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Singapore Study Visa For Indian Students

Singapore Study Visa For Indian Students

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Know the Singapore study visa for Indian students. Understand time to apply, application process, documents required, and types of Singapore student visas.

Student visa Study abroad
GyanDhan
Rahul Srivastava
Updated on:  27 Oct 2023  | Reviewed By: 
Aman 
| 3.94K | 9  min read
 

Singapore has one of the best education systems in the world coupled with the best post-studies opportunities for fresh graduates. The educational institutions in Singapore adopt globally accepted best practices and maintain the highest standard for college education. Nanyang Technological University(NTU) and the National University of Singapore(NUS) are the best institutions in Singapore. These universities are consistently in the top 10 of QS World University Rankings. Indians have always preferred Singapore as their favored destination for higher education. Singapore provides opportunities to students from across the globe for pursuing courses in various disciplines from engineering, science, medicine, MBA, Law, Journalism, and a pool of vocational courses offered by institutions like NTU and NUS. 

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Student Visa In Singapore

Singapore has a student-friendly visa application process, and it tries to ease the entry of talented minds without any hurdles. Any student who comes to Singapore for a course of duration more than 30 days has to apply for a student visa commonly referred to as ‘Student Pass’ by the Singaporean authorities. Only courses with less than thirty days duration have to come through the regular visa process. The Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL), a common name for universities and educational institutions in government documents, allow students for all types of courses, including vocational, bachelor, master, and doctorate programs. 

Singapore has a robust system for granting visas, and it comes under an umbrella organization named Student's Pass Online Application and Registration or SOLAR system. The SOLAR system checks the documents, the need of the student to pursue the course, and any other relevant detail of importance. There is a different process for visa application for students aged less than 19 and want to study in a private institution in Singapore. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) directly monitors the application and processes the visa application for students less than 19 years. Students who are more than 20 years old and enrolled in vocational, language, and commercial courses have to undergo an interview too that is not needed for the other group of students.

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Types of Student Visa For Studying In Singapore

Singapore has one of the most transparent and accessible student visa programs, and the process is significantly less time-consuming. There is no categorization per se in the type of visa, and there is only one Singapore student visa called the ‘Student Pass.’ Student Pass is accepted by all the 34 educational institutions of Singapore. Any student wanting to pursue a course in any discipline is expected to apply for the Student Pass except in those courses where the duration is less than 30 days. 

There is however a categorization within the Visa as different types of student pass are issued to students. The categorization is done on the following factors:

Student Pass based on the course duration: There are two types of student pass within this category, which are decided upon the time of the course. Those students who are enrolled in short-term courses get a short-term pass. Short term pass is issued for students enrolled in courses of fewer than 3 months duration. On the other hand, students enrolled in long-term courses like Bachelor, Master, and doctorate programs are issued long-term visas with a period extending more than three months.

Student Pass based on the type of program: Singapore has a well-structured education system, and it is even ranked among the top educational systems anywhere else in the world. Student Pass enables students to take up courses from a large pool of certificate courses, vocational courses, professional training programs, etc. The course details are an inherent part of the Student Pass. So, a student pass is also issued by considering the type, of course, a student wishes to pursue and maybe granted some exemption considering the nature of the course. The fee and procedure are, by and large, the same for both the visa types, and there is no difference per se. 

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Students Wanting To Work, Study, and Up-skill in Singapore

Visa Type Who can apply?

Work Holiday Pass

Students who wish to work and holiday in Singapore. The allowed age bracket is 18-25 years old.

 Training Employment Pass 

 For qualified professionals undergoing training in Singapore. No age bar, but the minimum earning should be SGD3000 per month . 

Training Work Permit

Students and other individuals undergoing training for an up-skilling course are given this visa for a duration of six months.

 

Apart from the types mentioned above of visas, there are other types of visas too. These visas are issued to students who wish to work, study and gain some professional insight into the working of corporate, governments, and other fields. These visas are short-term, and they are more directed towards students on the verge of entering professional life. However, these visas are in great demand as Singapore gives one of the best training at world-class IHLs. Professional training, up-skilling, and short-term work experience in Singapore help a lot in improving a candidate’s job profile. 

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List of documents for Singapore student visa For Indian Students

The SOLAR system issues the student visa, and they have given an elaborate set of documents that is to be submitted along with the visa application form.

The documents needed for a student visa are:

  • list items A valid passport with a minimum of three months validity. 
  • list items Letter of acceptance from one of the 34 IHL or Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL). 
  • list items Duly filled form of visa application. There are two forms to be filled. First is Form 16(needed for the issuance of the student pass). The second is Form V36(students need to fill in additional details asked by the authorities).
  • list items Evidence substantiating that an applicant can fund the tuition fee as well as the living expense while studying at an IHL. Students can furnish bank statements to substantiate their claims. 
  • list items The Student Pass/ Visa application fee receipt.
  • list items Test score by any of the tests that a student might have taken to secure admission at an educational institution in Singapore. It can be TOEFL, PTE, GRE, GMAT, IELTS, etc,.
  • list items If studying on a student loan, a bank loan sanction letter is a must. 
  • list items Transcripts of the degrees issued by a recognized university or an educational institution in India. 

 

The list of documents must be collected right after receiving the letter of acceptance from an IHL. It is of paramount importance that all the details are correct to the best of the applicant’s knowledge, and there mustn’t be any discrepancy whatsoever. Any misinformation in documents might have a direct bearing on the studies of a student.

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Visa Application Process For Singapore Student Visa

Singapore has a relatively different student visa application process than most countries. Here, the IHL applies for a student visa on behalf of the students. It’s the student’s job to verify that the IHL where the student is taking admission is registered with the SOLAR system(the visa authority of Singapore). 

Singapore Student visa application process involves the following steps:

  • list items The student has to submit all the details to the concerned IHL, and after that, the application is forwarded to the SOLAR system for further scrutiny. 
  • list items The IHL will provide a reference number to the student, which can be used to proceed with the visa application process further. 
  • list items Once a student gets the reference number, it can be used to access the SOLAR system website, wherein the student has to submit form 16. 
  • list items For filling the form 16, a student must have some information handy:
  • list items The IHL provides login details, and students have to use it for accessing and filling form 16.
  • list items The email address used by the student for corresponding with the IHL, i.e., the registered email-ID.
  • list items The passport number and expiration date. 
  • list items The contact address of the IHL. If a student has their own contact address, it can be used. IHL address has to be used only in the case where a student doesn’t have an address. 
  • list items One passport size photograph without any flash or blur.
  • list items Once Form 16 is filled, the student must pay the fee, and the visa process concludes. 

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Visa Fee For Singapore Student Visa For Indian Students

Indian students have to pay two types of fees:

  • list items Visa Processing Fee: It is an advance SGD(Singapore Dollar) 30 fee that has to be paid at the time of submitting the application. It can be paid either to the ICA (Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)) or to the SOLAR system. If a student pays to the SOLAR system, they can pay it by internet banking or debit/credit card.
  • list items Visa Issuance Fee: It is an SGD 60 fee that a student has to pay for every visa issued in a student’s name. In case of multiple entries and exits during the stay in Singapore, a student has to pay an SGD 30 fee. The visa issuance fee and multiple entry fees have to be paid by the students at the time of collecting the Student pass. 
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Best Time to Apply For Singapore Student Visa

Students must start the visa application process at least three months prior to the date of the beginning of their academic session in Singapore. It is a long process and may extend to more than three months. However, the ideal time is only 15 days, but there are several instances when authorities seek more information and clarification on documents. In these cases, a delay is inevitable and might come at the cost of affecting a student’s academics. 

The visa processing is done at a swift pace, but a long list of documents has to be arranged. This also includes getting a bank loan, which might take around 15 days or more in some cases. Also, the visa processing in Singapore is coupled with strict security checks, so applicants are advised to start the process at least three months before the intended date of travel. 

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Singapore Student Visa and Work Opportunity 

Singaporean culture has a deep sense of respect for hard work, and hence the government allows students to take up a part-time job to take care of their living expenses and any other additional expenses. The government of Singapore allows students to work for 16 hours per week on a student visa. There is no concept of a minimum wage, but international students earn around $1250-$2200 per month. So, it solely depends on the student to use the visa to strike a balance between part-time earning and studying. 

The Singapore Student visa provides students with an ocean of opportunities. All the top companies of the world are present, and there is no dearth of jobs. One must take up the opportunity to study in Singapore if they wish to do more than ordinary.

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