International Erasmus Student: Very Important for Studying Abroad aka VISA

If you are an international student studying in the UK and you are going to a EU country for Erasmus exchange, you will need to apply for a student visa! Generally, universities have very limited resources and experience in dealing with these special cases and there are very limited information regarding what you need to do as an International Erasmus student. Well, if this is your worry, you are reading the right blog post!

Where to Apply?

Bear in mind that you are applying your visa in the country where your university is, rather than where you are from! French universities tend to send out their acceptance letters (lettres d'acceptation) really late (around late June or early July), so you are expected to stay abroad during summer to sort out your visa. In order to profit from your summer holiday, while waiting for your visa application to be completed, I suggest you to find an internship or a part-time job there. I managed to find an internship at a consultancy company in Glasgow and it is the best experience ever!

If you are an international student, studying in the UK, you could apply for your French student visa at any TLScontact centres. There are two branches in the UK, one in London and one in Edinburgh.

What to Apply?

No matter you are staying in France for one semester or a year, you will need to apply for Visa for study Long stay (more than 90 days)/ Visa pour études, long séjour (plus de 90 jours). The list of documents you need for this visa application can be found here.

How to Prepare?

The list of required documents (see link above) specifies that you need to provide original copies and photocopies of certain documents. Sometimes, you might not be able to provide the original copies of the documents. Don't panic as the immigration office is not that mean after all! A suggestion will be to provide as many original copies as possible. If not, as long as the documents are signed or stamped by the university or your landlord, you can print them out and use them as proof of studies or accommodation.

For certain documents, such as acceptance letter, bank statements and certificates for proof of studies, you can always ask for original copies from your exchange university, the bank and your home university respectively. Please beware that French universities tend to have a month-long summer vacation during which all university departments will be closed. Therefore, do remember to ask for your acceptance letter as soon as possible! When asking your exchange university for the acceptance letter, do remember to list out the requirements from the visa centre:

- Your name/ Votre nom

- Type of studies/ Type d’études

- Length of studies/ Durée des études

- Part of a European program (Erasmus) if applicable/ Programme européen (Erasmus) si applicable

- Number of teaching hours per week/ Nombre d’heures par semaine.

Information from the website of TLScontact Centre©

Also, it will take approx. 9 to 14 working days to deliver the acceptance letter from France to you by post.

It is worth noting that you are required to provide 3-month bank statements of your current account as "proof of financial means of support". It is not specified on TLScontact Centre's website and from my experience, they will ask you to print them out and hand them in later that day. It was an awful experience to run around Edinburgh to find a HSBC branch to print out the right bank statements.

What is the process for the Visa Application?

First, prepare all the documents needed for your visa application. Then apply online by creating a TLS account, fill in your personal details and make an appointment for giving in all your documents.

On the day of your appointment, you will be asked to submit the documents. The staff will check whether the documents are valid. If you miss out any documents, you will be requested to provide them later that day or come again in another time. If you pass the "test", be prepared for photo taking and providing your biometric data (fingerprints) as your last step of the application. Then you are good to go.

The visa centre will also provide you tracking information about the visa application (like the one you use when ordering Domino's). It will normally take 10-15 working days to process the application (surprisingly, it took 7 working days to process mine). You will be informed with a text and/ or an e-mail stating that your passport has been sent back to the Centre for you to collect.

What should I know about my French Visa tier?

International Erasmus students are often exempted to complete any further paperwork after their arrival in France, meaning you do not need to fill in the OFII form for residence permit (I recommend you to find in first, just in case). You will find this paper slip placed in your passport by the time you collect it.

The visa tier that you will be given, potentially, is called "Visa D: dispense temporaire de carte de séjour". This visa tier implies that you do not need to apply for a residence card (carte de séjour) to stay in France as the visa itself fonctions as a residence permit. However, you are not allowed to work in France, regardless within or beyond term time. You are also excluded from any French social benefits, such as CAF. If you find an internship in France, you need to go back to the UK and re-apply for a new visa.

That's all for today! If you have any enquiries, tips or even experience on travelling abroad for studying, please comment below!

All the best!

Shiuology

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