No one wants to sponsor me after my current graduate visa ends so I could only get another student visa. Doing another Master's would be repeating study at the same level, and my argument to convince university and Home Office that I satisfy academic progression would be:
Computer Science (MSc) and Mechanical Engineering (MSc) combined could enable future career in robotics (It is something I actually want to pursue.)
My questions:
- Will "genuine student" and "academic progression" rules be problems for my visa? (please carefully consider my immigration history and relevant caseworker guidelines in this post).
- Should I be applying for different courses such as different Master's and PHd just in case? But it will simply be too much hassle writting different personal statements and getting different references for different courses from my referees, my professors might doubt my intention with another course if I apply for both Master's and PHd.
Immigration History in UK:
Currently: Graduate Visa expiring at the end of 2023.
Past Visas: MSc (Mechanical Engineering), BEng (Mechanical Engineering), foundation and Alevels.
Time spent in UK: 11 years at the end of 2023 but will still be 1 year short of ILR due to once being out of country for 7 months.
Relevant rules found in caseworker guideline:
I. Genuine student rule (factors to be considered).
The immigration history of the applicant and any dependant, in the UK and other countries
Examples include:
- previous visa applications for the UK and other countries, including reasons for any visa refusals.
- the amount of time the applicant has spent in the UK or other countries onprevious visas, and for what purpose.
- whether the applicant has complied with the terms of previous visas for the UK .
The applicant’s education history, study and post-study plans:
Examples include:
- The amount of time that has elapsed since the applicant last studied, and whethe rthe applicant has sound reasons for returning to, or commencing, formal study ofthis subject, particularly after any significant gap.
- Whether the applicant demonstrates sufficient commitment to the course.
- Whether the course represents academic progression.
- The credibility of the applicant’s rationale for, knowledge of, and research into theproposed course of study and the sponsoring institution.
- The credibility of the applicant’s rationale for, knowledge of, and research intoliving arrangements in the UK.
- How the circumstances of any dependant may affect the ability or motivation ofthe applicant to study.
- The relevance of the course to post-study plans in the UK or overseas.
- Whether the applicant intends to comply with the terms of their permission,including the requirement to leave the UK when their permission comes to an end(or, where lawful and appropriate, to apply to extend their permission under theStudent route or to switch to another immigration route) .
Study at the same level
If an applicant’s new course is at the same level as their previous course, it mayexceptionally be considered to meet the academic progression requirement if thecourse is at degree level or above, the sponsor teaching the course is an HEP with atrack record of compliance, and one of the following applies:
- The new course is related to the previous course for which the student was givenpermission as a Student or Tier 4 leave (meaning that it is either connected to theprevious course, part of the same subject group, or involves deeperspecialisation)
- The applicant’s career aspirations are supported if the new course is combineswith the previous course.