To say the process of getting a visa is stressful, or a just a small form taking minutes of your time, would be a gross understatement. It’s more like a full time job. It seems deceptively simple, with a list of documents that are required to obtain a student visa. But there are specific rules that govern these copies and forms, dictated by the government run French Consulate, which is intimidating enough in and of itself. And when you’re a full time student, it ends up being a gradual, painful process taking up months of your life. Everyone has a story of how they got their visa, and the roadblocks along the way. Here is a brief summary of mine:
I made an appointment basically as soon as I learned we needed a student visa. To do so, you must go through your assigned consulate where you have residence. Since I go to school in New York, I originally made an appointment through the New York Consulate in Manhattan. I learned at orientation that in order to get a student visa, we must all fill out an online form called CampusFrance. It sounded simple enough so I put it off a bit until I started gathering documents for my appointment. A word of advice: start the CampusFrance process as soon as possible! While the form itself has a few confusing portions, it takes about a month for the organization to process your money order and the form itself. Why it takes so long, I have no idea. It’s not necessary to wait for the confirmation to make your appointment. In fact, your appointment should be made first, allotting this 4-5 week period for a response from CampusFrance and enough time on the latter end to pick up your visa.
My original appointment was for late June. Unfortunately, because I had not yet heard from CampusFrance at this point so I had to forfeit the slot. Luckily, my friend who was much more prepared than I, had all her materials together, and was hoping to head to Europe early, was able to grab my slot. We sneakily coordinated a time late at night when she could take the appointment right after I relinquished it. I made a new appointment for the next available time, which at this point, was early August. However, I was planning on returning home to Wisconsin for the end of summer to be with family and friends, pack, etc. This appointment would likely mean flying back to New York solely to go to the appointment, and then either stay up to a week to return to pick up the visa, or appoint someone to pick it up for me. This would not only be incredibly expensive, but would be cutting it quite close in terms of getting everything ready back home.
It was at this point that I had a thought: because I technically hold residency in Wisconsin, where I hold a driver’s license and vote, I could change my consulate to Chicago. Although still a three hour drive from my home, it would be much simpler than flying out to New York. Chicago also returns visas by mail, so I would only have to make one trip. Seeing this as the best option, I decided to call the New York consulate. Big mistake. First of all, there is only a one hour period during which you may call the consulate. There is also no option to remain on hold, you must keep re-calling. I tried over and over for the entire hour, getting a message that all representatives were busy every time. Finally, a few minutes after the scheduled time, I got through. The woman who answered was very rude, and said that because I was a student in New York, I would only qualify to go through the New York consulate. I tried to be firm in my conviction that it could work and explain the situation more fully but she hung up on me.
At this point, I was very discouraged. I really didn’t want my last few weeks in the states to be spent under stress, halfway across the country from my friends and family, with so much up in the air (except for me, with no guarantee of my flight to Paris). It somehow took a few days before I realized that I could call the Chicago consulate instead to see if they could transfer the appointment. This time, I was more prepared. I wrote out exactly what I was going to say, leading with the fact that I have a Wisconsin driver’s license, and had my New York “assertive” voice all ready to go. I called at the very beginning of the slotted time period and got through right away. The lady I spoke with could not have been more pleasant, and said that all I needed to do was cancel the New York appointment and make a new one with Chicago. It was the most reassuring thirty second phone call I had had in a long time.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I made a new appointment for the 16th of July. Chicago had plenty of availability, compared to New York which was booked at least five weeks out. I also had read that Chicago made it much easier to return or even fax over any missing documents, whereas New York required a new appointment all together for such matters. And at this point, a new appointment in New York would likely mean not getting to France at all.
The next few weeks, I somehow balanced my two summer classes with gathering, printing, and copying the various documents and forms. A few days after flying home to Wisconsin, it was off to Chicago for my appointment. I went the day before to scope out the place and was humored and surprised at the location, the 37th floor of a nondescript office building:
This calmed my nerves a bit because it seemed significantly less formal than the Consulate in New York, a swanky French style building in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. I tried to get a good night’s rest, but continued to be distracted by endless googles answering questions I already knew, scouring over the list of documents again and again to make sure I had everything I needed.
The morning finally came and I was sure to arrive early to make a good impression. I went to the second floor to get a pass for the elevator and there were two long lines, a mix of businesspeople flashing ID’s on the way to work, and people like me applying for visas at the various consulates throughout the building. It was probably about a fifteen minute wait so I was glad I had allotted extra time! When it was my turn, I simply showed my printed receipt for the appointment and got the pass up the the 37th floor! I followed the signs to the consulate, which led to a fairly small room, with a waiting area with about ten people seated, and two women behind glass. In all honesty, it reminded me of the DMV more than an elite consulate. I put my receipt in the window as instructed and waited for my turn. About ten minutes passed, and I was called. I believe it was a few minutes before my scheduled time. I approached the window and was asked for my documents. I began to present whatever my first one was when the lady said:
“No, just give me all the documents.”
Taken off guard, I rifled quickly through my accordion binder, pulling one from each slot, being sure that I had everything needed. With a bit of trepidation, I handed over the packet. I waited anxiously as she looked through everything and highlighted various sections. She also asked for my state ID and passport. I then had to get fingerprinted (which was embarrassingly difficult for me to figure out, despite the drawings right next to the machine explaining the proper format) and had my picture taken. I paid the fee and that was it. It couldn’t have taken longer than five minutes.
“So…is it approved?” I ask with an air of confusion.
“Oh, I don’t have the authority to decide,” she answers. “But you should be fine.”
While it wasn’t quite the answer I was looking for, the process was so casual that I was pretty content. About four or five days later, I got my visa in the mail.
So, after all this, here is my basic advice:
-If you somehow have residence in a place other than New York…go with them from the start, being sure to use your non-New York address on your CampusFrance form
-Start your CampusFrance form as early as possible!!! This takes the absolute longest and you have little to no control over it. It simply cannot be expedited.
-Buy an expanding, accordion file folder. It will help you organize everything and feel accomplished. In a strange way, it makes the process more fun.
-Don’t drag the process out. Pick a day when you have lots of free time and get everything ready then. Otherwise the stress of all you have left to get together will always be on your mind.
-Be sure to separate only ONE of each document on the day of the appointment so you can hand it over quickly. The copies will likely serve as back up if they need more supporting documents.
-As long as you have the documents listed, YOU’RE FINE. Don’t listen to the horror stories. Acquiring a study visa is much more straightforward than going there to work because it has much more solid end dates.
For more detailed information on the process itself, specifically for New York, check out my friend Victoria’s post. I would have been lost without her advice.
Bon chance, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 🙂
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