Year abroad - is yours going? Soon?

[challengerequired]

Dd is meant to arrive in France on the 1st of September. She's so nervous and anxious. She's meant to study at the university and has a room in halls.
She feels like she's the only one she knows who's actually going so soon- others are either doing virtual if non-European uni, or are delayed by visa issues - which dd doesn't have because she has an EU passport as well.
Just want to get a feel
for what's happening with others!

MarchingFrogs - had to laugh at your last sentence - my DD has ordered a vacuum cleaner as no one likes spiders in her flat!

DS is studying Arabic - he was due to go to Jordan but that wasn't possible due to COVID so he would have had to study online at home so he was quite relieved when he found he could go to Morocco.

Does anyone know how long it is taking the Spanish Consulate in London to issue a visa after a successful interview?

DS is 10 days passed successful interview and still waiting. He was told about 3 weeks.

How is everyone getting on? Dd has settled in pretty well, much to my relief. Has met people and has f2f lectues and seminars. Decent if tiny room in halls.

DS1 is now in Belgium for 5 months under a carried forward (from last year) Erasmus offer. Seems to be settling in well.

Visa has been a fucking nightmare and has cost about £700. That alone will stop poorer students ever being able to take advantage of studying abroad. Still at least we'll have blue passports...

@AvocadoPlant

Yes you are correct. My son is in exactly the same position. Hoping his Visa is sorted before his 90 days runs out.

Visa has been a fucking nightmare and has cost about £700.

Wow, that's expensive. Is that Visa required to study in the EU?

Is that Visa required to study in the EU?

Yes - Belgium. Costs incurred are
Mandatory Health report (from private clinic approved by Belgian consulate)
Mandatory Police report.
Mandatory legal certification of the police report
Application fee
Belgian consulate fee
Plus some others I've forgotten
Plus repeated travel as all this had to he done in person at five different sites.

All part of the joys of Brexit.

That really very expensive in terms of time and money and will sadly put many off applying to study in the EU. I wonder if the new Turing scheme pays for these costs?

@Blubells There isn't a single "EU visa". The visa requirements will vary between EU member states. From a quick look at the Turing scheme info posted above, I could not see any suggestion that the scheme provides any assistance with visa costs. Sadly, those students hit the hardest will be those whose parents don't have the financial resources to help them out re meeting the visa requirements.

DNiece is in Canada currently (dual citizen so no visa issues). In January she will be studying in France.

I have a question about French student visas @Wowthatsalot or anyone else whose DC are there. How long are the visas valid for? DNiece’s course ends in May, but she was hoping to travel around France or Europe afterwards. Just worried that the visa will expire as soon as the semester ends.

@Changeofthename, DD was delighted to find that her French visa has been issued to cover a whole calendar year (so to early September 2022). She is therefore also intending to stay on in the country for a while after the end of her time at the French University.

@Changeofthename
I have no clue but I will ask.
I understand he can use it elsewhere in Europe as he's going to Italy in reading week.

Just checking in and glad everything seems to be going ok.

Blubells DD has gone to Germany. A visa is not required. She needs to be fully vaccinated and have a Ghic as she had to apply for a Residence Permit within 90 days. Ghic took a lot longer than normal to come through. She had to go for an interview for the permit, which was conducted in German so had to find a German student to translate for her, which apparently is fairly common - it's actually a requirement of her year abroad that you speak fluent English not German!

DD has settled in. Lots of f2f lectures which she tells us are a far higher standard that her UK uni. Keeps saying she hasn't made any friends, but she's constantly visiting other cities and going clothes shopping with others, had two parties to go to at the weekend and she eats all meals (unless one is eating out) with her flatmates!

DD is having a great time in Mexico. Almost everything is online at the university so the international students are doing a lot of travelling. She’s just been to the US to see DH and get a second covid vaccination, which hopefully will make things easier for her coming home for Christmas.

@ifonly4
Many university courses are bilingual here. German students are expected to have good enough English to follow lectures and course work, read books etc in English. DD has the option to write her BC thesis in German or English. One of her profs. is Canadian and only accepts English.
(For Abitur you have to provide 2 FL up to at least B2 level)

@Changeofthename As far as I can tell for DS's visa, I think the authorities added one month on to the date on which his internship ends. I think there might be a rule that you have to be out of the Schengen area on the night your visa expires. If your daughter is a British citizen, I think the rule is that she can enter the Schengen area for tourism purposes without needing a visa provided she doesn't spend more than 90 days there in a rolling 180 day period. My understanding is that time spent in France that is covered by a visa will not count towards the 90 day allowance. However, as I say, I think she may need to make sure she is out of the Schengen area the night her visa expires. But do check for yourself, as this is half-remembered from what I've read! I can recommend the Facebook group "Applying for a French CdS (Carte de Séjour) and/or visa". There are some expert posters on there.

No news from me. DD is in her UK uni city in a student flat with 7 freshers, doing her course in Japan remotely. She gets up at 2am, brushes her hair, puts on a hoodie over her PJs, does the class then goes back to sleep. She is enjoying it more than she thought she would but is gutted that she isn't out in Japan, seeing the place and meeting people in person.

A friend of mine who married a Japanese lady - both now living locally to me - said that his DW was talking to her DM about when they might be able to visit, and they thought it unlikely before next spring.

This thread is coming to an end now, I suppose. DD has some remaining exams in Mexico, her boyfriend has been there for the last month working remotely on his U.K. degree and they’ve been travelling round the country. They’re off to Columbia at the end of the month which is, apparently “safer than most of Mexico“. Finally coming home at the end of July. She has become completely fluent in Spanish, which was the point, and also very independent, which is great. I can’t pretend it won’t be good to have her back in the U.K. though! It has been an amazing opportunity for her and I’m sure it will be a huge benefit for her future.

I hadn't realised that I didn't update this thread. After my last post, DD got fed up by the end of term and was able to give a week's notice on her accommodation and move back home just before Christmas. She combined her Japanese studies with working in a local cafe.

Japan opened to students in March. DD's UK uni was proactive in getting the documentation to her and following 2 trips to the Embassy in London, DD got her visa and finally flew out in April. She is having a fantastic time there. She has done a bit of travelling and is thoroughly enjoying the experience. We chat over video calls and she is remarkably positive, apart from about the weather which seems to be either humid, pouring with rain, or both.

DD is due to fly home from France 'for good' next weekend. In reality, initially only to ditch her 'year abroad' suitcase, then fly back out to Berlin for a friend's birthday, thence to Amsterdam and back, eventually, via Manchester and Leeds and fairly soon afterwards, back to Birmingham to move into her 4th year house. Fortunately, we have a bus to Stansted from a couple of miles away, which she is happy to use if her random comings and goings don't fit in with either DH or I being able to take her or pick her up..

Malbecfan so pleased to hear your DD made it to Japan in the end. One of my students (I’m a lecturer) is going for 6 months and we were on tenterhooks about whether he would get to go.

Aww thanks @Chemenger . She is having an absolute ball out there. She decided to get a SIM card for her phone for around £6 per month - by a fluke, her handset will take 2 SIMs. She is using her Monzo card for everything and so far hasn't asked us for money. Good luck to your student - I can definitely recommend this university as they have been so kind and adaptable for DD.

MarchingFrogs I bet you're looking forward to having her back on home soil, even if she'll disappear pretty quick. DD's course finishes in July, she's on about coming home, going off for a week with friends in UK, back to uni accommodation and returning here three days before departing for UK uni! I can't keep up.

Malfecfan what a fantastic experience for your DD.

DD is having such a great time at her uni and doesn't really want to come back. She's got one more year to go after this and I'm sure that'll go very quick.