Studying at foreign universities opens not only a new level of knowledge, but also the whole world. But to go to another country to get an education, you need a student visa. This special type of permit, its registration requires the preparation of accompanying documents, including from the educational institution.
Student visa and tourist visa: the main differences
One of the main differences between a student visa and a tourist visa is the length of stay abroad. A student visa allows you to stay in the country without leaving for several months. In some countries, study visa holders are allowed to work, albeit for a limited number of hours per week. Also, students are not required to pay a consular fee.
There is an opinion that a student visa is issued only to applicants who are enrolled in a state university. However, this is not quite true. It is also possible to obtain permission to enter the country as a student to visit language schools, undergo specialized training programs, and refresher courses. The main thing is to prove to the embassy that you really need this training.
Also, the educational institution must be accredited.
What is a tourist visa, read the article "Tourist visa".
Types of student visas
There are two types of student visas:
- short-term (up to 90 days of stay);
- long-term (more than 90 days).
Under a short-term visa, you need to understand that it is not just 3 months, but 90 days within six months. When issuing this type of permit, you should not expect that after the expiration of the period it will be possible to immediately obtain a visa for the next 90 days. A short-term study visa is easier to issue, but it is suitable only for those students who need 3 months of stay in another country.
Long-term permission must be requested immediately for long-term training. Consideration of an application for such a visa may take a couple of months, and more accompanying documents will be required.
Students can go to study abroad and on exchange, for example, in the United States. The United States welcomes foreign nationals who wish to participate in such programs. To apply for a visa, you must be accepted into the exchange program and coordinate your candidacy with its authorized sponsor.
An exchange student visa can be issued to applicants who have been issued documents by an educational institution to apply for a visa.
If students want to go to study abroad with children, a permit must also be obtained for the child. A student visa with a child has its own characteristics, but obtaining it should not cause much difficulty.
Stages of obtaining a student visa
Registration of a student visa to any country consists of the following stages:
- submitting documents to the university and receiving an invitation;
- preparation of documents for a visa request;
- submission of documents to the visa center;
- tuition payment.
Each visa officer has their own vision of what the ideal applicant looks like. However, there are common requirements: you need to be guided by them in order to avoid visa refusal.
Preference is given to students who are graduates of well-known domestic universities, have already traveled abroad, whose parents have a stable income. It is unlikely that specialists who work in large domestic / international companies and wish to enroll in a master's program will be refused.
Preferred applicants also include translators and philologists who have a permanent job in their homeland, but wish to continue their studies in their specialty in educational institutions of another state.
What documents are submitted for a student visa
The applicant's documents are the first thing the visa officer sees. Lack of any papers or erroneous information may cause the applicant not to be invited for an interview and ultimately being denied a visa.
The standard list of documents for applying for a student visa includes:
- Applicant's international passport.
- Letter of invitation on the letterhead of the educational institution. It must contain information about the program and course of study and confirmation that the foreigner is enrolled. The letter must be accompanied by a document stating that the course has been paid for.
- Education documents.
- For working students - a letter from the employer about leave for the period of study. The document must indicate the purpose of the trip and the date of return home.
- For entrepreneurs - documents confirming the conduct of entrepreneurial activity
- The visa officer must be convinced of his financial independence and document it. If a parent, employer, university or other organization has agreed to pay for the tuition, a sponsorship letter must be provided.
- Flight booking.
- A document that confirms that the applicant has a place to live in the country of study.
- Photos.
You will find detailed information on how a photo should look for a visa application center in the publication “Photo Requirements”.
What are the deadlines for submitting documents
The visa processing time depends on the country where the student is going to obtain an entry permit. For example, if the Israeli consulate can issue a permit in less than 14 days, then the Australian consul will take about 40 days to make a decision.
Quite quickly, you can get a passport with a visa at the US consulate, but making a decision on permission to enter Germany on a student visa can take up to two months.
The optimal deadline for submitting documents for a student visa is 1-2 months before you need to come to study.
However, you should not apply for a visa earlier than three months before the intended trip. It is possible that you will still have to go through an interview or deliver some documents, for example, medical insurance, which are not immediately required when applying for a Schengen visa, but may be asked to bring later.
How long is a student visa valid
As we said earlier, a study visa to European countries can be issued for 90 days or for a period from 3 months to a year. It is more difficult to obtain a visa for a longer period; there must be good reasons for this.
A student visa to the United States can be obtained for up to 3 years if the applicant can justify the need for such a long stay in the country.
Note that in many ways the consulate's answer also depends on the educational institution where the student is enrolled: if it is a university, and not just refresher courses, this circumstance will be taken into account.
Registration cost
The cost of registration also depends on the country. Future students of Israeli universities will significantly save money - they will have to pay less than 50 euros for obtaining an entry permit.
One of the most expensive student visa to the UK is around 500 euros.
You can learn more about the prices for issuing study visas to different countries in the article "Cost of a visa".
The main reasons for refusal
The visa officer will not refuse a visa due to a small typo, for example, in the date of birth. Most likely, you will be asked to fill out the questionnaire again. But if a consular officer convicts you of knowingly submitting false information, this may cause not only a refusal to issue a visa, but also a ban on entry into the Schengen area.
You shouldn't even try to submit inaccurate documents to the visa center, for example, a certificate of salary. Such applicants fall into the “black” list.
Refusal threatens if you failed to convince the visa officer of your solvency.The consular officer should not get the impression that the student is going to cross the border not for the purpose of studying, but in order to find an illegal job.
A clean passport - no visa stamps - lowers the chances of getting a positive response, but not in the same way as a dysfunctional visa history.
If a visa is received, but mistakes are made in it, the refusal can be received from the border service. To avoid this, it is imperative to check the received visa stamp.
Read more about this in the article "Visa Errors".
What to do in case of refusal
Receiving a refusal should not be a cause of frustration and inaction: otherwise, you will strengthen the consular staff in the opinion that the intention to study abroad was not the true purpose of applying for a visa.
Getting a clean passport and trying to get permission to enter another country is a waste of time.
The best way out is to contact a specialist who will analyze the package of documents for a visa, help identify and correct the error. Do not forget that a visa refusal must be submitted in writing: in this document you can also find an indication of the shortcomings.
Summarize
The validity periods of a student visa range from several months to several years. The applicant must collect the necessary package of documents, including confirming: the fact of admission, education, solvency.
An application for a visa is submitted in advance, but no more than 3 months before the planned date of departure. Registration can take from 12 days to two months.
In case of refusal, you should not give up, especially if the reason is not obvious: you need to correct errors in the documents and apply for a visa again.
