New idiocy in student visa procedures

[Renee Stillings]

Dear All,

 

I thought you might like to know what the current situation is with student
visas to Russia as you are likely to have students affected by this, and if
you are running your own programs you should be aware as well.

 

Washington DC consulate. They will on one hand take copies (scan/fax) of
invitations and won't require the HIV test for a standard 90-day student
visa. HOWEVER, they have recently implemented a policy that they will take
10 full days for visa processing. That is 10 business days and they WILL NOT
rush a student visa regardless of what you pay.

 

As many of you know, several universities, such as MGU, have a habit of
releasing visa support within fewer days of that of departure, forcing rush
processing. Out of luck. Student will need to beg and plead with airline
about force majeure situation and pray he/she is not nailed on that
non-refundable and non-changeable student-priced ticket.

 

We don't know whether this is a temporary thing due to the rush season and
they are just overwhelmed, but I think we should all plan around it for the
future.

 

DC has also decided to clamp down as concerns jurisdiction and may not
process your visa if you are not in their territory. 

 

Options for avoiding this nightmare:

 

1. New York will rush processing - BUT demands the original invitation and
HIV test. Also last time I tried to rush something there they said that
regardless of the visa entry date, on a student visa, they will not put an
entry date on the visa itself that is less than 5 business days from the
date they receive the application. They also do not answer the phone at this
consulate.

 

2. San Francisco and Seattle. Our understanding is that they also demand
originals and HIV tests. No information yet about whether they will do rush
processing.

 

3. In the future, I think what we are going to do is request visas for a
date about 1.5 months ahead of the real entry date. This prompts the support
to be done earlier and so even if they delay as usual it still is ready a
good month or more before departure. The other potential upside of this is
that many of the universities who delay in doing the conversion to
multi-entry until the 90-day period has expired, will sort of be forced to
do it earlier, perhaps making students happier. This is the story of Russia
- they make new stupid rule, we create new silly way around it. They will
then probably make some other silly rule.

 

On a related note, for anyone else frustrated by MGU visas in particular,
apparently there is ONE person at the MGU visa office dealing with hordes of
visas for foreign students and they have told all departments that they do
not want stacks of extensions turned in at once and so should be done only
when they are really expiring - staggered, ideally.

 

I could go on with further tirade about how absurd this situation is, but
will refrain. It has been one of those days when I question just why we
spend so much time and effort trying to promote study of this country that
makes more efforts against us than for us.

 

I would be curious as to whether anyone else on the list has been hit yet
with this problem. I am starting to wonder whether I should tell students to
just not purchase tickets at all until we have invitations. Unfortunate, and
expensive, for the students, but in the foreseeable future I don't see
anyone at OVIR, the consulate, or even the universities caring. Or if they
do, we get the usual "that's life, we can't do anything about it" reply. 

 

Renee

 

 

 


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