Do Backlogs Affect the Chances of a Visa Approval?

A frequently asked question by study abroad aspirants is do backlogs affect the chances of visa acceptance. It is important to understand that backlogs do not have a direct impact on attaining a Student Visa.

Backlogs affect the chances of receiving a university admission letter. A visa is granted after you have:

1. Received university admission from the chosen country
2. Proved that you are financially capable of studying abroad

Thus, it is essential to understand the chronology of visa applications. A visa admission depends upon various other factors that influence the chances of receiving admission from a foreign university. You certainly cannot apply for a student visa without university admission.

Check out the complete series of the international university application process.

Let us first understand the factors affecting a university admission and then discuss the segments that directly affect a student visa. Below is a systematic process explaining the factors that matter:

Standardised Tests

The standardised examinations required to study abroad are the first and foremost step towards your study abroad journey. You need to finalise the course and country you want to study in and then check the eligibility. Accordingly, you need to decide whether to appear for a GRE or GMAT for a master’s education and SAT for a bachelor’s education. You are also required to clear the English language test be that IELTS, TOFEL, or PTE.

Points to remember:

• Every country has a different exam set as an eligibility criterion based on the university requirements. You need to crack those exams to be able to prove your suitability to study in that country.
• Exam requirement also changes with the course change. Check which exam to give for which course to study abroad.
• Some international universities offer courses without any standardised English exam as well. If you have received admission from such a university, a visa rejection would not come in your way.

University Admission

The next and foremost step of a visa application is receiving admission from an international university. This comes in the form of an offer letter, admission letter, acceptance letter, or appointment letter from the school to which you have applied. In order to receive this letter you need to have cleared all the university requirements.

Points to remember:

• Top universities across the globe follow a stringent check-in backlog acceptance, where some have absolutely no scope of accepting backlogs at all.
• Some good universities accept student applications with backlogs, but there is always a limit to the number of backlogs accepted.

You may find out which countries accept backlogs. In order to find out which colleges accept how many backlogs and under what circumstances check the:

• USA Universities Accepting Backlogs
• Universities in Ireland Accepting Backlogs
• Australian Universities Accepting Backlogs
• Universities in New Zealand Accepting Backlogs
• UK Universities Accepting Backlogs

Impact of Active Backlogs

Suppose, you have an active backlog for which you have convinced the university that you would certainly clear it in the coming attempt. A lenient university may grant you an admission letter but you would not get the exact form, which you need to apply for a student visa.

In the USA, it is called an I-20 Form. Likewise, every country has one such form that is required to apply for a student visa. Additionally, if you fail to clear that backlog, the university would cancel the admission.

Note: You are eligible to receive an offer letter from a foreign university only if you have a clear academic record with zero Active Backlogs. Therefore, with any active backlogs, you have zero chance of getting a visa approval.

The status of a backlog as active or inactive can be figured out with the help of your academic transcripts and backlog certificates.

Visa Application

As discussed above, a visa application comes after receiving university admission. You need to be very careful about its documentation and providing your information. Here are some important points:

1) Documentation and Interview

Your goals should be very clear and precise. Very carefully, discuss about the reasons for applying to a particular country only because of the exposure you would get there and explain how that university would fulfil your educational requirements. Check out the tips to crack a student visa interview.

2) Intention for Visit and Stay-back

You should be able to prove that you do not intend to stay in a foreign country longer than your stay-back period. If you fail to establish that, you would definitely face a visa rejection.

An important point to remember here is that you should never mention your desire of settling anywhere apart from your home country. It means that you should not sound like a potential immigrant. There is a different kind of visa application for a work permit abroad; it is not a student visa.

You might be interested in the following reads:

• What to do if a student visa gets rejected
• Requirements for getting a student visa

3) Financial Ability

To prove that you have sufficient funds to sustain your education and stay in a foreign land, you need to provide your financial details. These details your total family income and savings, education loan documents, assets in India against which you have taken the loan, etc.

Point to remember: Every country has its own process of checking the financial ability to study abroad for Indian aspirants. For instance, Germany applicants need a Blocked Account while Canada needs a GIC Account. You can always check the requirements for every country from the international educational consultant with whom you are in touch.

4) Proof of Information

The visa officers require the exact and true information in your visa application. If you provide them with false information, your visa application is likely to reject. You should be able to provide proof of everything that is asked for and everything you have mentioned in your application.

Check out the details on the financial documents required for international education.

These are some factors that result in university admission, which further leads to procuring a student visa. Check out how to go about a University Application and Visa Application.

To sum up, we have established that active backlogs may result in a visa rejection, while the cleared backlogs would not have any impact on the visa application.

All the best!