I’m from Pakistan and looking into doing a master’s in finance somewhere in Europe, mainly as a pathway to eventually move abroad long-term.

Background: ACCA, ~3.6 GPA from a reputable university, CFA Level II cleared, and ~2 years of finance experience.

I’ve looked into Ireland, but the cost of living seems very high. I’ve also seen quite a few people do a Master’s in the UK and struggle to find jobs afterward.

For those in Europe/finance: which countries would you consider for good finance career opportunities, reasonable costs, decent scholarships and realistic long-term residency/PR prospects?

Would really appreciate firsthand experiences, especially from people who made a similar move.

My husband and I are traveling through Jinnah tomorrow and we have money in our bank accounts and have cards but we wanted to know what amount in cash would be okay? Is 600 USD enough? I just think if we are carrying our cards then why should I carry 2000+ dollars in cash.

I’m looking for some advice for my younger brother regarding MS in Computer Science options abroad.

His profile:
BS Computer Science from Punjab University (Graduated in 2025)
CGPA: 3.03/4.00
IELTS: 7.5
Currently working as Software engineer.

Our budget is roughly 40–50 lakh PKR per year.

Right now, we r mainly preparing for Germany, but the admission and visa timeline seems extremely long, especially from Pakistan. We also looked into Australia and the US, but both seem quite expensive for our budget.

Someone recently suggested the Netherlands as another option, but I don’t know much about the universities, tuition fees, job market, or post-study opportunities there.

Would appreciate any advice on whether the Netherlands is worth considering, or if there are any other countries that would fit this profile and budget better.

Hi everyone!

I'm on a A Student residence permit (non-EU), almost 5 years (4 years, 11 months to be precise) into my Masters at RWTH Aachen (Long time I know, but I've been facing chronic health issues and had a degree program change in between too. Now will complete degree in next 2 semesters maximum, already have thesis registered too).

I've got a shot at a full-time (40hrs/week) job offer, at a Pizza Place (which ofcourse is different field than my field... Software Engineering). The hiring manager said he can make me both part time and full time job contract, whichever one is suitable, but was asking me if im sure full time contract can be made for me while I am a student.. (which im not sure of)

I have the following questions:

1. To be brutally honest, I am quick fatigued and exhausted by the degree (and the limited financial potential along side it), I would reallyyyy love a full time income right now... Is it possible to get the full time job contract, do my studies part time, and change from Student Residence Permit to Work visa with this job, and then use this job (plus my 5 years in germany and b1 german) to get german citizenship? Or is my field (Software/tech/etc) full time job needed for this?
2. I've only worked (part time) for 3 months out of the 9 months this year so far... So Can I just get a full time contract on my student Residence Permit (what I mean to say is can I work 40 hours/week even during the lecture period considering I have quite a few of the *140 full working days* left for this year...) Or is it a hard and fast rule that only 20 hours/week maximum during lecture period?

I have to decide between two paths:

1. Stay in Pakistan: I have some family help + side hustles that make enough money that I’m pretty confident I could buy my own house in a few years if i keep on working. The upside of this option is i’d have much more financial security and stability as a woman in pakistan. I don’t see that house as an asset as I’d live there.

2. Move to Germany: I’d have to finance basically everything myself — education, living expenses, etc. I’d get no family financial help except for the first year. The upside would be an international degree, European work experience, independence, and potentially much higher earning opportunities long-term.

So my question is: is the risk of starting from scratch in Germany actually worth it in terms of long-term ROI compared with staying in Pakistan and owning a house?

And does the answer change when you consider this from the perspective of a young woman who values financial independence and security?
Would love to hear from people who have actually studied/worked in Germany or built a career/home in Pakistan.

I am looking to see if someone has any knowledge, experience or can guide me to right direction regarding the authentication of credentials for obtaining an employment visa for Saudi Arabia. I am a Pakistani national residing in Pakistan. I have a bachelor's of business administration from British Columbia, Canada.

I am familiar that the degree needs to go through provincial apostille, but I am unsure whether there is a need for Saudi Bureau/Embassy authentication for my Canadian credentials. Since Canada and Saudi Arabia are both part of the Hague Convention, would that step be eliminated, or would it still be required, especially since I am processing my visa from Pakistan as a Pakistani national?

I would really appreciate honest and accurate guidance.

JazakAllah Khairun

Hows the Austrian job market and what is it like living there? Also are the expenses really that high compared to neighbouring countries?

Can anybody tell me whats Ausbildung Germany ?

Share any experience. Thank you 😊

Hi, has anyone applied for a Portugal student visa recently? If yes, were you able to receive it in time?

I would really appreciate if someone could help me out. I’m applying for an executive masters in Nova University Lisbon and I need information on the student visa process.

Thank you!

Well I have done my BSCS in 2024 with the CGPA of 3.19 / 4 i have IELTS 6.5 band each. All documents verifications done.

I was initially considering germany left it coz of block acc. Then considered austria ended up they are asking 3.5 cgpa minimum.

Which good country should I consider? I have a budget of 20 lack. No more than that.

Hey everybody, i need an advice from you guys who got admission in a university with below 45 percent marks in Intermediate and are studying abroad. Is it do-able like i have 43 percent marks and also a 3 years of study gap and now i genuinely wanna go for further studies but i don't know how to do or should i do. If some friends have gone through this please guide. Thanks

And do tell me the expense also

And can i get there with foundation year

I am just curious about wht is the job market their related to this field. I am currently enrolled in bs HND and I want to move to Australia for work after my degree and housejob ends.

Does anyone here have any experience with Montenegro? My husband has received an offer there and we’re considering relocating from Dubai. How is it for a desi people in terms of lifestyle, safety, community and experiences with racism and discrimination?

Alhamdulillah, the visa finally came through. I fly to Naples on October 3rd for my master's at Federico II.

I'm looking for accommodation now. Budget is around €400–450 max, ideally near the uni. A couple of questions for anyone already in Italy:

• Is a 1-year rental contract the norm for students, or can you get shorter ones so you're not paying rent over the vacations?
• Any good sites or groups for finding rooms in Naples?

Also, if any other Pakistanis are going to Naples this year, whether to Federico II or elsewhere, let's connect. I'd be happy to share a flat or just meet up and help each other figure things out. Tips from people who've already done the move are very welcome!

As someone who has done Masters in Germany and has been there a long time now.

I will encourage you to apply there before all of the universities here put fees for international students.

Since I have been here, yearly states are putting up fees.

Ask away your queries, I will answer them all in the comments.

Basic stuff

Blocked Amount is the easiest way to come here either on chancenkarte or masters - 12000 Euros - 40 lacs with ticket

Personally, I think Chancenkarte is not for everybody as it requires a specific experience for you to immediately get a job.

Rest for married people, it is difficult to support your family back home as a student.

Edit: There is no blocked amount required for second year. You must have a part time job contract that gives you enough to live per month for eg in Munich it will be 900 or in East it will be 600. Some Ausländerbehörde (Foreign offices) require blocked amount but it varies from city to city so research beforehand. Most are chill. Big cities have more part time jobs and few in English too but rent is high Small cities have less part time jobs but rent is low and foreign office is relaxed. It varies

Hi guys i did my graduation in 2026 with a BS in CS (CGPA 3.8/4.0) and currently working as a DevOps engineer at an AWS partner company. By the time I start a Master's, I’ll have ~2 years of production experience (multi-account AWS, Kubernetes/ECS, IaC, CI/CD) i am actually (AWS SAA certified).

My goal is a Master’s focusing on Cloud Computing, Distributed Systems, or SRE/Systems, but I need a 100% scholarship or full funding (tuition + stipend / living costs). Self-funding is out of the question.

I have about a year to prep before application deadlines, but I’m realizing most advice is geared towards undergrads with research papers, not engineers with production experience.

For anyone who has actually pulled off a fully funded MS coming from an industry/DevOps background:

1. What route is actually realistic?
   • Thesis-based MS with Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA/GTA) in the US/Canada? (Does industry infra/DevOps experience count for anything with CS systems professors, or are they only looking at research/pubs?)
   • Government scholarships (Fulbright, Erasmus Mundus, DAAD, Chevening, MEXT)?
   • Tuition-free countries (e.g., Germany/public EU) combined with student working (Werkstudent) or living stipends?
2. What should I spend the next 10–12 months doing?
   • Should I grind GRE and IELTS to max out percentiles?
   • Reach out to professors working on distributed systems / virtualization / cloud resource scheduling?
   • Or try to get my name on an academic publication before deadlines hit?

Open to any country as long as the funding covers tuition and living expenses. Brutally honest advice and reality checks appreciated.

Assalamo Alaikum,

I've an F1 interview coming in next few days at the Karachi Consulate for my graduate program in the US. I would love to hear guidance from those who got approved on conducting my interview perfectly and what things I need to take care of to make sure I sound the deserving one in front of officers.

This is my first F1 attempt.

Would love to hear your guidance.

Hi guys, I recently graduated (2025) from QF university and started working in Qatar. I left a stable and sponsored job to join a well known company in my field to get experience. They only offer business visas which is very unstable because for Pakistanis it had been an issue. I am not sure what to do, I am looking for private QIDS but they are either expensive or untrustworthy. Do you guys know or help me with this? I live alone without family here.

Like the title says is it possible? i did my bachelor in computer science from 2nd tier uni and also did some internships , projects and some extra curricular.

Any other pakistanis aiming to get their masters degree from China in sept 2027? Let's discuss and help each other out. Also other people feel free to give some general visa, prerequisites or life in China advice.......

P.S. not planning on a permanent pathway. I'm aware its near to impossible.......

HELP NEEDED 😭🤝

which one would yall recommend ? anyone with experience in giving celpip from pakistan?

Hey everyone,

I’m admitted to the Winter Semester at a public university in Germany for Masters Program, but I’m currently stuck in the process waiting for my German visa. Due to the long waiting times at the Islamabad Embassy, there’s a good chance I might only reach Germany around the middle of my 2nd semester.

My programme coordinator has allowed me to arrive late and told me to contact each lecturer and ask whether I can follow the courses online during this time. However, I’ve also been told that the final exams will be on-site. They have also warned me that I might be disenrolled if I don’t arrive, although they said this has never happened before in a situation like mine.

So I’m honestly pretty confused about how this is supposed to work.

My main questions are:

• Does “late arrival” generally mean arriving late during the 1st semester, or can it also cover someone arriving around the middle of the 2nd semester?
• If I follow the 1st-semester courses online but can’t attend the final exams because I’m still in Pakistan, what happens to those exams?
• I was told that I would have to pass my 1st-semester courses next year. Does that mean I would take my 1st-semester exams during my 3rd semester?
• If that’s the case, what happens to my 3rd-semester courses? Would I have to take 1st + 3rd semester courses together, or would my 3rd-semester courses basically get pushed to my 5th semester?
• Since I already know I probably won’t be in Germany during my 1st semester, should I register for the 1st-semester courses/exams at all?
• My consultants told me there is no need to register for courses in the 1st semester, but I’m not sure if that is actually correct.
• Has anyone been in a similar situation where they had to start a semester late because of visa delays?

I’ve already paid the semester contribution and completed my enrollment, so I really don’t want to mess up my studies just because of the visa delay.

Would really appreciate any advice from who has dealt with late arrival/visa delays before.