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This answer says most PhD students in US universities are funded through research or teaching assistantships.

So research or teaching assistantships count toward any financial requirements in terms of applying for a visa to study in the US? What about other countries? If a certain country does not count research or teaching assistantships toward financial requirements, how are students in those countries funded?

I heard that in the UK or for some places in Europe, research or teaching assistantships do not count toward financial requirements. Is this true?

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BCLC
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    Research funding would count in the UK, AFAIK. In Europe it's the same; I am in France and my PhD contract is more like a salaried worker than a studentship. I didn't have to provide anything else in terms of financial proof other than a document confirming my monthly salary.

    People in the UK who are non-EEA either self-fund, or they get one of the very few and very competitive scholarships. See an answer of mine for a comprehensive reply about the UK PhD funding situation.

    I don't know anything about the US at all, so I'm putting as comment and not an answer.

     – la femme cosmique Aug 17 '16 at 12:02
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    While visa regulations are country-specific, usually the concern is just that you have enough income to support yourself. I would expect assistantships to be treated like any other job, generally. Not sure where you heard that. –  Aug 17 '16 at 12:33
  • @lafemmecosmique I'm a little confused. I'm not from the UK but if I were to apply to UK for a master's/PhD and luckily am granted a scholarship and a way to pay for my cost of living namely through being granted a teaching assistantship, is this enough to get me a UK student visa in terms of the financial requirements? – BCLC Aug 17 '16 at 13:20
  • @dan1111 So definitely in the US, assistantships count toward financial requirements of US student visas? – BCLC Aug 17 '16 at 13:20
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    If you're granted a scholarship which covers your tuition AND your living expenses (which is a set amount in the UK or more in London) then yes, that's all you need. If you don't get all of that funded, you will need more in your bank as proof for the visa. And the scholarships that cover all of those things are extremely rare. It's not an easy path and generally you have to accept a place before applying for scholarship. But yes, if you get one, that's all you need. – la femme cosmique Aug 17 '16 at 13:35
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    But that will not be via a teaching assistantship. An assistantship is secondary. It's a stipend for you to do the PhD + the tuition that you need and that's separate from teaching. And teaching assistant stuff, in the UK, is done later. It's bonus money. I think (but not sure) that it would not be done quickly enough to constitute visa financial proof, and in any case it wouldn't pay enough to cover your LE or your tuition. – la femme cosmique Aug 17 '16 at 13:36
  • @lafemmecosmique Thank you! To your knowledge, is this applicable outside the UK too? For example, I think in the US, teaching assistantship would count toward financial requirements. – BCLC Aug 17 '16 at 13:52
  • @dan1111 see comments of lafemmecosmique – BCLC Aug 17 '16 at 13:52
  • Also, TAs aren't a thing in the UK the same as they are in the US (in my field anyway). Lecturers are the ones who teach. PhD students mostly just demonstrate labs or mark 1st year coursework. YMMV for your field / uni. – la femme cosmique Aug 17 '16 at 15:10

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