Czech Republic to exclude student visas from Visapoint system
As noted by the portal Vinegret.cz, soon students admitted to Czech universities will no longer have to wait for hours in an electronic queue or pay intermediaries large sums just to get to the consulate to submit documents. Consular staff will themselves schedule appointment times for applicants, choosing a date so that they can make it in time for the start of the academic program. The maximum processing time for applications will be 60 days.
The project proposed by the Czech Ministry of Education is called "Student Regime." The ministry wants to introduce it in 11 countries. The authors of the initiative claim that the project will significantly speed up the issuance of student visas, which will increase the prestige and competitiveness of Czech universities internationally.
The regime will operate annually from May to August. The list of countries included and quotas for each will be regulated by the Czech Ministry of the Interior. For example, Czech consulates in Russia will be able to handle 63 student applicants per month, in Ukraine – 49 applicants, in Kazakhstan – 24, in Turkey – 49, in Serbia – 33, in the Philippines – 17, in Vietnam – 40. The list of countries also includes Nigeria, Ghana, Uzbekistan, and Iran.
In case of high consulate workload, priority in processing applications will be given to students wishing to study in a foreign language rather than Czech (in the Czech Republic, such study is paid – editor's note), as well as applicants admitted to doctoral and master's programs.
The timeline for launching the project will be set in the near future. Recall that earlier in March, the Czech Republic excluded long-term work visas for Ukrainians from the Visapoint system.