Hi,

I have a question concerning student visas for stays longer than 180 days (my master’s program is for two years - this is the length of the visa I applied for). ?I applied for the visa in the Chicago consulate last week (5 of July). I was told I would receive my visa in 4 weeks. Exactly one week later (today, 12 of July) I received my passport with the visa in the mail. I found this very unusual because I’ve only heard about how slow the consulate is with these visas.?

My concern is that my visa was processed incorrectly.?

My first concern:
The visa’s validity dates are from August 20, 2012 to December 2, 2012. This is not 180 days. Duration of stay states 90 days. This is not what I applied for as my studies will last a lot longer then this. ?

Second concern:
The “Remarks” section states Estancia, or what I presume means Stay or maybe Residency. I did not apply for a short stay or residency visa. ?I’ve variably seen images of visas online that have remarks section with the equivalent of “Estudios Hasta 180 Dias”. My remarks section doesn’t even indicate that this is for Estudios/studies.

I’m concerned about this and that I will have to go to the consulate to rectify it. I really don’t want to end up in Spain and find out my visa was improperly processed and I would have to leave the country. From the experiences of others, is this visa fine for what I need? Or should I go scurrying to the Consulate as soon as possible and have this revised? I need to move at the end of August to be at the UAB on September 3rd, so taking care of this quickly is imperative if it needs to be done. I plan on calling the Miami consulate tomorrow to enquire about this, as the Chicago consulate does not EVER pick up the phone.?

Much thanks for your help!

AlbertoRamirez - 13 July 2012 07:22 AM

Hi,

I have a question concerning student visas for stays longer than 180 days (my master’s program is for two years - this is the length of the visa I applied for). ?I applied for the visa in the Chicago consulate last week (5 of July). I was told I would receive my visa in 4 weeks. Exactly one week later (today, 12 of July) I received my passport with the visa in the mail. I found this very unusual because I’ve only heard about how slow the consulate is with these visas.?

My concern is that my visa was processed incorrectly.?

My first concern:
The visa’s validity dates are from August 20, 2012 to December 2, 2012. This is not 180 days. Duration of stay states 90 days. This is not what I applied for as my studies will last a lot longer then this. ?

visas are usually valid for 90 days maximum

Second concern:
The “Remarks” section states Estancia, or what I presume means Stay or maybe Residency. I did not apply for a short stay or residency visa. ?I’ve variably seen images of visas online that have remarks section with the equivalent of “Estudios Hasta 180 Dias”. My remarks section doesn’t even indicate that this is for Estudios/studies.

I’m concerned about this and that I will have to go to the consulate to rectify it. I really don’t want to end up in Spain and find out my visa was improperly processed and I would have to leave the country. From the experiences of others, is this visa fine for what I need? Or should I go scurrying to the Consulate as soon as possible and have this revised? I need to move at the end of August to be at the UAB on September 3rd, so taking care of this quickly is imperative if it needs to be done. I plan on calling the Miami consulate tomorrow to enquire about this, as the Chicago consulate does not EVER pick up the phone.?

before the visa expires and after you have enrolled and done your “empadronamiento” you must apply for your yearlong student card. this replaces your visa. you have to renew this card before it expires, to be issued another one. but you of course you can always clarify this with the consulate.