₦airaland Forum

staggerlee:
What do u want to know about PHD

I am asking the question in line with your arguments that it is not worth it coming over there. So I wanna ask if PhD puts on in good stead.

People, please who has Rands for sale?

staggerlee:
People still make it big in Naija, in Zim in Burkinafaso, u can make it big anywhere, so let's not put the luck or miracle factor in this

OK. What about doing a PhD? I am starting mine by July.

princecharles100:
Hey, please guys, I have been here for years, honestly I will never advice my worst enemy to come here

Thank you for the advice, but what are you still doing there then? Plus what kind of Visa did you enter with?

staggerlee:
I think you are good to Go, but don't they need SAQA at the embassy?

The embassy might not request for SAQA. You will need your brother's passport data page (photocopy)
I hope you did one year's medical cover because anything less could delay your visa.
The embassy is not taking applications for study permit till June, but you can visit VFS office to inquire if they can handle it - the embassy has been referring people to VFS for Study visa till June.
You will still need SAQA when you get to SA so you might as well apply for it now.
All the best

staggerlee:
Relying on your naija ATMs is not advisable, I just got back from naija with a zenith atm, the charges are mad on both withdrawals and pos, vouched never to use it again. So try and find how u can bring rands into the country.

Accommodation of 3,500 is standard to me for a student, though some people claim they pay less than 2k in durban, I don't know but since they stay in Durban's CBD and those CBDs could be rough at times its possible. Just make sure the 3,500 covers electricity and water, even though PE is relatively an expensive area

What is the highest amount of rands they can allow and what is the ATM rate?

muhaogunlo:
They don't actually accept application on Tuesdays, they verify your documents on Tuesday, you go to pay on Wednesday and then submit on Thursday. But you can only start the process on Tuesday (7:00am), it's sort of a chain reaction.

NB: It's not VFS for study permit, it's SA High Commission, VFS in Nigeria is only for short term visa to SA, however VFS handles all visa (change/renewal) applications in SA, including PR application.

Cheers!

The embassy has said they wont entertain study visas till June. I also saw them referring people to VFS for study visas

Babaelemu:
you nailed the real happening in sa. i came to sa at the age of 20 not in education line and spending over 7 years. i have seen sa ups and downs i just laugh when the new comer thinks education can be gateway to better life in sa. believe it or not if 1000 nigerian should come to do phd or master i can frankly say only 10 will be lucky to benefit from education system. surviving in a foreign land is just by a mere luck believe it or not.

Luck an dint of hard work. I do not agree with your pessimistic poser that ratio 1:100 describes the success failure relation. For instance, I hav about four friends having their PhD research in SA and they are doing quite well. I don't subscribe to your 'put down' attitude - Are you in Nigeria despite the 'hardship'?

People can I take agbo jedi into SA?

max1981:
Hello House, I applied for visiting visa to South Africa on Tuesday and I got a message to come and pick up my passport 3 days after. What's going on? Have I been refused? What do you think guys? Coz am scared.

Don't be scared! This isn't the peak period for visa applications as the embassy is not treating study visa till June - so it might just be that only a few people applied. Hope for the best, provided you supplied all the required docs and they are all genuine. Cheers!

muhaogunlo:
1. True
2. Yes there are
3. Accommodation ranges from 30K to 80K per month, depending on location and whether it is shared or not. And you pay monthly not yearly.
4. Yes you can work as a teaching assistant or part-time lecturer, depending on the opportunities in your field of study.
5. Yes, it's very easy to get study visa for PhD, so long as you have all the required documents.
6. It depends on your destination in SA and on airline, ranging from 120K to 180K, it fluctuates, you may even get cheaper flights if you book way before your travel date.
7. Lots of academic opportunities for PhD holders in SA, it depends on what you mean by academic opportunities.
8. Salient factors - don't live more than your means, watch the company you keep in SA and be focused on your work, most importantly - God factor.
9. It depends on your lifestyle, but food ain't expensive in SA, the last time I checked. Public transport is also very cheap.
10. SAQA ranges from 2 weeks to 3 months or more, depending on when your school verifies your documents. Yes you need your WAEC or NECO, including scratch card that they will use to check your result online, it's a new requirement.
11. SAQA will send your document to your school for verification after which they will issue you a SAQA certificate.
12. Usually you will need to send to both but different universities have different requirements.

Be prayerful, hopeful and optimistic, and it will make more sense if you can confirm if your supervisor has funding for postgraduate students, it will make you have a very soft landing but there are scholarship opportunities as well, though competitive for foreigners but it's not impossible to get, depending on your field of study.


NB: I stand to be corrected on any above if anyone has any recent info about any of the questions, please share.

Cheers!

Quite rich response! The only addition I have that you don't need Waec for saqa provided you have Msc - from my experience, just send the results and transcripts duly certified by a notary public. Your final grade in your Masters study is also a factor. You are expected to have at least a B' aggregate score. All the best.

iyaaliyah:
Staggeriee, thanks much. Your points are noted.
Yes. The clinic is private. It's in capeTown. Am searching for accommodation now tho the clinic sent me a list to choose from but expensive and most are self catering. Wetin I wan dey cook? BTW, how much was your SAA ticket? Am getting 204k or thereabout. Want a cheap ticket but not badly cheap.
Thanks.

You can check travelstart for a range of available tickets and check gumtree for accommodation.

staggerlee:
Let me also state that coming to SA didnt really make me a better person it is just a perception. like I said all my cronies that I last saw in Nigeria have all moved up the success ladder faster than myself. So probably, if I was in Naija I could have also made more success. A lot of people feel leaving Naija is the ultimate, I dont believe so, maybe if I had this believe years ago I would have stuck my guns in Naija

Well... moving up is relative and the grass always seem green on the other side. The basic amenities that are available in SA will save you a lot of hard earned money. Presently people fuel their cars and generators with as much as 200 naira per litre, you will need your to put on the generator overnight ( that will gulp like 20 litres) - If you have your own business you will still need to have your generator on all through the day etc. It is true that no place can be like home, but it is not a bad idea to keep your options open - glad to know you have a PR already so there's always a plan B

Biolypop:
I was sent an admission letter of the skull I put in for in SA "university of the free town".... That was feb this yr ND I went down to South Africa high commission Abuja and I was told study visa has been close till June 1st...... I want to knw the way they process the study visa and I want to know the required document I will take along with me ......pls help on that question

University of the Frestate you meant? What level of study are you going for? There is no special way to apply for a study visa, just get all your docs tight and submit to the high commision. A list of required docs can be found on this thread

ZiggyMr:
Hello guys, saqa billed me 1668rands for my evaluation, hw much ll dat be in Naira, I don't knw d rate they ll charge me.

You can pay with your Mastercard or Visa. The rate is between 18 and 20 naira

iyaaliyah:
Hello, happy sunday to you all. pls i need answers to the following questions:
1. I am going to SA for medical treatment, the hospital is willing to give letter to the embassy, will i submit in vfs or Abuja?
2. How long does the visa take to be issued?
3. How can i move from CapeTown to Pretoria? I have checked online for airlines, trains or something, can find any useful info.
Thanks.

You can take a flight from Capetown to Pretoria. You can check for cheap ones on Tripadvisor

iyaaliyah:
Hello, happy sunday to you all. pls i need answers to the following questions:
1. I am going to SA for medical treatment, the hospital is willing to give letter to the embassy, will i submit in vfs or Abuja?
2. How long does the visa take to be issued?
3. How can i move from CapeTown to Pretoria? I have checked online for airlines, trains or something, can find any useful info.
Thanks.

You submit at VFS, they have offices at Abuja, Lagos and PH. The duration is about two weeks.

@Preppie You wont apply at the VFS centre for a study visa, rather you have to go to the High commission. You also have to contact your school's international office to send you a letter to the embassy, they will state several things that the embassy needs to see on the letter.

ife01:
Some interesting academic discourse going on here ..... interesting

Meanwhile, does anyone know the current exchange rate for Rand at the BDCs in MMIA?

#22 the last I checked. Why not buy from a bank? Stanbic sells @ 18.5.

Oluwaskinny:
I am tired of waiting on this text! Its almost a month now,still no news.... This is really worry some! Please gurus in the house should help out with useful information!

What class of Visa did you apply for?

To my own question: If you are on a study permit in SA at one school and you get a scholarship at another Uni in SA, can you use same study permit or you have to reapply?

geekybabe:
thanks. I have 2 good proposals I have written and have forwarded to some of These schools. trust me, I have been planning for this Msc for a while. the biggest challenge is most schools don't av my research interest in the available research groups in their respective departments. So I had to find another relatively close research area.

I'm still awaiting feedbacks from some schools on my proposal. I don't even mind doing an honors.. so far it makes me better. but I don't know if I can wait for another 8months to apply for honors.

I have heard Skype interview sessions with some schools regarding this Msc thing. I think for a full time research student, there is a level of competence required.

either ways I am quite hopeful. I'll tidy proposals again and push. thanks

My man I can tell you for free that if you search properly you will find a school that caters for your research interest. S.A Universities have professionals in diverse fields and capacity- except ur research deals with a rare Nigerian issue. Meanwhile your interest not being expressly stated on the research pages of the schools or their lecturers doesn't mean some will not be interested. South African researchers are quite flexible and open to new ideas - I know of someone working on 'magun' thunderbolt - despite south African never hearing about it before. He even got a scholarship. Like people have advised you here, make your proposal catchy with a proper research framework and a recent theory... I know most Nigerian don't have a proper grasp of theories.

Best.

ZiggyMr:
Hello stevetop, pls I need a sort of advice on honours, i av a cgpa of 3.46 and am applying for M.sc Geographic information system.
Do I av a chance of getting admission or I shud do honours 1st.... I must be sincere am thinking of a research proposal, I don't av a proposal yet

You might have a chance provided you can come up with a proposal that addresses an important issue - better still an area that hasn't been too well researched. Another clue is to lookout for the research interests of lecturers in schools of your choice, it might give you some clues as to what will interest them. I know Stellenbosch has a page where they host completed theses, you can download and read some- it helps to shape your critical thinking and the formulation of tenable research questions.

All the Best.

geekybabe:
Heyy..its ok. people with way lower cgpa's have gone to even the UK and have done masters. and by all standards most schools in the UK are way better than some S.A schools. SO call it out all you want its not the issue here. I have friends in S.A schools with lower points and they got in.

My younger bro is even over there doing his MSc.

Thanks for your concern

Well said... though the CGPA isn't fantastic, I think it might not be THE MAIN problem with your application. For most research studies you would need to submit a proposal and I can tell you for free that if your proposal is not spot-on it could deny you a fair chance even if you hold a first class degree. Don't be deterred just sit with your proposal again and come up with something that addresses a nagging lacuna in scholarship - in your field that is.
I could add one or two ten cents if you need.

Keneking:
Checking is to authentic the status of your application ie pre qualification. I have seen most people turned back due to incomplete documentation or even basic stuff like insurance.

Payment doesnt guarantee that you shall be granted visa. In case where fraudulent documents are discovered, you would be penalised severely.

I certainly can't use a fake document for any reason! It's not a do or die for me though I have all the docs. I was at the consulate yesterday and I was told to pay, my question is in retrospect- we were kept for hours for checks that could be done after submission...

@ Keneking, I greet you. Does being told to pay visa fees after checking documents mean that study permit will be granted? If not so, why then do we need to go through the rigours of the check?

segzy201:
@Js22621 the following are the steps
1. get ur certificate evaluate by SAQA if u r going for masters or Ph.D
The following are needed
a. admission letter
b. saqa certificate
c. medical report
d. radiological report
e. application form BI-1738 or DHA 1738 Form 8
f. police clearance
g. certified copy of transcripts and certificate
h. yellow fever card
i. medical insurance
j. statement of accounts

Nicely put, so there's no need for flight booking for study visa?

ZiggyMr:
Hello man, pls is this the appropriate Saqa form?

Hi, that is the old form. You can get the latest form from their Web page. Just Google SAQA.
All the best

AdemolaA2:
Good morning bro , congrats on your newly granted visa . Please , I'd like to apply for SA tourist visa and i"ll like you to please enlighten me on how you went about yours .your contribution would be Greatly appreciated ... thanks !!!

Take your time to read through this thread. That is al you need.

ZiggyMr:
Thanks 4 ur response man, appreciate. Am nt in Lag hw abt in IB?

You can check the nearest court.

ZiggyMr:
Hello guys, whr can I certify my credentials am applying for m.sc @witwatersrand. Can I do it @high court?

If you are in Lagos you will ge it done at Ikeja under bridge, the place where they do affidavits just outside the court

naruto02:
No need to arrange the docs in any specific way
It doesn't matter when you print the statement as far as it shows history of couple of months back
Making a bulk deposit that'll really change the face of the acc balance will raise suspicion but I'm not so sure...

Thanks for the response. The 3 months stated on my Police character certificate passed on the 6th of this month, do I need to do another or I can still use it as is?