START EARLY
This is quite possibly the most important thing to remember - visa applications and approvals take TIME. There’s no sense in waiting, and the sooner you start, the less stressed you’ll be. Even if you have everything completed, a visa application must be reviewed and approved at several different stages during the process. There’s also things like getting visa photos at your local CVS that take planning. They shouldn’t be done the morning of your appointment because there could be traffic, the printer could be broken, or any number of other obstacles. Getting things done early helps you adapt to these unforeseen circumstances without putting your visa application in jeopardy or causing yourself undue stress.
For many visa applications, a visa appointment is required where you present documents in person and are fingerprinted. You need to make these appointments well in advance of the actual date because of the high number of appointments that these offices perform every day. Often, these appointments can only be scheduled after you have completed several steps of your visa application, so all the more reason to start right away and schedule your appointment ASAP.
Once you know where you’re studying abroad, ask people who’ve studied there before. They will be familiar with the process and can advise you as to where to start and what documents to start compiling before the process even begins. Don’t get too caught up in what they say, though. Follow the visa center’s instructions carefully even if your friend tells you something different. It’s just a good starting place.
When you complete a stage of your application, you can take a breath and relax, but don’t rest on your laurels. When the process is over, you’ll thank yourself for having it done so you can start getting excited about your study abroad experience! I cannot stress enough the importance of starting your application early and getting ahead of schedule.
DOUBLE CHECK
When you go in for your visa appointment, you will need several different documents and extra scans of those documents to give to the government or company handling your visa interview. Staying organized in this area is especially important, because visa interviews can be difficult to obtain quickly if you don’t have the right documents at the first one you scheduled.
These documents differ from country to country, so it’s important to check online to figure out exactly which documents you will need. For example, for a student visa to France, you will need to present proof of financial means to support yourself during your stay, which you can submit in the form of the past three months of bank statements. When I printed things like this out, I would get a sticky note and put it on the document, with the label: BANK STATEMENT: OCT, so that at a glance I would know what document it was without having to read any further. For all documents, keep a digital version in an easily findable folder on your computer so that you can print out anything again if need be without searching for it.
I did this with all of my documents, which made it easy to check which I had and which documents I still needed to print out. Don’t leave your documents up to chance; find a trustworthy list of required documents and check them off as you go! If you have questions, reach out to IES Abroad staff. They are a super dependable resource when it comes to your specific country and the process for obtaining a student visa. Double checking your documents will reduce stress about whether you’re bringing the correct ones to your appointment and eliminate doubts as to whether your application will be accepted. All in all, a great idea.
-One thing that may trip you up is the size of your photos! Ask for your specific country sized visa photos! NOT passport photos.
MAKE A PLAN - AND STICK TO IT
Being disorganized with your visa application is the surest way to produce a bunch of stress for you and take away from the excitement of gearing up to study abroad. The best way to ensure it all goes smoothly is to make a plan for getting it done and stick to it. Set time aside every week if you can to work on a part of the application, figure out which documents you need, and obtain those documents. It’s hard to judge how much time you need for each step of the way, so it’s good to check in a few times a week to see if one step has been approved or if the documents you’ve requested from your parents, school, or IES Abroad have been sent to you.
I advise you to sit down with friends who may also be studying abroad and know the stresses of visa applications. Set aside time to go to the library with them and work side by side, even if they’re applications for two different countries. Keeping each other accountable is a great way to beat procrastination. If you need, schedule times to facetime or call family members that can help you fill out forms, or just keep you company while you fill in little boxes with your information. This visa application process doesn’t have to be a quest of solitude!
Most importantly, once you have your plan in place and you’ve structured it to get done ahead of time, relax and let your planning do its magic! Go to the library or cafe with a friend, do the work in installments, and get excited to go abroad! There is always help if you need it, you just have to seek it out. The feeling when you see that visa affixed to the inside of your passport is one of profound relief and joy knowing that you are one huge step closer to an amazing study abroad experience! Others before you have done it and you can too! Good luck on your journey!
