APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Applications should be submitted to CIIM at least two months before your intended date of beginning the programme of your choice.
STAGE 1
1. COMPLETING THE APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION FORM
Make sure that, all sections are filled-in properly, with dates where appropriate and addresses, telephone numbers etc. Please note that you may sponsor youselves, or be sponsored by a member of your family, or a company. You are kindly requested, not to forget to sign the application form in the appropriate space provided.
You must pay via bank transfer, banker’s draft or in cash the Application Fee of €50 and send by fax or email, copies of the following:
- the Completed application form
- High School Leaving Certificate
- Bachelors degree and transcripts
- Two letters of recommendation (please refer to page 2, section 2)
2. INTERVIEW
Once all the above are received, if you do meet the minimum admission requirements, the Office of Admissions will contact you to arrange a telephone interview. Local students are interviewed in person, while international students are interviewed over the telephone. Therefore please make sure the telephone numbers on the application form are written correctly and clearly.
3. LETTER OF ADMISSION
A Letter of Admission, namely a letter that specifies the terms and conditions under which one has been admitted at CIIM, will be forwarded to you, if you have been accepted to study at CIIM. A Letter of Admission does not give international students the right to travel to Cyprus. It only means that CIIM has accepted you and it undertakes the obligation to apply for your student visa.
STAGE 2
In order for an admitted application to proceed for visa issuance, as soon as the Letter of Admission is received, you will be required to submit the original completed Application Form together with all documents and payments mentioned in the Letter of Admission. According to the Cyprus Immigration Regulations the requirements are those listed below:
1. DEGREES AND TRANSCRIPTS/MARKSHEETS
All applicants are required to submit certified (Apostilled) copies of their High School Leaving Cer-tificate, Bachelor’s Degree and Transcripts. The originals will be shown at the Cyprus Embassy or consulate in the applicant’s country when the applicant will visit them for an entry visa interview. If the certificates/degrees and grades/marks are not issued in the English language, the applicant will be required to submit official translations into English together with certified copies of the documents in the original language.
2. LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Two letters of recommendation must also accompany the application form. Recommendations from friends, family members, or acquaintances are not acceptable and will not be reviewed. The letters of recommendation should be sent either by post, sealed and signed by the referee, or via email, again directly by the referee to the admissions department. The referees may prepare letters for this purpose or use the Admission Recommendation Forms provided by CIIM.
3. PAYMENTS
In order for an admitted application to proceed for visa issuance, as soon as the Letter of Admission is received, the payments listed below, must be transferred to CIIM, via bank transfer. Kindly note that, according to the Migration Department’s requirements, the transfer slip must indicate clearly your name, your passport number and your CIIM admission number. Therefore, the payments are:
- Medical Insurance Fee, at present €185
- Entry Visa Application fees of €90
- Registration fee of €850 (this is a deposit towards the tuition fees and it is credited to you account with CIIM. However this fee is not refundable. It is refundable only if the visa is refused)
- First tuition fee instalment of €3750 (MBA/MPSM) or €1925 (MSc FB/HRM & OB)
- First accommodation fee instalment of €1400 (covering 4 months rent and deposits).
For the items 4, 5, 6 and 7, please note that, in order to become accepted by the Migration Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus for visa purposes, if your country is an HCCH member authority, then the documents must all bear the stamp (Apostille) of the Haque Convension (1961). If your country is not an HCCH member then the documents must be notarised by your country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then be also certified by the Cyprus Embassy or Consulate located in your country.
4. BANK-GUARANTEE
Applications cannot be processed unless accompanied by, a certified copy of a recent letter from a bank which will state that the sponsor (father, mother or company), has sufficient funds to support you for the duration of your studies. You must keep the original document, as you will need to present it to the Cyprus Embassy/Consulate in your country in order to obtain your exit visa. If this letter is not issued in English, again a certified English translation must be attached. A sample letter is presented in the following paragraph:
This is to certify that Mr/Ms (or company name) _________________________are clients of our Bank and are able to pay the living and tuition expenses of (applicant’s name) for the duration of his/her studies at the Cyprus International Institute of Management.
A bank statement indicating the balance of the sponsor’s account is NOT enough, unless it states the amount of Euro €20,000 or above (not less). In such as case the name of the applicant must be clearly written on the statement.
5. GOOD-CHARACTER CERTIFICATE
This is a certified copy of a recent letter issued by the police authorities or ministry of justice in your country stating that you do not have a criminal record. Again, you must keep the original document, as you will need to present it to the Cyprus Embassy/Consulate in yourcountry in order to obtain the entry visa. This certificate, should also be accompanied by a certified English translation if original is not issued in English.
6. PASSPORT COPY
A certified copy of the passport page(s) which show your details (i.e. name, date of birth, place of issue, date of issue and expiry of passport) must be forwarded together with the application. The passport must be valid for at least one year; otherwise the immigration authorities will not accept it.
7. HEALTH CERTIFICATE
The Health Certificate will include Blood test results confirming that your do not suffer from Hepaditis B and C, HIV/AIDS or Syphilis and a Chest X-Ray report indicating that you do not suffer from Tuberculosis. You must submit a certified copy as the original will be presented at the Cyprus Embassy or Consulate in your country.
8. PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOURSELF
You will also need to attach on the application form, four recent passport-size photographs.
Items 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are essential, as they will be required when CIIM applies for your entry visa to Cyprus. The immigration authorities of Cyprus will not process any application for visa, unless these five items above are attached to the visa application.
When CIIM receives the above, the Admissions Office will acknowledge receipt of the application and supporting documents and will immediately review them. Should there be any item(s) out-standing, the Admissions Officer will notify the applicant of his/her status immediately and what is required before the application can be processed for visa purposes.
STAGE 3
As soon as the College is in receipt of all the above documents including the payments, a visa application is submitted to the local authorities. The whole process requires four weeks. Applicants who have been admitted and have submitted all the abovementioned payments and documents, may call or send an email to ask about the stage of their visa application at any time.
Do not travel to Cyprus before receiving a visa confirmation from CIIM – please read the fourth stage very carefully.
STAGE 4
1. VISA
When a visa application is approved by the migration department here in Cyprus, we will inform you so as to schedule your appointment at the Cyprus embassy/consulate in your country for a personal interview. In addition to the Entry Visa Application Fee, the Cyprus Embassy/Consulate in your country will also charge a nominal amount for the interview. Once you visit the embassy, if your interview is successful, you will receive your entry visa to Cyprus.
Only holders of the visa confirmation from the Cyprus Embassy/Consulate in his/her country of origin are allowed to travel to Cyprus.
2. AIRPORT
At the airport, please be prepared to present the Visa Confirmation and Letter of Admission. Do not forget to bring both. In addition to the above, you must have an open date return ticket and the sum of at least Euro€7,000 in cash/travellers cheques and receipts of payments made to CIIM.
CIIM will arrange for somebody to meet you at the airport, therefore please let us know your flight number, date and time of arrival as soon as your travelling arrangements are finalised. You should also let us know about any other requests, such as accommodation etc.
STAGE 5
1. COLLEGE
After students arrive in Cyprus, CIIM expects the student to meet the Admissions Officer on the very next working day to make arrangements for the permanent student visa which will be valid for the duration of his/her studies in Cyprus.
2. STUDENT VISA
The visa granted at the Cyprus Embassy/Consulate in your country is only a temporary visa and therefore, it must be changed into a proper Student Visa (Pink Slip). Hence, during the first few days from your arrival to Cyprus, you must complete the following steps, with the guidance and as-sistance of the Admissions Office. Therefore, you will need to:
- open of an external student Bank account with one of the local banks.
- obtain a Letter from CIIM stating that you are a registered full-time student of CIIM,
- make again a new medical blood-test (€45) and chest X-Ray (€20),
- obtain a one-year Housing Contract.
Together with the above, in order to secure your Pink Slip, the following items will also be needed:
- M61 form (provided by the school)
- The College receipts of the tuition fee payments
- Copies of your passport and Cyprus entry visa
- Two passport-size photographs
- The Bank account booklet
- All documents stamped by the Cyprus Embassy/consulate in your country
- Original good character certificate, bank guarantee and health certificate
- Pink Slip fee of €70.
STAGE 6
Should you have any further queries concerning the application procedure, student life or any other matter, feel free to contact the Admissions Office or any other CIIM member of staff at any time.
We hope to see you soon at CIIM.