be a great place since lots of foreign people live there. I think for jobs in saudia you do need to know arabic.

Hassan Aftab · May 16, 2012

alamode said:
Well if things remain as they are, i dont think you would be able to get an equivalency of 4 years from HEC since you dont have Inter or A levels. You do have A levels even if they are E's maybe HEC will consider though im not sure. Anyway the OBU degree is recognized by HEC as a 3 year degree at a minimum so you can do MBA's from university which would accept 3 years bachelors but i dont think there are many here in Pakistan but you can definately go to UK for MBA on the basis of BSc in Oxford brookes because its a bachelors degree from UK and it is fully recognized in UK so yeah you can do MBA on its basis without any issues in UK.

Well yeah ACCA is equal to Masters of commerce but ofcourse MBA and MCom are very different things. I only mentioned it because if you are equivalent to M.Com then since M.Com is higher then bachelors, Universities would probably accept you for MBA program on the basis of MCom equivalency from HEC. And yeah an MBA Finance from a good university would definitely be a good combination, i myself am considering it !

IBA just recently started asking for experience, I dont think the experience requirements are there in other universities though plus the experience has to be after you get your graduate level degree so 2 years experience after you complete ACCA or BSc.

Well CIMA is more concentrated on Management Accounting whereas ACCA and CA have papers of management accounting, audit, financial reporting, tax etc etc. You can take ACCA as a general Business and Finance qualification whereas CIMA is a purely Management based qualification whereas CFA is Financial Analysis based. CA and ACCA courses teach almost the same subjects they are complete carbon copy of each other but CA atleast in pakistan has more value. Abroad ACCA and CA both have the same qualifications. Have a look at jobs in the UK, 90% of the time they advertise that they need a person who has ACCA or ACA qualified with so and so number of years of experience. Its only in pakistan that the monopoly of ICAP has made the difference between CA and ACCA so big.

Alot of my friends are doing CIMA qualifications just inorder to diversify into a new field. If you ask me, i dont see the worth in it though. Its a good qualification to have though. It depends, if you want to go into management accounting then you should go for CIMA.

Well you cant do CA article ship directly after ACCA but yeah like i said you can get Icaew contract in pakistan but its very difficult to get one. To get a ICAEW contract in a firm here is even more difficult, ICAEW doesnt require you to do their articles from a audit firm like ICAP does so you can join any organization which is registered with ICAEW as well. ICAEW only holds the Advanced Stage papers here so you will have to complete ACCA and make sure you take P6 and P7 as optional papers so that you can get full exemption from ICAEW. Then you will have i think 3 papers remaining all you need to do is get a training contract in a company or firm and start your training. You can give 2 papers whenever you want, the last paper which i think is a business study can only be given in the last year of your contract i believe. If you get an ICAEW contract in a firm, then they will pay you the same money as they pay to ICAP trainees.. If you get a contract in a company then they will probably pay you more, it depends on the company but usually its 10-20 thousand a month initially.

Here is the list of authorized firms and companies who can provide ICAEW contracts in Pakistan: http://www.ewpakistan.com/downloads/List of ATOs.pdf
KESC recently joined ICAEW and its name is not updated in that list.

Well you should start any other qualification you like as soon as you become an ACCA affiliate. Theres no point in waiting to be honest and pawwa is reference.. or source in other words.. Anyway i think you should consider ACCA + MBA. Would be a good combination but nothing can guarantee a decent job straight away though !

Well since you're already in the middle east i dont think it should be that difficult. I dont know what conditions are over there but it definitely helps if you're in the country

Some do, some dont.. I think UAE or Saudia would be a great place since lots of foreign people live there. I think for jobs in saudia you do need to know arabic.

Thanks a whole lot for such a well detailed response, Sir.
I am thinking that since CIMA offers so many exemptions for even ACCA affiliates, let alone the ACCA members, I will have a go at it after I am an ACCA affiliate anyway and perhaps also look for a contract with ICAEW recognized firm so that I may as well combine ACA with the ACCA.
Otherwise, I suppose I ll just see if I can pusue MBA Finance in a university after ACCA and some experience under my belt.

Hmm, are Saudi Arabia and Dubai the only major players in the Middle East when it comes to Chartered Accountancy jobs? I mean, are there any more countries with less stringent requirements and conditions (reference to cost of living and the need to know Arabic).

Oh, and thanks once more for such an elaborative response, Mister.

Stay blessed.

---------- Post added at 12:16 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 AM ----------

Syavash said:
Depends on where you apply, some do require Arabic some dont, but its always a plus. Not sure about the second point, but I'd say a job in Saudi Arabia would be considerably better than in the UAE since you can save more there and its alot less saturated.

Hmm, now learn to speak Arabic needs to be added to my list of 'things to do before moving out of here', it seems.

How good a place is Saudi Arabia these days, when it comes to a happy, healthy lifestyle that is?
Umm, are they still consistent in their punishments of theft and do they still keep some of those otherwise barbaric customs (like discourage you to pick anything off the ground even if it is your belonbging)?
Just a thought, I remember it always made me feel very uncomfortable

Syavash · May 16, 2012

@alamode

The way I understand this is, once you are an ACCA Affiliate, you can claim exemptions from ICAEW and start your training without giving the final 3 papers BUT it is difficult to get it this way. What if

1) I complete the three papers (how long should they take?) and then lets say apply for EY, since I'd have completed all the papers wouldnt I have an edge over others who havent and are asking for training?

2) If lets say somehow I already get a training contract at EY for ACCA, and I register for ICAEW aswell, my training will count towards both?

@Hussey

Its a good place to live, you can have a content life in like 3000/4000SR with all the food you want, a good house etc. And if you get a job as an ACCA there you'll obviously earn more, so its a good place at the moment. The only downside is, its bad for women, like if you shift their with your mother or sister or get married etc. And the other downside is, you don't get to see women, not being tharkee, but for us Pakistanis, not seeing a whole gender starts to get sickening after a while, everywhere you like you have black burkas walking around and men wearing the same traditional white dress. In this regard UAE is much better. The punishments are there, not sure about the barbaric customs. Why do you plan on stealing some rich arab kid's ride ? :lol:

Another question, if both Hussey and me go for ACCA

It'd be atleast 2-3 years before we finish our papers and another 2 before we have sufficient training, I don't think this global recession is going to continue to last forever?

alamode · May 16, 2012

Syavash said:
@alamode

The way I understand this is, once you are an ACCA Affiliate, you can claim exemptions from ICAEW and start your training without giving the final 3 papers BUT it is difficult to get it this way. What if

1) I complete the three papers (how long should they take?) and then lets say apply for EY, since I'd have completed all the papers wouldnt I have an edge over others who havent and are asking for training?

2) If lets say somehow I already get a training contract at EY for ACCA, and I register for ICAEW aswell, my training will count towards both?

@Hussey

Its a good place to live, you can have a content life in like 3000/4000SR with all the food you want, a good house etc. And if you get a job as an ACCA there you'll obviously earn more, so its a good place at the moment. The only downside is, its bad for women, like if you shift their with your mother or sister or get married etc. And the other downside is, you don't get to see women, not being tharkee, but for us Pakistanis, not seeing a whole gender starts to get sickening after a while, everywhere you like you have black burkas walking around and men wearing the same traditional white dress. In this regard UAE is much better. The punishments are there, not sure about the barbaric customs. Why do you plan on stealing some rich arab kid's ride ? :lol:

Another question, if both Hussey and me go for ACCA It'd be atleast 2-3 years before we finish our papers and another 2 before we have sufficient training, I don't think this global recession is going to continue to last forever?

Well you cant give all the 3 remaining ICAEW papers because you have to be in the last year of your training to give the Case Study exam. You can only give 2 papers, your 1 paper will still be outstanding. The firms might consider you, but there is no guarantee.
And well, if you get a training contract at EY for ACCA, it wont count towards ICAEW because the contract has to be specifically for ICAEW only so it will only count towards ACCA but if you do ICAEW contract then it will count towards both ICAEW and ACCA since ACCA dont have any specific requirement to have training completed under an ACCA training contract.. Almost any employment of 3 years is good enough for ACCA but for ICAEW your training has to be specifically under an ICAEW contract..

Well when i started ACCA, the conditions weren't any better then they are these days to be honest. Things are changing slowly though.

Syavash · May 16, 2012

alamode said:
Well you cant give all the 3 remaining ICAEW papers because you have to be in the last year of your training to give the Case Study exam. You can only give 2 papers, your 1 paper will still be outstanding. The firms might consider you, but there is no guarantee.
And well, if you get a training contract at EY for ACCA, it wont count towards ICAEW because the contract has to be specifically for ICAEW only so it will only count towards ACCA but if you do ICAEW contract then it will count towards both ICAEW and ACCA since ACCA dont have any specific requirement to have training completed under an ACCA training contract.. Almost any employment of 3 years is good enough for ACCA but for ICAEW your training has to be specifically under an ICAEW contract..

Well when i started ACCA, the conditions weren't any better then they are these days to be honest. Things are changing slowly though.

Ohh thanks for the info. How long since you finished your ACCA and are you an affiliate or a member, worrking? Hope you dont mind me asking

alamode · May 16, 2012

Syavash said:
Ohh thanks for the info. How long since you finished your ACCA and are you an affiliate or a member, worrking? Hope you dont mind me asking

Nah i dont mind, Well my final attempt in ACCA was in December 2009... So since then an affiliate.. doing ICAP articles these days

Hassan Aftab · May 16, 2012

Syavash said:
@alamode

The way I understand this is, once you are an ACCA Affiliate, you can claim exemptions from ICAEW and start your training without giving the final 3 papers BUT it is difficult to get it this way. What if

1) I complete the three papers (how long should they take?) and then lets say apply for EY, since I'd have completed all the papers wouldnt I have an edge over others who havent and are asking for training?

2) If lets say somehow I already get a training contract at EY for ACCA, and I register for ICAEW aswell, my training will count towards both?

@Hussey

Its a good place to live, you can have a content life in like 3000/4000SR with all the food you want, a good house etc. And if you get a job as an ACCA there you'll obviously earn more, so its a good place at the moment. The only downside is, its bad for women, like if you shift their with your mother or sister or get married etc. And the other downside is, you don't get to see women, not being tharkee, but for us Pakistanis, not seeing a whole gender starts to get sickening after a while, everywhere you like you have black burkas walking around and men wearing the same traditional white dress. In this regard UAE is much better. The punishments are there, not sure about the barbaric customs. Why do you plan on stealing some rich arab kid's ride ? :lol:

Another question, if both Hussey and me go for ACCA It'd be atleast 2-3 years before we finish our papers and another 2 before we have sufficient training, I don't think this global recession is going to continue to last forever?

Hmm, very meaningful questions, those.
And hey, I gotta appreciate your sense of humour.

It's not that I would be stealing money off someone but it's always a risk , you know. An arab putting a blame on a non-Arab (even if unnecessarily) can prove quite hazardous you know.
To avoid all such unfortunate happenings, I'd rather think of moving to the UAE, I suppose.

kaiser · May 30, 2012

NighteySenpai said:
How about you marry some random chick (give her money), apply for visa and once you get it, get annulled or divorced? :lol:

You get a one year visa initially, then 4 years and only then can you apply for an indefinite visa and after a year of that, you get the nationality. During this period, you have to show the home office the evidence of a continuing relationship with her. Things used to be a lot easier in the past.

---------- Post added at 12:52 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:44 AM ----------

alamode said:
Well getting married to a british national is not going to be a good idea in my case
So how do you actually go to UK on a tier 1 visa? I've heard they've made the rules strict these days.

From UKBA website:
"The Tier 1 (General) route is now closed to overseas applicants".

Damn.

NaNoW · May 30, 2012

This thread will be all about sharing experiences by PG members who:

Have studied abroad

Have applied abroad and are currently preparing for it

This thread will be about PG members who have studies abroad already and will share their experiences

How, what, when, why, where of everything

What one needs to do?

How do you get housing?

How do you get a job?

I applied to Germany,My first choice uni was uni of Freiburg....then Dresden and then Darmstadt for masters in Nano/Micro Technology ..
I mashallah got into Uni of Freiburg, I recieved their confirmation letter...as the program is 100% in english, there isnt a mandatory requirement for learning German language...but i had earlier (in january) took a course in Goethe Institute (karachi) for the language, so I know basic German language, I am sure that will help me in day to day activities..plus I am going to take another advanced course in the language inshallah in June/july session

My cuzin has been in Germany for past 8 years, and I made a few friends in Goethe Institute (karachi) who have gone there....so I am gathering info via these sources...

The university sent me a very detailed online guide, I would share it as soon as i received my acceptance offer (hardcopy, already got the email), its a must read for anyone trying to come to Germany..
The town of Freiburg is a dreamland as I have heard, and its on the border of Germany, Switzerland and France (all 3) and adjacent to the Black forest..and the university is amonge the world top 100 and among the "University of Excellence" program..which rates the top 9 German universities..so ofcousre I am very excited about the opportunity ..

I will keep this thread updated with my journey..the winter semester starts 22nd Oct...

NaNoW · May 30, 2012

Okey people looking for help regarding going to Germany can leave me a PM..I will try to help you guys out as much as possible...i also have an excel file I made for my university research.. I got accepted in UK and Germany (to all the universities I applied to..) so you can get the check list from me if u guys need it...

I applied to Germany,My first choice uni was uni of Freiburg....then Dresden and then Darmstadt for masters in Nano/Micro Technology ..
I mashallah got into Uni of Freiburg, I recieved their confirmation letter...as the program is 100% in english, there isnt a mandatory requirement for learning German language...but i had earlier (in january) took a course in Goethe Institute (karachi) for the language, so I know basic German language, I am sure that will help me in day to day activities..plus I am going to take another advanced course in the language inshallah in June/july session

My cuzin has been in Germany for past 8 years, and I made a few friends in Goethe Institute (karachi) who have gone there....so I am gathering info via these sources...

The university sent me a very detailed online guide, I would share it as soon as i received my acceptance offer (hardcopy, already got the email), its a must read for anyone trying to come to Germany..
The town of Freiburg is a dreamland as I have heard, and its on the border of Germany, Switzerland and France (all 3) and adjacent to the Black forest..and the university is amonge the world top 100 and among the "University of Excellence" program..which rates the top 9 German universities..so ofcousre I am very excited about ..

I will keep this thread, with my journey..the winter semester starts 22nd Oct...

imx16 · May 30, 2012

Anyone help studying in Australia?

Blastwave · May 30, 2012

[MENTION=4177]Wajhi[/MENTION] Congratulations man

Yes, any official guide, help will be good.

kamran saeed · May 30, 2012

congratulations man

soulhealer83 · May 30, 2012

im studing in UK, not in Uni but in college. If u need any info ask me question, i'll reply u. Last thing London is a good place to study if money isnt an issue for u. As transport, rents and daily expenses are higher as compare to other cities or town.

Ashhad · May 31, 2012

Wajhi said:
Okey people looking for help regarding going to Germany can leave me a PM..I will try to help you guys out as much as possible...i also have an excel file I made for my university research.. I got accepted in UK and Germany (to all the universities I applied to..) so you can get the check list from me if u guys need it...

Bro can you write something up so I can add it to the OP...It would be appreciated

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