Visa Application Tips for Advising Individual Education Abroad Student Participants

Updated November 20, 2007

When advising students—and talking with their parents—about the visa application process, there are many things to keep in mind. Primary is the development of an understanding in the participants, as well as their parents, regarding the immigration process relevant to the country(ies) of destination. This effort is key to managing expectations and any challenges that may be encountered along the way.

• Advise students that they are most often required to appear in person to apply and receive the visa and that Web sites often do not reflect the current requirements.
• Students should fax, e-mail, and telephone their consulate to confirm requirements. Study abroad advisers can do so as well but should still ask students to confirm requirements on their own. Sometimes consulate staffers give conflicting information; therefore, study abroad staff should not advise students of confirmed requirements.
•   Advise students that some countries have additional requirements that must be met before submitting a visa application, including national criminal background checks (e.g. Chile, Greece) and medical evaluations (e.g. Russia, Australia). Students need to be aware of the additional time in obtaining these documents. For a criminal background check, the FBI recommends that individuals allow 16-18 weeks after submitting an application for an FBI Identification Record online.
• Advise students (and parents) that they should in all cases be pleasant and respectful to consulate staffers. Students should share their love of the country they are going to, why it is important for them to study in that great country, and let the consulate staffers know that this has been part of their academic plan for a long time, etc. Remember that, in general, people are more responsive to those who are positive and engaging.
  
• Students who study in one country in the fall and expect to receive a visa in time for the spring semester for another country should:
  • Understand they may not receive the visa in time for the spring start date abroad.
  • Try to apply for the second visa from the country in which they are studying. Italian and Spanish visas, for example, have been successfully processed from other countries in the European Union.
  • Make arrangements to return to the United States in time to apply for the visa.
  • In the case of Italy, investigate the services of Platform 3000.
• Students who want to study abroad in the summer and continue abroad for the fall semester:
  • May not be able to receive the fall visa when they apply for summer. Some Italian consulates—for example, Los Angeles—require a maximum of two weeks between enrolled study in summer and fall programs. 
    
  • Should understand they may not receive the visa in order to study abroad in the fall and, again in the case of students in the Los Angeles consulate jurisdiction destined for Italy, should choose either summer or fall.

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