Hey folks,

I'm going to study abroad in Spain this Fall semester and so I tried to apply for a student visa. I was declin. I only had 12 hours of class registered instead of 20. 20 seemed like more than I'd like when my main goal is to travel the country and city and have fun, not sit in a classroom and read books I could read anywhere on the planet. So because I can't get a student visa I have 3 options and I wanted opinions about the three:

1) As a U.S. Citizen, take advantage of the 90 days I have in Spain as part of the Schengen Agreement, and truncate my class days by missing the first week of class (the director of the program said this could be done). It would work but I hope it doesn't come to this because I wanted the full experience including before/after the class days.

2. Go to Spain at the time I'd normally go (a week before class starts) and when the 90 days are coming to an end I would go to the police station and request an extension to my visa-free stay in order to take final exams.

3. (MOST IFFY) I will be studying abroad in France next Spring too so I was thinking of getting a 1-year tourist visa for France, and not really spending that time in France until 2016. Is this possible? A french visa would allow access to Spain, and I wouldn't necessarily have to prove that I've been hanging out in France that whole time, would I?

Between those three, or maybe other recommendations, I'd like to figure this problem out soon. Thank you for your help!

I'm no student visa expert, although I have studied in France. I don't think you go to the police to get a visa extension as they don't have anything to do with that AFAIK.

I don't believe there is such a thing as a one year tourist visa for France, never heard of that term. There is a one year nonprofessional visa but it's for people like retirees or those who own property there, etc. YOu need a lot of documentation to get that as to financial resources, deed/1 year rental agreement in France, etc. You do need to prove a lot.

You didn't ask about a French student visa so I guess you aren't considering that. I suppose you don't need one if your program is less than 90 days over there. YOu need to either be accepted to a program or to be applying to a formal university or something like that, and first register on campusfrance and get an application, for a longer student visa in France. But you don't even want to do the work for a student visa in Spain, so I'm sure you don't in France, either.

You don't really want to study enough to get a student visa, so I think your only option is just to study in your program for 90 days, then leave. You aren't that serious, anyway, that's a long time, you'll learn something, although it sounds like you don't really care about that part.

If you just want to travel around, why not just do that and forget this whole student stuff if you aren't interested in the schooling. Then you'll pack more travel into your 90 days.

Thanks for your reply. You're trying to emphasize that I don't like working or learning whereas the point I'm trying to make that if language learning is what I want to learn I'd rather do that by roaming around than by reading a book.

Either way, 20 hours is excessive so I'm looking for an alternative way to stay more than 90 days. I need to be enrolled in a university for other reasons. And as far as a the extension goes, it would be carried out in a police station.

Does anybody have anything they'd like to add?

If you already have all of the answers - per your last post - why bother people here.

They are trying to give you good information and you are simply repeating what you want to do.

The vi system is not set up to do what you want. If you want a sudent visa (longer) you will have to qualify per the Schengen regulations. If you just want to travel around you will need to be on a 90 day tourist visa.

Just because you want something does;t mean that it is possible. (I think the fact that you have already been denied a visa shows that.)

20 hours is not excessive for a student. You apparently do not want to be a full time student, yet want the visa privileges afforded a student in a full time study course. So you were denied the visa. That should make it pretty clear you cannot have a student visa. Travel is fabulous. Takes your 90 days and travel. Not sure if there is anything more to be said. Rules are rules.

Twenty hours is really not excessive if you are not holding down a job or won't have other responsibilities as well. Clearly it seems most other students enroll for 20 hours. You will have plenty of time to study, travel and absorb the language as you will living there 24/7. I think you have to decide if you are really serious about studying abroad or if you are only planning to attend school in order to be abroad. If the latter, why not try to travel for the summer and do your book reading closer to home?

Some of you may have forgotten than 1 credit hour translates to 1 hour lecture plus 1-2 hours of homework/study/prep time outside of class. So a 20 credit hour load translates to 40-60 hours of actual time.

A full-time credit load = your full-time job.

I don't know exactly how they translate, but hours and credits are figured differently in Spain. For example, undergraduates must earn 240 credits over four years, a minimum of 60, but up to 90 a year. Students must be full time students to qualify for a student visa. Looks as if the OP can either travel or study, but certainly not be a part time student.

If your return flight is dated beyond the visa-free period you're allowed to stay, will you be allowed to board the plane?

If you do get there, and pursue option 2, what happens if the extension is refused? (If you stay anyway, illegally, there's a chance your overstay will get you blacklisted and you wouldn't be able to do the French visit the following year.)

I don't think your language class will be all 'reading a book' - it would be a pretty poor one if it was.

So many of you seem to have a problem with the fact that my primary purpose isn't to study. I finished a double major in two years so that I would have time to study abroad, and I'm accepted into medical school and the school requires that I'm "enrolled" in some kind of higher education institution the entire time. I've always wanted to travel abroad but I won't be able to do it unless I "study" abroad because my summers are full with other things. I've come here with an entirely different concern so please if you can restrain yourself from disparaging me just for the heck of it that'd be great.

The fact of the matter is that I don't feel like doing the 20 hours and the reason I posed the question is exactly because I know that's not how it works. 20 hours of pure lecture (not including hw/studying) is certainly doable but it's more than I'd like to do on a trip whose primary purpose is recreational and it's more than anyone takes (seeing as my program itself suggests taking 12). I had the option of taking 20 hours, and I wasn't "denied" I just decided against it. The vast majority of students who get visas from Spain don't have to take 20 hours, several of my friends, even the third party study abroad programs get visas without having close to 20 hours. I don't want to take 20 hours just because one woman was a more picky than the rest of the Spanish consulate.

I've already tried what I could and I'm just looking for an alternative if there is one, if not it's not ideal but it's not the end of the world.

Nonconformist: What I considered doing was entering and exiting through London, since the visa-free period for the U.K. is 6 months for US citizens. I would leave for Barcelona when I could and if the extension did not work out I could leave again to London for a week in the middle of classes to hold off the 90 day counter.

Like I said, ideally there'd be some other options I could explore. I don't know if anyone knows how feasible the French Visa for Non-Professional Reasons might be, does anyone else?

You're totally missing the point. No-one is disparaging you for not wanting to study and wanting to travel instead. What people are less enamoured of is the fact that you are trying to get a type of visa that doesn't fit your intended purpose.

Either abide by the rules of your medical school entrance requirements/the consulate, or decide its not for you right now, and take a break so you can focus solely on travel with the right type of visa. Come back to your studies when you are ready for them.

I'm not suggesting anything illegal at all, and I'm sure the consulate would be the first one to stop me if it was. I'm just asking if using the French visa is even possible. I would be using the visa for its intended purpose (in France) for 6 months, I just want to know if using it in this manner is a possibility.

I've read a lot of people suggesting that Schengen visas can be extended, and I've seen the official EU documents saying so as well, but is it often that people are even able to get it? I've never heard of any successes with this.

The whole trouble is that I can't take a break from my studies, I definitely would if I could, but I have to be attending school for the entire 4 years despite the fact that I'm already done with my degree (it doesn't make much sense)

Either way I appreciate everyone that took the time to respond so far! The advice and suggestions you give are taken seriously.

For the most part my options are still the same, if anyone has more to add I'd be grateful.

What you are asking about is a very technical issue with legal ramifications. Advice on a travel board is just that, advice on a travel board tho there are people here who clearly know more about visas than others. It seems like a conversation with the French authorities, who would be issuing that visa, is where you have to go. Good luck, enjoy your future studies and travels.

"What I considered doing was entering and exiting through London, since the visa-free period for the U.K. is 6 months for US citizens. I would leave for Barcelona when I could and if the extension did not work out I could leave again to London for a week in the middle of classes to hold off the 90 day counter."

Yes, that might work.