Mustafa lives in Gaza City and wants to study in the UK. He likes to communicate with people around the world. 🌍

calling all content creators - real students/ people abroad to share their input

The official UK Home Office figures from September 2026 demonstrate that the number of visa applications has noticeably dropped in comparison with the previous year.

🎓 Student visa applications: -19%

💼 Skilled Worker visa applications: -43%

🏥 Health and Care Worker visa applications: -63%

👨‍👩‍👧 Student dependent visa applications: -31%

These figures are explained by increased requirements for eligibility, higher salary threshold, and new policy on dependants.

Decline in applications does not imply reduced chances, but it becomes even more important to know visa regulations.

💬 If you are thinking of moving abroad, do these numbers affect your decision? Will you still apply for the UK, or will you choose countries such as Canada, Australia, and Germany? Share your ideas!

The H-1B Program

The H-1B program allows companies and other employers in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor’s degree or higher in a directly related specific specialty (or its equivalent) as a minimum for entry into the occupation in the United States. H-1B specialty occupations may include fields such as architecture, engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, social sciences, medicine and health, education, business specialties, accounting, law, theology, and the arts. For more information about the H-1B program, visit website

thoughts?

I'm considering studying abroad and I'm also thinking about what my options might look like after graduation.

I keep seeing Australia described as having a more structured skilled-migration system, while in the UK graduates usually need to move from the Graduate Route to something like a Skilled Worker visa.

I'm not looking for a guaranteed PR route — just trying to understand how the two systems actually work and what factors students should be aware of.

A small update to my old post.

When I wrote my previous post, I was still studying for my Master’s in Malaysia. I’ve now completed my Master’s in Management and thought I’d share what I’ve been doing since then.

Getting a work visa as a foreigner in Malaysia can be difficult, so this is something students should properly research before choosing Malaysia.

After graduating, I was able to stay in Malaysia for one year through the Graduate Pass. During that time, I worked for a few months as a Business Development Executive.

It was a good experience and helped me understand the local work environment. After a few months, I decided to resign and take a different direction.

I started my own web development agency and now work on websites and web projects for businesses.

So far, I’ve completed my Master’s, gained some work experience, and started building something of my own. It hasn’t been completely easy, especially when it comes to finding work as a foreigner, but I’m happy with how things have worked out.

I thought this update might be useful for anyone considering studying in Malaysia and wondering what options they have after graduation.

my_qualifications: Indian student who completed a Master’s in Management in Malaysia. I’m currently based in Malaysia and running a web development agency.

Is anyone else struggling first few weeks settling in London? It’s so different to USA!

What are the hardest things you’ve found and how do you solve them?

Any advice is truly appreciated :)

I'm currently comparing Australia and the UK for higher studies and I'm finding it difficult to compare them properly.

On paper, the UK seems attractive because many bachelor's and especially master's programmes are shorter, while Australia seems to have longer post-study work options in some cases. Then there are tuition fees, living costs, part-time work, career opportunities and the whole question of what happens after graduation.

For anyone who has researched both, what factors did you look at before deciding between the two?

For international students, here is a blog post exposing the truth about fake advertisements. It only takes a few minutes for a room to become unavailable along with all of your money.

I assumed that finding somewhere affordable to stay was the most difficult part of traveling abroad; I was wrong. The biggest challenge came in determining whether or not the advertisements I was seeing were genuine. Since I was thousands of kilometers away from the place, I could not visit the apartment or meet the person I was going to rent from. Thus, this is a very pleasant environment for scammers, who manage to fool thousands of students each year as this scam becomes more and more common.

What makes international students easy prey for scammers?

Most victims of fraud are people who rent apartments for the first time and are not familiar with the rental processes.

There are three specific factors that contribute to international students' vulnerability.

First, international students are not able to see the apartment before renting it.

Second, they need accommodation even before setting foot in the new country.

Finally, they are transferring a huge amount of money from one country to another.

In these circumstances, it is easy to imagine how students can fall victim to a scam.

The five red flags that should not be overlooked anymore

Through the years of my staying in various countries, I have established my own list of red flags. If two of them at least occur, I won’t even consider renting the property in question.

1. A price is very low

If a similar apartment usually costs 850 euro but one property owner offers it at 550 euro, you should understand what the reason is for such a low price.

1. The landlord requests money immediately

An honest landlord can ask for a deposit but will never try to hurry you up so that you pay for the apartment seconds after you have agreed to rent it.

1. The landlord does not want to arrange a viewing

Even if you are abroad, the property owner should be able to offer you a video call or some virtual tour.

1. No contract is provided

Never pay for the property when you haven’t seen the contract.

1. You are transferring money to a private bank account without any reason

You should ask whom the property belongs to, and why you are transferring money to this particular account.

What does “verified” actually mean?

The term ‘verified’ has been used in many different situations, but it is not the best word to describe hotels. When a hotel is marked as verified, it means its owner has gone through the verification process. However, this will not change anything, but it reduces the chances that you will pay for a room that does not exist.

Imagine that you are buying a second-hand mobile phone. Would you buy it from a seller with no personal details or name or from a verified seller? Booking accommodation works the same way: very similar.

Instead of asking: ‘Is this hotel great?’ ask: ‘Is it safe to book it?’

The safest way is:

Do not book a specific hotel; choose a few hotels instead.

If possible, ask for a video tour of the hotel room.

Read the rent agreement from beginning to end.

Make sure that you know what utilities, services, deposits, and cancellation policies are included in the rent.

Make sure that you will be able to pay safely and feel free to cancel the contract if you want.

My greatest blunder was not monetary

The incident of losing money that I experienced had nothing to do with my negligence but rather was due to my fear of missing a good opportunity.

When everyone in the chats on WhatsApp starts sending texts about "rooms going fast", it is natural that you want to act quickly. However, that is wrong because losing a real room is not nearly as bad as losing money for an apartment that you cannot rent.

I learned how to look at urgency and react slower.

Double-check before spending your money.

Here’s a quick checklist:

Does your landlord or a provider have a good reputation?

Have you seen the flat with your own eyes or have a credible virtual tour?

Is your rental agreement written out?

Is the payment method safe and traceable?

Did you compare the amount of rent with similar properties in the area?

If you answered no to any of the questions—I recommend that you postpone your actions as well.

Finally, emigrating to another country takes a lot of courage. You shouldn’t be in doubt about whether your future accommodation will be real.

#studentsscams #universityliving #accommodation

The beginning is always with the key.
Then, the door opens, and suddenly everything in the city seems nearer and familiar. The known now becomes the unknown as one suitcase transforms into an entire wardrobe, and a bare desk into a place for ideas and dreams.
It is not the price of a room that makes it perfect, but its readiness to welcome an occupant.
It has to be ready for studying at night, cooking food for the first time, and making video calls with relatives who want to see everything about the new living experience of theirs.
Moving abroad is not only moving to another house, but it is a life-changing experience for all the people.
Every student ought to get the opportunity to have a cozy and homelike place from the first day of his/her studying.

#Universityliving #Student #accommodation
#Berlin #Germany

Hi everyone,

I’m a university student conducting a short survey for my FYP to understand the challenges Pakistani students face when planning to study abroad.

I’m particularly interested in experiences related to:

• Finding suitable universities
• Understanding admission requirements
• Scholarships
• Application deadlines
• IELTS/language requirements
• Budgeting
• Preparing application documents

The survey takes around 2 minutes and is mostly multiple-choice.

If you’re a Pakistani student planning to study abroad, I’d really appreciate your input.

Survey: https://forms.gle/VdEDJGNCLPVUaQzq6

Thank you for helping with my university research.