Consider the following scenario: You’ve been accepted to the university of your dreams and are now looking for student accommodation near your campus. You settle on a lovely studio apartment with a view of the sea and this fits well within your budget. Because you’ve got your hands on that studio, you decide to book it to minimize disruptions and complete your student housing application. However, your visa application was denied owing to unforeseen circumstances, forbidding you from attending your preferred university. What are your plans for the accommodation that you’ve already reserved? This is when the ‘No Visa No Pay’ policy comes to your rescue. This article details everything you need to know when such circumstances befall you.
What Is ‘No Visa No Pay’?
The ‘No Visa No Pay’ policy suggests that if students booked their accommodation prior to receiving their visa but were unable to secure a visa to study abroad, their money will be repaid in full.
This issue affects students who want to study abroad in a place where they need a visa to attend university. Simply said, if you are unable to secure the requisite visa to study in your selected location, the accommodation providers offering this cancellation policy will allow you to withdraw your reservation for free. Even if you haven’t been given your visa yet, you may book your accommodations well in advance, before the greatest alternatives sell out.
What Is The Ideal Cancellation Policy?
Once a booking is made, the student has a few days to accept the offer. It entails accepting the contract and paying the advance rent payment by the student and the guarantor. (This applies only to reservations that mandatorily require advance payment. For certain bookings, no advance rent payment is necessary)
- The booking is complete after these steps are finished.
- The offer will expire if one of the steps is not fulfilled within the said time frame.
- If the student still wishes to rent a room, the booking can be re-processed, but there is no assurance that the same room or price will be available.
- Following completion, the student gets a few days to change their mind and cancel their reservation without giving any cause. This is referred to as the cooling-off period.
What Are The Conditions For Cancellation?
There are some conditions that are to be met if a student is cancelling their accommodation and requires time after the ‘cooling-off’ period, the student still will be accountable for the rent for the duration of the lease unless they cancel under one of the following two conditions:
- No University, No Pay: If a student fails their examinations or is rejected by an institution, they must show proof of the university rejection letter or confirmation that their exam results do not fulfil the university’s standards, and the accommodation provider will cancel the booking and refund the student’s money. The student must show the evidence of the same within the duration mentioned in the terms & conditions of the accommodation policy.
- No Visa No Pay: If the student is unable to obtain a visa to study in the given nation, the student must submit their visa application rejection letter within the time frame specified, and the accommodation providers will cancel the booking and reimburse the student’s money. However, the no visa no pay policy is only valid for a limited period and may expire, so following the regulations is essential.
There are a few other conditions for cancellation and that largely depends on factors such as your destination country, the chosen accommodation, the university you have enrolled in, the type of documents submitted, and more.
Does UniAcco Offer The ‘No Visa No Pay’ Policy?
Yes! Students who have booked their accommodation with UniAcco get their full refund amount in the event of not being able to procure their visas. The best part of booking your student accommodation with UniAcco is that you get to reap maximum benefits from it.
UniAcco is a fast-growing cross-border student-housing platform that offers students an excellent student living experience. UniAcco has made it easier to discover student accommodation by focusing on streamlining and simplifying the student living experience. With a strong presence in 10+ countries, UniAcco caters to students from across the globe and has a track record of guaranteeing that students find their perfect home.
More often than not, students who plan to pursue their higher education abroad have a list of things to prepare for and, finding cheap student accommodation happens to be one of the most challenging aspects. This makes students book their housing as soon as they confirm their room type. However, unforeseen circumstances are inevitable, and keeping the students’ concerns in mind, policies such as No University No Pay, and No Visa No Pay are implemented.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article on No Visa No Pay. If you have any queries, feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments section. If you’d like to read more, here are some articles that may be of interest to you –
- How UniAcco Turned Tables For An International Student
- Common Study Abroad Myths
- Backpacking Essentials: What To Pack Before Going Abroad?
Looking for student accommodation abroad?
