Spanish Visa (application from India)

If you’re applying from France, then the school might be able to help you. From what I have heard, the process in Paris is pretty slick.
But, the people sitting behind the glass windows at Spanish Embassy in Delhi, India have no clue about.. well anything.

Challenges at the Embassy

1. I saw some students being harassed for bringing their admission letters in English; they were sent back several times.
2. Some got harassed for not bringing enough documents to support their finances, even though they had a lot of documents!
3. The issue of the PCC – the police clearing certificates for every country you’ve resided in in the last 5 years! The people at the embassy don’t know that you don’t need it if you go for less than 6 months!!! I was sent back. I went to the French Embassy for help. They gave me a link to apply for it (because they were awesome! Always remember that you should speak with the natives (French people at the French Embassy and so on…) at the embassies in India; the Indians working their are clueless and well… mostly useless! I applied for the PCC and received mine in about 2-3 weeks. But luckily I found this document online that lists all the documents you need for the Spanish Visa and took it as proof with me to the embassy that I don’t need the PCC and things were sorted 🙂
4. The embassy is fairly unorganised so be on time and also notice their schedule. Somedays they’re open for collection, some for legalisation and some for applications
5. The security guy is a poor man and has to take all the blame because of the clueless people inside. Don’t get mad at him 🙂

*Just another issue that I face (or thought I faced) because of some confusion:
I read a document somewhere that stated that you can’t enter the Schengen Countries for at least 3 months after your residence permit in any of the Schengen Countries has expired. My French Residence Permit was expiring before my Spanish Visa’s commencement and this was annoying. DON’T WORRY :D. It only applies for travel and not for student visas. So, ignore this document if you find it somewhere. Haha

Amazing support from ESCP

1. Elena Potie helped me like crazy for all my Visa woes by fetching information about the Spanish, French and German Visas so that I can just somehow come back to Europe and resume my studies!
2. Laura Garcia and Alberto Martinez at the Madrid Campus helped me by answering my 87 calls and 63 emails! 😛 They even called the embassy in India to get their s**t together and urgent-couriered me documents several times to India!

Application Procedure:

1. Now, don’t apply for a 1 year visa unless you’re going to Spain for 1 year or you can manage to get all the extra documents

2. Here’s the list of documents you’ll need (check the 90-180 days section for your less-than-6month Visa)

Click to access Student_visa_16.03.12.pdf

3. No appointment needed. Just go their with everything mentioned in the list + any extra documents that might make your case stronger

4. Don’t forget to carry a copy of the list as proof. Again, they don’t know anything and need to be reminded. Use the list! Be polite!

5. They’re supposed to call or text you to inform you about the collection, but they might forget. This happened with me and the 10 other people I met their. They didn’t just inform us. Haha. Just visit the embassy in 21 days if you don’t get a call/ text within that period. They made us wait their for about 5 hours and finally handed us the passports with the VISA 😀

Some extra notes:

1. Make a cover letter in English and Spanish. If you don’t, then they’ll make you prepare on right there. It’s better to take a printed one which mentions all the documents you’re attaching and their purpose
2. Also mention the exact dates of your study
3. Put your Spanish Address (ESCP will help you with the address :D)
4. If you have a French Social Security and/ or a mutuelle, then you may not need a separate insurance. This was my case, so I attached a copy of an attestation by LMDE that mentions that it covers me indefinitely in Spain. Don’t sweat if you don’t have it; just take an Indian insurance; they not so expensive anyway (note: you can only choose the insurance companies mentioned here – http://www.vfsglobal.com/spain/india/pdf/Indian_insurance_companies_020915.pdf)
5. You don’t have to get any legalisation and translations for your documents if you’re applying for the 6 month Visa. So, ignore the students (you’ll become really close friends with them btw. You’ll have to stand their in the scorching sun for hours) you’d meet outside the embassy who are applying for longer visas! 😛

Cheers!

Ayush GUPTA

Charpak Scholarship!

Bonjour à tous!

So I woke on Tuesday morning only to find out that I had just received a charpak scholarship. Why am I posting this after 2 days? Because I was pre-spending all my scholarship money haha :p

For those of you who don’t know what charpak scholarship is:

The Charpak scholarship program is run by the French Embassy in India. It offers three types of funding:

The Internship program
This program is designed for engineering and pure sciences students at the Bachelor’s or Master’s levels who plan to train at French Institutions during their academic break (May to July).

The Exchange program
This program is designed for exchange students for a period of one to four months (duration of an academic semester) at the Bachelor’s or Master’s degree level.

The Master’s program
This program is designed for one to two years of studies in France at the Master’s degree level

This scholarship is named after Georges Charpak (1924 – 2010)

Georges Charpak was a French Physicist who was awarded the Nobel    Prize in Physics in 1992. During World War II, Georges Charpak served in the French Resistance. He was deported at the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau when he was 20 years old. Georges Charpak survived and received his PhD in Nuclear Physics at the age of 30 from the College de France. His later findings were of considerable significance for the advancement of civil nuclear engineering and biomedicine. After receiving his Nobel Prize, Georges Charpak became a tireless advocate of the “hands on” approach science in elementary schools. His work lives on in tens of thousands of classrooms in France today.

The application is selected on the basis of:

Excellent academic record
to date, as well as the consistency and quality of the statement of purpose. Knowledge of French is definitely an asset. For master’s scholarship applicants, a tie-up between your current Indian institution and your future French Institution will also
be an asset. Fluency in writing and speaking English is mandatory.

This is what a Charpak scholarship holder receives:

•Free student visa, including CEF fee waiver
•Monthly stipend of 615 euros
for up to 10 months (= 1 academic year)
•Medical insurance coverage
•Access to student housing
if available, or partial funding of your housing expenses (230 to 280 euros monthly, depending on the city of residence in France)
•Full tuition waiver at public universities
Partial tuition waivers may be granted by other institutions, according to their individual policies.

Although that’s already quite a lot, you get another, very essential gift – the name of a French embassy scholarship in your CV/résumé!

So all this becomes yet another reason for you to consider studying in France. Taking up some French language courses, as I’ve emphasised before, increase your chances of getting this prestigious scholarship.

Thanks for reading this post, and please apply for this scholarship when you chose to study in France! 😀

Ciao
Ayush Gupta ( AG )

Visa Process!

Bonjour à tous,

Applying for the visa is one of the most important steps after you’ve received an offer from a university. It is recommended to apply at least 20 – 25 days before your expected date of departure. You will initially receive a visa for the first 3 months only and then you’d have to get it extended for a year once you’ve reached France. You can check out the following checklist of required documents:

• Long stay application form duly filled and signed
• Two passport size photographs of the past 3 months meeting set standards – one must be attached to the application form (Size 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm, with clear background).
• Passport: a full national private passport or official travel document with a minimum of three months validity beyond the validity of the requested visa, with two blank visa pages face to face with the mention “visa” to affix the visa sticker. The passport should be issued less than 10 years ago.
• One copy of the passport mentioning personal identity and validity extension information, “note on remarks” page and all the pages which contain Schengen visas.
• Old passports: if you own one or more former passports, you must bring them.
• A print out of your Campus France ID number (No objection certificate)
• A letter of registration from a French Academic Institution or a certificate testifying that you will follow an European Union Training Programme or proof of scholarship.
• Cover letter explaining the study project, duration of your studies, scholarship details, your financial support, and your motivation to study in France.
• A short curriculum vitae.
• Proof of resources: tuition fees + a minimum of 615 Euros/month x by number of months of stay (living expenses). Only liquid assets will be considered. In the case of family member/friend funding your studies, an undertaking must be provided on plain paper duly signed along with supporting financial documents. Bank statements of the last 3 months (of the individual sponsoring the education and the student’s bank statements if he/she has an account in his/her name). If you are being hosted by a family in France, an “Attestation d’accueil” will have to be provided by the family (A sample of this document may be downloaded from http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/R10751.xhtml). In such a case you will have to show resources for a minimum of 300 euros per month for your living expenses. Note: holders of a scholarship are not concerned. A certificate mentioning the amount and the duration of the scholarship is only required.
• Proof of medical insurance with coverage valid for France for the first 3 months (you will have to get a full social security once you’ve reached France)
• One copy of your round trip ticket if you are studying 6 months or less (+ 1 photocopy) or a one way ticket only if you are studying in France more than 6 months (+ 1 photocopy)
• The “Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration” OFII form duly filled and signed. Download the OFII form from www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/LS-01d_formulaire_ofii.pdf
• Accommodation during the first three months of the stay. Proof of residency in France such as a lease, electricity bill, title of property etc. for a minimum of 3 months + 1 photocopy. Hotel: reservation and necessary resources to cover costs. Accommodation provided by an individual: “attestation d’accueil”, or attestation by solemn undertaking (in this case, the copies of identity card and electricity bill and receipt for rent payment or title of property must been provided). Accommodation in an establishment (or in an institution) or provided by an establishment (or an institution): attestation by the establishment or the institution.
• Copies of the degree and diplomas, certificates

Note: I would recommend that you also take photocopies of all the above mentioned documents asking with you to the Visa authority.

IMPORTANT: this list is specific to Indian applicants and may differ a little for applicants from other countries. I would also try to contact students from a few other countries and make a cumulative list.

Merci
Ayush Gupta ( AG )

More info from ESCP

Salut, tout le monde!

We have recently received one more email from ESCP. The email contains the following attachments:

– Housing in Paris (version in English and French)
– Ways to finance your studies

All the attachments received from the school are posted on the Facebook Group for ESCP 2013 MIM Intake. I would post the documents here once I get permission from the school to do so.

 

Ayush Gupta (AG)