Schengen students and the second wave of COVID-19

• With Europeans bracing for the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, students in the Schengen area are once again faced with a historic disruption to their education. 
• While the current moment is difficult for everyone, including those with European citizenship, the situation is particularly challenging for foreign (non-Schengen/non-European) students who are pursuing their studies in the Schengen area. 
• In addition to dealing with online classes, closed campuses, and other disruptions, these students must navigate and respond to country-specific visa restrictions and travel bans. 
• The present moment is perhaps most desperate for students who were already trapped by the first wave-those who are stuck either inside or outside the Schengen area. 
• Some students remain unable to return to their home countries due to travel restrictions, while others who took a break from school to return to homes located outside the Schengen area are now unable to re-enter the zone to attend school. 

The following are answers to common questions asked by different types of students: 

I am a foreign (non-Schengen) student who is thinking of applying to a university in the Schengen area sometime in 2021. However, I am worried if I apply for next year, I won’t be able to travel. Should I apply now, or wait?

• If you are thinking of applying either for a Schengen visa for education purposes in 2021, or for acceptance into a Schengen-located university during the same period, you should go ahead and apply now. 
• While most Schengen countries are not at the moment granting Schengen visas for non-essential purposes, you can still apply in advance, for the upcoming year.
• While Schengen visas are limited for up to 90 days within a 180 day period, they are usually valid for use up to a year or two after being received. This means that even if the coronavirus pandemic lasts a whole other year, your visa will still be valid for use in 2022. 
• Additionally, any third-country national students who are either continuing or beginning their time at a university in the EU during 2020 or 2021 are considered exempt from the temporary restrictions on travel to the Schengen area/EU. This means that even if you are from a country whose citizens are currently banned from entering the EU, as a future student with a valid acceptance to an E.U. university, you are defined as having “an essential need” to enter the Schengen area, and should be exempt from this general ban. 
• Therefore, if you are thinking of applying to a Schengen area-located university, or you have already been accepted into such a university, you may as well get the Schengen visa process started- why wait when you can apply now! 

I am currently in the Schengen area for education purposes and I am in danger of overstaying my visa because return flights to my home country are banned. What should I do?

• The standard period you can stay in the Schengen area on a short-term Schengen visa (c-class) is 90 days within a 180-day period. 
• In normal circumstances, overstaying the validity period of your visa can get you into trouble with consular authorities and jeopardize any future Schengen visa applications you attempt to lodge. 
• However, Covdi-19 pandemic is not a normal situation. If you are currently in the Schengen Area on a Schengen visa, or on another short-term visa and you cannot leave the area because of travel bans, you will likely be able to extend your visa in order to stay legally in the Schengen area.  
• Be sure to contact your respective embassy/consulate and inform them of your situation. If you are currently holding a short-term Schengen visa, you will likely be given either a long term (non-Schengen) national visa for the country you are staying in, or even a residence permit (depending on the circumstances).
• In almost all cases, third-country nationals who overstayed their visa due to corona-related travel difficulties will likely be exempt from fines and other negative visa over-stay penalties as a result of being prevented from leaving the Schengen area. 

I’m a foreigner studying at a Schengen university and I went back to my home country for a holiday. Now the second wave is hitting Europe and I’m stuck outside the Schengen area because of travel bans. What should I do? 

• A lot of students who went home never expecting they wouldn’t be able to return to the Schengen area are now finding themselves stuck at home due to travel bans to Europe. 
• At the moment, most Schengen states are currently accepting (or will soon accept) travelers from some, if not all, of the following countries: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Uruguay, and China. 
•  If you are from a non-E.U./Schengen country not on this list, you may experience some barriers to your return to the Schengen area. 
• However, as previously noted, third-country nationals who need to enter the Schengen area for the purpose of study are exempt from the temporary Covid-19 travel restrictions to the EU. 
• The following describes the kind of third country national student who should be allowed back into the Schengen area, even if they are travelling from countries who are temporarily banned: Someone who was accepted by an institute of higher education located in the Schengen area and who has been admitted into the territory of the member state in which it is located in order to work towards a degree as a full-time student. Valid degrees are those which are recognized as such by the educational authorities of the university/school’s respective Member State, and may be diplomas, doctoral degrees, certificates or other courses valid for enrollment. 
• If you are a third-party national student who does not fit completely into the above category, but who has a valid offer of admission from a Schengen-based lower-level facility educational facility (such as a high school, boarding school, or language school) you still may be considered exempt from the general EU travel restrictions 

I am trying to apply for a Schengen education visa, but the consular interests of the country I want to apply to are represented by another country. Can I apply to a country that doesn’t have an embassy in my area?

• No. At the moment, you can only apply for a Schengen visa through the embassy/consulate or visa application center that directly represents the country you want to apply to. This is because Schengen visa representation for other EU member countries has been suspended, meaning, for example, that France’s visa application center will exclusively accept applications for visas for France (not to any country France previously represented). If the country you wanted to visit does not have an embassy in your area, you will likely have to wait to apply until the suspension is lifted to lodge your application.