Post-study visa for UK is back

Pervin Malhotra

Q.Our daughter is very keen to pursue her master’s in public relations in UK. But we are a little concerned because we have heard that she will not be allowed to work there. Is that true? If not, what type of jobs can she apply for? — K S Dutta

A. Seven years after its abolition, the UK government has re-instated the two-year post-study student work visa last September.

Under the new policy which will actually come into effect from the summer of 2021, international students pursuing full-time study programmes in the UK can stay back after completing their degree for up to two years to pursue employment opportunities — a significant improvement on the earlier situation in which international students get only four months to explore career options in the UK.

Students enrolling in academic programmes from 2020, stand to benefit from the new rule.

As this new work visa is separate from the Tier 4 student visa, as an international student, your daughter must submit a fresh visa application.

What types of jobs can be applied for?

The new work visa offers flexibility in terms of the type or level of job for which an international student can apply for after graduating. After the stipulated two years, those on the graduate route can switch on to the skilled work route if they land a job which meets the necessary skill requirement.

GRE score for US college admission

Q.I am planning to pursue my master’s in psychology in the US. I have prepared for the GRE. Will a good overall score suffice to get into a good college? — Suruchi Handa

A.Apart from the GRE, which is a mandatory requirement, some graduate programmes require applicants to take an additional GRE Subject Test to assess skills related to a specific discipline (e.g. psychology, physics or mathematics).

Although GRE scores are a key element that grad school admission officers take into account, they are not necessarily the deciding factor. The GRE is one part of the application package and scoring well will certainly help your chances of getting in but other aspects of your application (college grades, extracurricular activities, recommendations, etc.) also carry weight.

However, the score requirement varies from college to college, and even from applicant to applicant. Some colleges have a minimum score requirement, in which case they are very important. But if the rest of your application is strong, the scores may be less important.

Do find out whether the programmes you’re interested in have GRE score cut-offs, so you can target the programmes where you stand a realistic chance of acceptance.

Also please check if your 3-year Bachelor’s degree will suffice. Most Univs require 16 years of undergrad studies (12 4) while ours is 12 3.

Hotel mgmt courses in distance mode

Q.I started working on the front desk of a hotel straight after school. Now I am very keen to do a bachelor’s in Hotel Management by correspondence along with my job. Could you please suggest some good courses? — Tabassum Husain

A.Apart from professional courses such as engineering, medicine, architecture and physiotherapy, the UGC has prohibited courses in open and distance learning (ODL) mode in agriculture, hotel management, culinary studies and real estate which require practical exposure and hands-on training. Hence, distance courses in these disciplines will no longer be recognized by their respective statutory bodies.

As per the UGC (Online Course) Regulations 2019, only information-based courses can be offered in ODL mode to produce skilled professionals in these fields.

All professional courses have to be approved by the respective councils, without which they stand unrecognized by the statutory body. AICTE and ICAR are the governing councils for hotel management and agriculture courses, respectively. Without their approval, no course can be recognised by the UGC in distance mode.

In a way, this is a good move because these fields require more of on-job training rather than theoretical knowledge. Introducing students to the theory, tools and concepts of hospitality in the traditional on-site setting is a faster and effective way of learning.

You can do a related course, e.g. Bachelor’s in Travel & Tourism via distance learning to arm yourself with a degree. There is of course no end to short-term professional upgradation courses that you can pursue to update your skills.