If you wish to pursue full-time studies in an institute of higher education in Singapore, you must apply for a student pass or student visa. The normal processing time is about 4 weeks, though some applications may take a longer time to process.

How to apply for a Visa?

To apply for a student pass, you must first be offered a full-time course and you need to have accepted the same from an educational institute within the list of Institute(s) of Higher Learning (IHL) in Singapore.

Once you get yourself registered as a prospective student with the IHL, you become eligible to apply online for the visa through the Students Pass On-Line Application and Registration (SOLAR) System, accessible at http://www.ica.gov.sg/.

For a new application, you need to submit:

• A medical report (not more than 3 months old) in the prescribed form,
• A copy of the in-principle approval letter,
• Duly signed copy of eform16, and
• Test of a medical examination taken in your home country.

Visa documents

Your visa application must reach the ICA at least two months before the commencement of the academic session. Barring a few selected polytechnics and universities, all other educational institutes require you to provide the name of a local Singapore sponsor (above 21 years of age) at the time of applying for a student pass.

The other documents that you would need to submit are:

• Your valid passport,
• Color passport size photograph (taken on a white background),
• Fee for issuance of a student pass (S$ 40) per annum,
• Proof of fluency in English,
• Certificate from GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education,
• TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language or IELTS – International English Language Testing System score, and
• Letter of acceptance from the university where you intend to pursue your course of study.

Visa expenses

A student pass costs 40 Singapore Dollars and is valid for a year.

Work permit on Student Visa

Foreign students studying under IHL are generally, exempted from applying for a work permit if they wish to work during vacation time.

Exemption to apply for work permit is also applicable to those IHL listed students who do not work for more than 16 hours per week during the course session.

How to Re-apply if your Visa is rejected?

A Singapore consular officer is likely to reconsider a case if an applicant can show further convincing evidence of his/her case. The best way forward is to contact any Singapore embassy or consulate to know about the reapplication procedure.

Please note that applicants are only able to qualify for a non-immigrant visa if their personal, professional, and financial circumstances improve immensely.

Important links

• http://www.ica.gov.sg/
• ttp://app.ica.gov.sg/about_ica/about_ica.asp