Anyway, where do guys usually go for haircut? Do you go every month? 10 pounds is about RM60, which is expensive.

For those who are planning to go for University of Nottingham UK mobility, I came up with a checklist of items that I submitted to VFS Centre, which I did today. Note I have NOT received my visa (should be receiving it in about 3 weeks, hopefully) and this checklist is just for reference, because I felt that it might be helpful. My category is Tier 4 General (Adult) Student going for full year mobility.

The Checklist
1.Fully Completed VAF Form

2.Fully Completed Self-Assessment Form (Appendix 8)

3.Fully Completed Student Survey Form

4.Recent Passport Size Photograph
-On a white background
-Size of 45mm x 35mm
-Taken recently (Less than 1 week ago)

5.Current Passport

6.Photocopy of Biodata Page of Passport

7.Previous Passport

8.Original Visa Letter
-Contains information of name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, student ID, sponsor license number, sponsor address, sponsor contact details, name and address of overseas education provider, level of study, course title, course start date, expected completion date, hours per week, main place of study, ATAS details, financial detail, qualification used

9.Individual Student Marks Statement
-Certified as true statement by Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus
-Provided in the place of transcript due to unavalability at this time

10.Official Receipt of Payment of Tuition Fees
-Full payment of tuition fees for duration of study in the UK Campus

11.Original Savings Account Passbook
-Contains applicant's name (joint account), account number, date of statement, bank name and logo

12.Value after conversion Statement (Printed from www.oanda.com/convert/classic) => Note that 28 days rule will only take effect in October 2009
-Exchange rate as recent as possible:

13.Photocopies of the above documents

14.Visa fees of RM783.00 (bank draft only)

15.Two Copies of this checklist

Disclaimer: This checklist might or might not be complete for you. And I have NOT received my visa (waiting for approval) so I don't know whether it's complete. This checklist is for reference only.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Jul 10 2009, 01:39 PM

15 working days = 3 weeks

Yep, get the conversion from www.oanda.com/convert/classic, which is accepted by VFS. Yes, you'll have to hand in your old passports, which has been cut. No, you don't have to make photocopies of old passports biodata.

I'm going for one academic year. No, maximum amount needed is proof of money for 9 months. Yes, they have visas for different durations: below 6 months, 6 -12 months, more than 12 months.

Do you mean the grade thresholds?

For the University of Nottingham, it's:
A = 70-100
B = 60-69
C = 50-59
D = 40-49
F = 0-39

Yea, that's for overall. For individual subjects, they use the grade scale.

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Added on July 10, 2009, 11:00 pmYea, that's for overall. For individual subjects, they use the grade scale.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Jul 10 2009, 11:00 PM

For those who are planning to go for University of Nottingham UK mobility, I came up with a checklist of items that is needed for Visa application. I've received my visa today

The Checklist
1.Fully Completed VAF Form

2.Fully Completed Self-Assessment Form (Appendix 8)

3.Fully Completed Student Survey Form

4.Recent Passport Size Photograph
-On a white background
-Size of 45mm x 35mm
-Taken recently (Less than 1 week ago)

5.Current Passport

6.Photocopy of Biodata Page of Passport

7.Previous Passport

8.Original Visa Letter
-Contains information of name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, student ID, sponsor license number, sponsor address, sponsor contact details, name and address of overseas education provider, level of study, course title, course start date, expected completion date, hours per week, main place of study, ATAS details, financial detail, qualification used

9.Individual Student Marks Statement
-Certified as true statement by Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus
-Provided in the place of transcript due to unavalability at this time

10.Official Receipt of Payment of Tuition Fees
-Full payment of tuition fees for duration of study in the UK Campus

11.Original Savings Account Passbook
-Contains applicant's name (joint account), account number, date of statement, bank name and logo

12.Value after conversion Statement (Printed from www.oanda.com/convert/classic) => Note that 28 days rule will only take effect in October 2009
-Exchange rate as recent as possible:

13.Photocopies of the above documents

14.Visa fees of RM783.00 (bank draft only) <==The fees have increased, please check the new amount!

15.Two Copies of this checklist

Disclaimer: This checklist might or might not be complete for you. This checklist is for reference only.

This column is for dependants i.e. your spouse or children. The sponsor (in this case) refers to the student going to the UK.

It is required for you to have all that in your visa letter in order to have a good chance of getting your visa. The British High Commission has been strict lately. I think you should email your education provider in UK and state the details that are needed for your visa application and ask them to send you the correct visa letter ASAP.

You just need 2 sets and not 3 (These two set can be handwritten, or printed). The itemised list of documents is the list of things you have to support your application (e.g. visa letter, passport, payment receipt, results etc.). You'll need to photocopy your visa letter, receipt, passport biodata page, payment receipt, results etc.

Yes, you do have to download the PDF, print and fill it in.

Yes, either that OR the bank book

By PBS you mean Appendix Form?

You'll have to submit it together with other documents then you won't have to send the letter

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Added on August 6, 2009, 11:57 pmIt's the same whether you apply online or by paper. Both VAF9 and Appendix 8. You'll also have to fill in a survey that can be acquired from their website:
https://www.vfs.firm.in/my-apptsystem/appsc...appwelcome.aspx
You can find it in row F.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Aug 6 2009, 11:58 PM

4.3: The primary site of study would the campus where you'll be studying. You can find the information in your visa letter.

5.4: Not required unless specified in the visa letter.

6.20: Outstanding means any unpaid fees. So write '0' since you've paid your course and accommodation fees.

7: Yes, 30 & 10. Documents provided: Visa letter for 30 points. And bank book/statement for 10 points.

I hope this helps.

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Added on August 7, 2009, 5:11 pmYes, and also the completed survey form.

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Aug 7 2009, 05:11 PM

Could someone please help me with a few questions I have:

1) For Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is a laptop bag considered a hand-luggage or are we allowed to bring laptop bag + 1 hand-luggage?

2) At the airport, the customs officer checks for proof accommodation and funds. What are we supposed to bring? Must we bring our Malaysian bank book?

3) How did you pay for your accommodation (my first installment is 1500 pounds) in UK if you haven't have a bank account in UK?

4) For guys (esp. in Nottingham), where do you get your haircut?

Thanks for responding.

1) Whoa..3 items. Didn't know they are so lenient.

2) I'm not sponsored so I'll either have to bring my bank book or bank statement. I can't bring my bank book because without the bank book, transactions cannot occur so it defeats the purpose. I guess I'll have to get a bank statement then.

3) 1500 pounds is RM9000. I don't think I'll feel save carrying that much of money around and how many students have credit cards that has such a high credit limit?

Alright, thanks a lot.

1)What are the types of financial evidences that you have used successfully at the airport (to clear the immigration)? Can I use a bank certified photocopy of my Malaysian bank book?

2)Is the vaccination and medical report compulsory for everyone?

Well the University of Sheffield has been established 1905 and has been consistently ranked within the top 100 universities in the world. The Sheffield Hallam University was only established in 1992 and was formerly a polytechnic. When an institution becomes a university in the UK, they are given the right to award degrees on their own.

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Added on July 21, 2010, 1:50 pmApart from rental, which I think you can find out easily, cost of living may vary depending on spending. I used to have cereal for breakfast, prepare my own lunches (sandwiches mostly) and take turns to cook dinner with my friends and it (food) can cost as low as £10/week to as high as £60/week or more. The reason for this is the varying ranges of quality that they offer for each product. Let me give you an example:

White Bread from Tesco:
Tesco Value Medium Sliced White Bread (800g): 47p
Tesco Medium Sliced White Bread (800g): 74p
Tesco Organic Thick Slice White Bread (800g): 99p
Kingsmill Great Everyday Medium Sliced Soft White Bread (800g): £1.15
Tesco Finest Sliced Crusty White Farmhouse (800g): £1.19
Warburtons Medium Sliced White Bread (800g): £1.24
Kingsmill Gold Sliced Soft White Farmhouse (800g): £1.32

As you can see the highest range of white bread in Tesco is almost 4x more expensive than cheapest.

You'll also get a price range with other products. (For Tesco: tesco value<tesco ordinary<leading brand ordinary<tesco finest<leading brand higher range<leading brand organic etc.).

A single bus ticket costs £1.60 and an all day bus ticket with the Nottingham City Transport (NCT) would cost £3.20, which means you can take any NCT bus for that day. I would recommend buying the bus card from the university (which can be done in Portland Building or during Freshers Fayre) which saves money and the hassle of finding the correct change every time you wanna take the bus. Taxis usually use meters and are quite expensive if you're alone. But if there are 3-4 people, it can sometimes be cheaper to take the taxi.

A cinema ticket costs between £3.5 - £6 depending on the cinema you go to. A take-away meal (e.g. Cheeseburger with fries and coke) could cost £3.2. Fried rice from a chinese take-away would cost about the same.

The cheapest place to get clothes is Primark (apart from those sold in hypermarkets). Personally, I consider H&M clothes to be of good quality and at reasonable prices. If you'd like to find leading brands at bargain prices, go to T.K. Maxx. If you wanna get good clothes at discounted prices, wait for the Boxing Day Sale (26th December) which lasts for at least a week.

I would consider myself not too frugal nor too spendthrift (i.e. average) and I spend £150/month on everything apart from rental expenses. It would definitely be possible to spend less than that.

Note: Btw, try not to open a Lloyds TSB bank account because I think it's the most troublesome bank!

This post has been edited by Thinkingfox: Jul 21 2010, 05:55 PM

Yes, it is in Portland building (the Student Union Building), not too sure about QMC though..