International Scholarship Student Switching to HSMP

[CoolestGuyB]

I'm a prospective in-country applicant for the HSMP visa. I came to the UK (after some years of work experience in my home country) for postgraduate studies under the Commonwealth Scholarship which ends in September 2007. My intention now is to stay back in the UK to pursue a career, which is why I'm planning to apply for the HSMP visa.

Going through the HSMP application forms/ guidance notes recently, I discovered that students who are/were(?) under scholarship schemes like mine are required to obtain a letter of permission to apply for the HSMP from their sponsoring scholarship agency. My dilemma now is the fear that the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission may not be willing to issue me the required letter considering the commitment made initially to return to my home country after the postgraduate programme.

I will very much appreciate any advice you can give on how I can resolve this issue which has been bothering me for quite some time now.

Thanks so much.

[sakura]

I'm a prospective in-country applicant for the HSMP visa. I came to the UK (after some years of work experience in my home country) for postgraduate studies under the Commonwealth Scholarship which ends in September 2007. My intention now is to stay back in the UK to pursue a career, which is why I'm planning to apply for the HSMP visa.

Going through the HSMP application forms/ guidance notes recently, I discovered that students who are/were(?) under scholarship schemes like mine are required to obtain a letter of permission to apply for the HSMP from their sponsoring scholarship agency. My dilemma now is the fear that the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission may not be willing to issue me the required letter considering the commitment made initially to return to my home country after the postgraduate programme.

I will very much appreciate any advice you can give on how I can resolve this issue which has been bothering me for quite some time now.

Thanks so much.

Well, the first thing to do is....ask your sponsors!!! We don't know what they would say! As the Commonwealth Scholarship, I think, is for people from developing countries in the Commonwealth, they do require you to return home. So you can't apply for HSMP without getting their permission - there's no two ways about this. So you can only ask them and see what they say. It is not an entirely unreasonable thing that they require you to return home - you applied knowing they required this of you and accepted it; they don't want to train all these people only for them to stay and use their skills here, so there's nothing to be disappointed about if they refuse you.

Well anyway, if anything, you can always apply out of country, if they say 'no' and you really want to stay here.

[1400 Years]

Just go home, and apply from there. Basically, your sponsors aren't that bothered - personal experience.
If you request them to give a no-objection letter, they won't. They will nicely remind you about your agreement. That's about all. But again, at the end of the day, they aren't really bothered. (I never went for it, but know about it because I was working at a university too while I studied and I requested if I could conduct a workshop at the BC London and they wrote that I was brought out to concentrate on my studies. But then they also sponsored my trips to Hungary and Azerbaijan for conferences I wanted to do ... and these had nothing to do with my curricular activities.)
There are many many scholars out there - did you attend the All British Council Administered (and others) Scholarship Recipient Get-together somewhere in UK? Could you count the number of participants? Teeming!
The BC don't/can't really keep a track of their whereabouts.
But you may like to spend a year and serve your home country. You got a scholarship privilege because of her. (I returned home, and am applying after a year.)

[pantaiema]

It is mentioned on the guidelines U need permission from your Scholarship sponsor.

Is not that as FCO scholarhsips recipients you are required to return to your home countries ?. This FCO scholarship is all about

Please correct if I am wrong. The Britich government award FCO scholarship to assist the government of CW countries to strenghthen their countries capability and build up their countries. And you already know before U decide whether to take this scholarship because you sign the condition of the scholarship which clearly mention about this.

I'm a prospective in-country applicant for the HSMP visa. I came to the UK (after some years of work experience in my home country) for postgraduate studies under the Commonwealth Scholarship which ends in September 2007. My intention now is to stay back in the UK to pursue a career, which is why I'm planning to apply for the HSMP visa.

Going through the HSMP application forms/ guidance notes recently, I discovered that students who are/were(?) under scholarship schemes like mine are required to obtain a letter of permission to apply for the HSMP from their sponsoring scholarship agency. My dilemma now is the fear that the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission may not be willing to issue me the required letter considering the commitment made initially to return to my home country after the postgraduate programme.

I will very much appreciate any advice you can give on how I can resolve this issue which has been bothering me for quite some time now.

Thanks so much.

[1400 Years]

indeed, no contest or debate about the scholarship recipient's morality and responsibility regarding the benefit s/he's received.

... but, CoolestGuyB, you've got the solution/answer you needed.

[CoolestGuyB]

sakura, 1400 Years & pantaiema,

Thank you so very much for your candid responses. I really appreciate them. Cheers.