UK Education Scam

I also believe there is some sort of scam being done by the British CH, this is why the requirement for applying for a student visa is not clearly spelt out by the BHC, if you check their website this is the requirement;
STUDENTS
o       Your qualifications/UK acceptance letter.
 
o       Current financial circumstances (as per visitors).
 
o       Evidence of sponsor's financial circumstances (as per visitors).
 
o       Letter from sponsor (if applicable).

Now this is pretty vague, a large amount of refusals base on finance, meet this requirement that’s why a lot of people keep applying for this visa. If the British high commission truly wants the number of applicant for student visa to drop, root out fake student, they need to come out with a clearly defined set of requirement and they know this, for instance to study in Ireland you need to pay your tuition in full, if the British HC includes this requirement the number of student application will drop by 70%, but they don’t want that we make them a lot of money. I was at a visa counseling session at the British council in May and the said that last year 34,000 students applied for student visa and this year they are expecting about 40,000, and the refusal rate was 77%.

Still the hundreds of UK universities keep coming here though the British Council and BHC to look for students who will be refused visa, so my point is the current requirements for a student visa is obsolete, they at the high commission know this, a most student who was refused this year would not have been refused 3 or 4 years ago, that because the requirements have changed but they don’t want to tell us what it is so we all can keep applying and making money for them.

If they truly want the only genuine student who can really afford a UK education to apply for these requirements should be added.

Pay your course tuition in full; I mean anyone who can afford to pay 4500 of a 9000 pound tuition and pay 4500 five months lather u should as well wait and pay the tuition in full, what’s the hurry.

Ban students going on non-degree courses like HND’s, HNC’s, Diploma Course, computer course, etc. the fact is this rule is already in place but they will not tell people, they need to just spill it out.

@ Donzman just leaves @MIZIEYA he or she is just a stupid fag, who da F does he think he is anyway typing essays up and down is he an ECO, I also am utterly disgusted at all his rubbish he’s even suggesting blacks are blaming the white man, and he makes mockery of other peoples faith, that blasphemous where did that come from. he’s probably one of those white supremacist that forget their black   I wonder what his looking for on this board, of all the topics here he just chooses to keep commenting here ‘because your lucky to be in your shoe u don’t want other to have it, arrogant freak u had better F off. I know u are going to write another essay on me be my guest, this is all I’m going to say on this, f, ing faggot, and I know u love kissing white men.

of course the subject of disscussion is student visa for students. If u dont know something it is better u shutup.Because students receive a letter from the eco stating he is not satisifed with their application irrespective of the fact that the documnets required are presented and i talk from my own case.

U know the BHC is not straight forward with this issue and most people who are posting here are talking from experince.i dont think u have applied for a british visa b4 because your british so u dont know what we are talking about .
please stop all this irritating talk.

Besides your a black man, your ancestors are black ,they were from africa, if their was a genocide war in wales they would murder u

U know God is very liberal but u might be judged  for all your saying now so u have a right to remain silent about the Omnipresent God, i read some of your posts in religion and i can u need to leave the crowd your moving with or is it a rock thing to be an atheist .i can bet u, u better repent and dont let the devil deceive u my brother.there is a God your mind cant just fathom it because it is in the supernatural and u not on that plane yet.
Just like when humans where saying the world was flat.
Mr Man no let Baba God Slap you, that slap will be bleach u to white,

IF u want to contribute to ppl like us here u could help us to answer a student questoinnare.

that is the essence of this post .its only now that i feel u per se.Yes we need to get our acts right and make our universities sources of income for our home office and high commissions.

i totally agree with u.

Now we need postive contributions from u our brother in diaspora ok and dont abuse God it is unafrican.U know our forefathers relate to God thru their ansectors until the Europeans brought the bible in one hand and a gun in the other hand.

Now paganism  isnot it at all we are in a spiritual world ok.
Cheers

Paganism is unafrican yes. africans were involved in ancestral worship .Or thro iFa and divination

You guys are still arguing with this tool MIZIEYA? Noo!

Hi Mizieya
I have read through your comments on this thread both to my earlier comments and to that of other Nairalanders. Before I go on let me state clearly that I am not advocating the unguarded issuance of visa to every Akin, Abdul and Amarachi. I am sure we will all agree that this kind of policy would be pure madness and would lead to chaos and confusion. As you might have noticed in my comments I endeavoured to give tips/pointers to GENUINE prospective student applicants on how best to improve their chances of securing a visa. I am not under any illusion that there are indeed people whose motives for applying for a student visa are for reasons other than studying, I have no sympathy for these set of people when their application rightfully gets turned down.
Now Specifically addressing the points you raised in your comments:

[i]1 - IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is one of many oral, written and listening exams required by the Visa Standards. It is actually high on the list. It would be insane for an applicant to apply to Germany or China without being able to speak the language.

IELTS and TOEFL is not a pre-requisite for Nigerians students willing to study in th UK, since it is taken that the mode of instruction in our schools at all level is English. To my knowledge it’s students from mostly Asian and francophone countries that are subjected to this test. It’s only in US- based that Nigerians are required to show their proficiency in English.

2 - With every rejection letter there are reasons stating why an applicant failed. A right to appeal is optional it is not always granted. I never go on second hand stories - i prefer first hand in order to ascertain the truth of a matter. Your 'friend/acquaintance' should come online and state what happened to him[/i]

I agree that for every rejection letter there is/are “reason(s)” stating why an applicant failed to secure a visa. If you have had the opportunity to peruse through some reasons adduced for visa refusal, you probably would like me wonder if the ECO doesn’t already have a preset mind. Some of theses paragraphs look like they have been cut and pasted! I know of three different people who had four identical paragraphs in their rejection letter yet they all submitted different documents!
Just a  couple of weeks ago, my friend (and this is 1st hand information not 2nd hand as you put it!) had his visa application rejected.
Amongst the reasons given by the ECO was this one which I found particularly strange…. “Your proposed course of study is unrealistic, as it is inconsistent with your previous pattern of study. Your course doesn’t represent a progression in your education pattern and you have not been able to satisfactorily explain this apparent change in direction”. The course of study in question was Oil and Gas engineering (O&G Engr) and my friend is a geologist, he had his first degree in geology and has worked as a well-site geologist for upwards of three years. Two out of the eight modules of the O&G Engr course are core geological course! So tell me where is the inconsistency, moreso what real basis has the ECO got to evaluate someone’s suitability for a course. This is even more startling when one considers that the university after evaluating transcripts, certificates, statement of purpose/research proposals, reference letters have fund th candidate worthy and qualified for a place in the programme. What I find even more baffling is the fact that I know of 6 Nigerian students who are currently studying in this institution in Aberdeen who had geology as their first degree. If any person can be accused of inconsistency I think its ECO who should be the one.

As to your comments “I never go on second hand stories - i prefer first hand in order to ascertain the truth of a matter. Your 'friend/acquaintance' should come online and state what happened to him” . Firstly let me state that I don’t deal in hearsays or as you sarcastically put it second-hand stories!

 Secondly, my friend is not under any obligation to come here to state his case, since he has no business either you or this forum, I just cited his case just as you cited that of your Pakistani friend whose cousin was refused a visa for reasons bothering on terrorism.

3 - Psychological damage a rejection does?, people need to grow up- life is filled with positive and negative aspects- life is about managing problems and over coming them - not demanding a free pass. Without pain - the individual doesn't grow- Imagine if you can how many applicants The visa People examine per day, imagine again how many times each individual application goes through an inspection process to determine whether or not it is Genuine or creates Reasonable Doubt.

I agree with you that life is filled with positive and negative aspects and that without pain the individual doesn’t grow. But this still doesn’t w must also appreciate the fact we don’t all have the same capacity to absorb setbacks. Again I appreciate the enormous work the ECO has to do in going through the applications inundating his desk on a daily basis, especially around August and early September when many students are rushing to get a visa. I have advised in my previous comments that applicants (and by this I mean the genuine ones) should endeavour to put in an early application. For if the truth be told around June/July your application is likely to meet a friendly much more relaxed ECO than one submitted in August/September.

4 - There are myriad ways to obtain a visa, fake qualifications, a British mobile phone number that can be redirected to a Nigerian number etc etc- naturally it all costs money. But if there is determination- there is always a way.

Fake qualifications?? Come off it my guy!! I would expect that the university on question would have verified all supporting documents submitted as part of the application before offering someone an admission.
As to the aspect of redirecting a British phone number to Nigeria, please can you educate us on how that would enhance one getting a visa! These people in the embassy are no fools you know! And not all Nigerians are fraudulent!
That said, i am not naive I know there are some desperate Nigerians willing to get out of the country by all means and how have the false notion that Europe is flowing with milk and honey, and who go on to submit all kinds incredulous documents, to these set of people I can only pray that their applications are rightfully turned down.

5 - The entire process is on the shoulders of the applicant. Bear in mind one can apply to any university and be rejected: are you suggesting that Universities offer counselling services for every single applicant that was rejected all because YOU want the 'Human Approach'? Similarly with the Visa Process, do you want every officer to send through the post a lollipop to every failed application? Again, perhaps a counselling service or candy should be offered to every failed applicant who applies for a job- because YOU want every applican to be mollycoddled, pampered and mothered. That my dear is just not reality.

I agree entirely with your opening statement here, it was aptly put and this is why I offered - and I expect others too- who have tips or advice on how GENUINE Nigerian students can pursue their studies in the UKc an enhance their chances and save themselves the heart-ache of a rejection because ultimately the onus lies with the applicant to show beyond reasonable doubt why he/she should be issued a visa.

I never suggested as you sarcastically put it that universities offer counselling services to every applicant whose visa was rejected. I only advocated that people should look at the option of either seeking professional advice from student visa counselling bodies (there are quite a number of them) or from someone-one who has vast knowledge in visa issues.

6 - Bribes: there have been cases where those with money have actually succeeded in bribing their way into a university: think Diplomats,

I have never heard of anyone offering bribes to gain admission to British universities (I presume you were talking about British universities). Maybe you can let us know of the “cases” where money has succeeded in as you out it “bribing their way into a university: think Diplomats,”


7 - A quota per year or month or week - that's something to ask the Home Office- I suspect the answer is no, but that is something you yourself need to find out.

Even if it were true that there is a quota on the number of students issued visa every year I don’t think the Home office would come out openly to say so. And that I think is where some people are crying foul! It is only logical that the British government would have a figure as to the number of student who they are willing to admit into their country as this would be weighted as the available social infrastructures on ground.

8 - You also need to remember that no one owes anyone anything: applications for visa, a job, a visit and so on to another country is  fair game for anyone to apply - if it means having to re-apply without a refund then so be it. My  motto is: if you want something THAT badly- you won't give up regardless of how many knocks you come across. With all the 419 Scams going on- if I were an official I'd go through every document and chase every lead with a fine tooth comb

You are spot on here!

9 - I'm not familiar with the term "abi" - kindly explain it.

“Abi” is a Pidgin English slang which can only be interpreted in context. In my case it meant “isn’t it”

10 - Smile and the world smiles with you,

Are you sure about this!!!!!

Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress; working together is success - David J. Schwartz

Blue2

Nice write up.

Speaking as someone who has actually worked in the system I would like to saya coupleof things.

Yes, most of the refusal letters are cut and paste. They (eco) use what they call standard paragraphs.
The reason they use these is to, perversley, ensure consistency in the decision making process. That is to
say the reasons for refusal are consistent. Having said that in using these paragraphs the ECO should
set them in the correct context and not just deploy them willy nilly.

Regarding your friend who was refused a visa.
I would suggest he applies again if it is not too late for this academic year.
He should before applying obtain a letter from his proposed university confirming
the relevance of his previous study to his proposed course. ECOs are humans
and they make mistakes. I know of several cases where they have reviewed
decisions and reversed an original decision in favour of the applicant.
So hopefully all is not lost for your friend. 

@ Etin
I agree to some extent that some extent that some nigerians stay back after their studies but remember that they are now skilled workers and are contributing to the economy of the UK and moreover foreign nigerian students are a huge source of income for many british schools, we pay 3 times as much as an EU citizen!

@Mizieya

it is oluwole not oluwala and things have been tough for forgers in that place since the EFCC (anti-corruption body) cracked down on them. As to the issue of fake credentials, my point is if you apply to a British university or any reputable university the onus is on teh admin staff to verify transcripts and certificates from the applicants alma mater

as per prospective diploma students the BHC lagos would turn down any applications for diploma studies for obvious reasons, diploma is definately a no-case with the BHC lagos

,guys does anyone knows the particular questions Uk embassy ask banks when they call the bank for account verification,i am asking this because i noticed the people with fake bogus account information are the ones they give visa, pls i need answers

U guys should remember that you always have a choice.

U are not under any obligation to apply for and school in UK or America. There are good schools in naija.

If u feel its a scam, then tanda for naija.

Otherwise keep trying. U might succeed.

Me I did the same until the thing work.

Una dooo ooo

@ etin

With regards to people overstaying their student visa, Nigerians are not even in the top ten according to a report carried out last year. Jamaica came top. According to that report, only about 500 Jamaican student applied for a visa, but over 17,000 students already in the UK applied for extension of study. Ghanaians were number 9 on the list.   

@ Blue2

number 8 is spot on, NOT

An ECO has to follow the rules and regulation listed below, not his or her discretion hence getting a visa is NOT the same as applying for a job or winning the lottery.Once one fulfils the visa requirement below, one SHOULD be issued with a visa. 

There is definitely a quota because they cannot give every successful applicant a visa, hence the reason, a lot of people get turned down with flimsy, irrelevant excuses, even when you have correctly dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's e.g. the geology student and the 17 year old mentioned in earlier posts. 

No matter how correct you fill the form, no matter how robust your account balance is, no matter how early you apply, no matter how genuine your papers are (mind you, they don't know their arse from their elbow when it comes to real or fake documents), a lot of people are still gonna be turned down.

So in essence, a scam is in operation, otherwise British Council would not be fervently promoting UK education as they do in Nigeria. They, alongside with universities and colleges continue to encourage people to apply all year round by organizing fairs, placing adverts in papers, et al.     

Besides, doesn't it tell you something that Nigeria is arguably the only country with two British Embassies?




Highlighted below IS the statutory requirement (law) needed to obtain a  student visa.
 

Requirements for leave to enter as a student

 

57. The requirements to be met by a person seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom as a student are that he:

(i) has been accepted for a course of study which is to be provided by an organisation which is included on the Department for Education and Skills' Register of Education and Training Providers, and is at either;

(a) a publicly funded institution of further or higher education; or

 

(b) a bona fide private education institution which maintains satisfactory records of enrolment and attendance; or

 

(c) an independent fee paying school outside the maintained sector; and

(ii) is able and intends to follow either:

(a) a recognised full time degree course at a publicly funded institution of further or higher education; or

 

(b) a weekday full time course involving attendance at a single institution for a minimum of 15 hours organised daytime study per week of a single subject, or directly related subjects; or

 

(c) a full time course of study at an independent fee paying school; and

(iii) if under the age of 16 years is enrolled at an independent fee paying school on a full time course of studies which meets the requirements of the Education Act 1944; and

 

(iv) intends to leave the United Kingdom at the end of his studies; and

 [color=#990000]

(v) does not intend to engage in business or to take employment, except part time or vacation work undertaken with the consent of the Secretary of State for Employment; and

 

(vi) is able to meet the costs of his course and accommodation and the maintenance of himself and any dependants without taking employment or engaging in business or having recourse to public funds.[/color]

@ omonla

USA's policy regarding entry is slightly different from UK's. There is no personal discretion in place here, the law is the law (not all the time though, britain is a two-faced country). Over there apart from the consular staffs, immigration officers and even customs officers (your homeland people) can even refuse you entry at the port of entry at whim and tend to give first time travellers to the states a lot of aggro.      

Not knowing she was only doing her job, I remember the first time I relocated to America and got accosted by a customs officer who wanted to know how long I was gonna be there for, how much I had, who I would be staying with, how did you pay for your ticket, etc. I was so mad at her, she had turned red, and was shaking and was in tears by the time I finished lambasting her. I even recollect arguing with her that in case she has forgotten, her role was to deal with luggages, contraband, etc, not passengers. The weird thing though was that even though I was in the wrong (I did not know the poor thing was only doing her job), I got a loud cheer and clapping from staffs and other passengers alike.

the solution  to this problem lies with nigerian themselve . to be honest nigeria is tough  and hard and let face the reality it is better  outside the  country , i mean better standard of living . but nigerian youth must learn something that becasue mr a went to london 3  years ago does not mean that i have  to go to britain too . i was given an addmission this year and i was about to apply  for y student visa application when a two letters came in for me one from norway and the  other from portugal infact both organisations  that sent the letters even told me that  they have written the embassy about my visa and that i will have no problem
but trust nbigerian people insisted that london is where everybody is  and that i should go in for the  student visa programme with fastin prayers and everything the reply was we dont think u will return therefore my application was turned down .
i now told my mother that if i didnt apply it would be as if i dont want to a pply .

people must realise britain is not the only place you can make it in the world . there are a lot of other places which are miles better than britain .so guys muct change their mentality of sticking to the three nigeria destinations mainly canada , britain , spain and britain .
the amount people spend on travelling runs to me is outrageous . most of the travelling plans i have done were done by myself . but u find people spending 350k to 400k  on america visa .
well guys thin about it , there are a whole lot of options waiting for like portuagal, sweden , norawy , taiwan , china , japan .
i was at the japanese embassy sometime ago amd believe me guys there was not asingle nigerian applicant there . those are embassies  u go to and u will feel like a human being

I once applied to an institution in the UK, but i was told to pay in some pounds of money before i can actually receive my admission letter, this is for them to be sure that i am really coming to the UK for studies, please advice me on what to do.