Italy Forum

CarinaAmanda
Joined 2018
Posts: 12

5 years ago

Student Visa

5 years ago

I am an American who was accepted to study art in Italy for a number of years. However, the visa process is becoming highly stressful due to the consulate in my area.

I was emailed a list of instructions to follow, which contradicts in some places the list of instructions posted on their official website. To further the matter, when I email them to ask, they are highly rude and if they do reply, they often contradict the situation even further, leaving me completely perplexed.

To make matters worse, I have to drive many hours down to Miami, and I am very concerned that I will get there and be told that I do not have all the information that they need. At times, I feel like canceling the entire thing all together.

That is why I am reaching out here, in hopes that someone has either personal experience with a student visa, or is a lawyer that can advise.

Right now, my two greatest confusions are as follows:

1) I was told that I need airline reservations for the visa in the email instructions. On their website, however, I read that as of 2017, airline reservations are no longer needed. Yet upon emailing them, I am told that I do need airline reservations. I have no idea how to get return tickets this far in advance, so not needing a return ticket would be much less complicated for me.

2) I am told in the email instructions that I need a place to stay, but for how long is not specified. Upon emailing them, I was told that I only need a place for 91 days that is paid for (this would make things better so that I could look for a place in person once there). Yet their website says that I must have a place to stay for the entire time that I plan to be there. Booking a place for that long without seeing it is nerve-wracking, and it would be better to do the 91 days, but I am afraid of doing the wrong thing.

Does anyone know what I can do to determine the exact truth of the situation? There must be laws someplace that clarify this.

Thank you so much!

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