Thousands of British students have been hit by post-Brexit visa barriers, making it difficult for many to complete language courses or do internships in the EU.
Although some people postpone studying abroad or even change continents because of visa delays, hundreds of undergraduates taking modern foreign language courses may miss important parts of their degrees.
In the most extreme case, after the Spanish Embassy in London received a large number of applications, the British government has asked Spain to establish an expedited visa procedure for British students who wish to study and work there.
This month, the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted their Spanish counterparts on behalf of British universities about the difficulties faced by British students in obtaining visas-this is the first time that British citizens have been required to apply for visas since Brexit ended their freedom of movement last year.
But so far, Spanish officials have rejected the fast-track request, saying that students should check whether they have the correct documents to avoid delays, and suggest that universities can concentrate visa applications and submit them collectively.
Natasha Kerr, a modern language student in Bristol, was waiting for her visa application to be successful after filling out the form and obtaining the correct documents, and then waited for a long interview at the Spanish Consulate in London.
“There are many [to] figure out. Bristol said: “We can’t advise you, we don’t know,”” Kerr said. “There are many misunderstandings. The university contacted the consulate, but they didn’t get any response, and they couldn’t do anything. “
Kerr said the total cost of applying for a visa is about £700, which includes legalization and translation of the two documents, and obtaining an Acro (criminal record) police certificate. “This is much more than I expected,” she said.
Although students reported bureaucratic obstacles when applying for visas to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France, most of the complaints involved Spain.
James Illingworth, coordinator of the University’s Modern Languages Committee, said university administrators are working hard to provide students with “seemingly never-ending Spanish visa requirements”. Therefore, he said, some students transferred their internships to Latin American countries, where they were able to obtain visas more quickly.
“At present, it seems a bit random for students to get visas. Students get visas during similar internships, but their friends don’t. The large waiting list and difficulty in obtaining documents from the Spanish hosting department cause serious delays and anxiety for students,” Ilinvo Si said.
A plan under discussion is to allow students to enter Spain in September after entering Spain on a tourist visa, and then apply for a student visa upon arrival.
A spokesperson for the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this is impossible and British students need to complete the same visa procedures as all other non-EU students.
She added that student visas are a priority for Spain, but most applications are later than the embassy recommended time, which is six months before departure. She said that the consulate in London is also facing problems such as failure of British students to make appointments and incomplete and error-prone applications.
“This is the first academic year in which a student visa is required after Brexit,” she added. “Therefore, British students and universities need to adapt to the new regulations and the need to apply for visas, and some adjustment time is needed.”
Emma Cayley, chair of the University’s Modern Languages Committee and a professor at the University of Leeds, said that the post-Brexit chaos prompted the language department to lobby the government to negotiate visa exemptions for students studying or working in the EU as a compulsory course for them. course.
In addition to removing the red tape, this will also exempt students from high financial requirements in certain countries: students applying for Germany must present 800 Euros (£686) for each month they plan to stay. “[At present] It looks a bit like a’mum and dad bank’ or no travel,” Kelly said. “This may make a year abroad less viable and worsen the recruitment problem many of us are already facing. [university] member. “
Dan Howard is a third-year student majoring in Italian and Spanish at the University of Reading. He plans to study one semester in Italy and one semester in Spain this year. But bureaucratic obstacles meant that he could only complete the journey to Italy, and he relied on his university to give up the requirement to study in Spain.
Howard said: “At first, I felt that my university didn’t know what was needed.” Because students need to apply from their home country, being in Italy prevents Howard from applying for the Spanish part.
A spokesperson for the British government said: “We have raised this issue with the Spanish government and support University British International. “
