Applying for a student visa to a European university especially for a third-world passport holder is a nerve-wracking experience. There’s a lot of online resources detailing the process but I haven’t encountered a post for Filipino students in particular.  I made this article in the hopes of reducing any mental and emotional stress for other Filipino applicants. This also serves as my personal thank you to all the other Filipino students (such as Kathy Buenaventura and Leni Papa) who have helped me during the process.

Disclaimer: The process laid down below is specific to an application for a German student visa  (not for a language course or a student application visa) or any type of visa for that matter. 

STEP 1: Scheduling the appointment

Processing time for the student visa could take up to 6 months, including the waiting time for the visa interview schedule. Hence, it is important that you schedule the visa appointment as soon as you receive your acceptance to the German university of your choice. I personally waited for the scholarship grant before scheduling my visa appointment but I think it would’ve been a lot better had I scheduled it beforehand, the moment I received the acceptance letter from the German university. It’s better (and a lot easier) to cancel a visa appointment than schedule one.

To put things into perspective, the timeline for the processing of my visa went something like this:

March 1, 2019: Was informed of the scholarship grant
March 2, 2019: Sent a request for a visa appointment
March 12, 2019: Received schedule for visa appointment (for June 13, 2019 – almost 3 months after)
June 13, 2019: Day of visa appointment
August 13, 2019: Exactly two months from the visa interview, I received an email requesting me to submit my original passport as well as my planned date of arrival in Germany
August 14, 2019: I submitted by original passport to the embassy
August 20, 2019: Release of student visa

Why the long processing time? As mentioned in the checklist of visa requirements, a German student visa will only be issued upon receipt of the approval of the responsible Aliens’ Office in Germany (§31 AufenthVO). Hence, the application itself would have to be sent to the foreign authority in Hamburg for review. My visa was released six days before my first day of classes. You can just imagine the paranoia that plagued me while waiting for the visa decision to come out.

STEP 2: Preparing the visa application documents 

It is best to refer to the updated list of requirements in the website of the Germany embassy in Manila. I’m using the checklist dated August 2019. I will no longer elaborate on the requirements that I deem self-explanatory.

1. Valid passport (original with two copies of the passport data page), which is valid for the planned duration of stay and it must contain two empty pages.
2. Two (2) application forms, fully completed, signed and dated by the applicant
   → In the application, former surname refers to the applicant’s middle name.
3. Three (3) identical and current passport pictures
4. Two (2) declarations according to § 54 AufenthG.
5. Certification of admission to study or confirmation of a German university (state or approved by the state)
   → Your university should provide this.
6. Curriculum vitae in tabular form, including an explanation about your education or of your vocational career without a gap
   → The CV is meant to show the relation of your chosen program with your work experience/previous studies.
7. Explanation in writing about the stay for your studies: motivation for choosing the subject of your studies, reasons for choosing the university / college, pointed out plans for studies or explanation to your preparation to study (in German language).
   → This is something I could have worked harder on. The motivation letter is your opportunity to explain to the German immigration officer other circumstances that are not provided in your documents. Note that you are required to submit the letter in German language. If you’re going to use Google translate to do this (like me), keep your sentences simple. Making it complicated might result in an erroneous translation thereby confusing the immigration officer.
8. Proof of finance of your cost of living while studying. You will have to submit proof of at least € 853,- a month. This proof has to be given for one year in advance: €10.236
   → This deserves a separate post altogether. But in case I don’t find the time to put it up right away, here’s what I did:
   • I opened a blocked account with Xpatrio. Fintiba is also a good option. Did not bother with Deutsche Bank at all due to the long forms I had to fill out. I’ve heard of other students use it though and I understand why.
   • Note that I received only a partial scholarship for my living expenses. To be conservative, I decided to go ahead and open the blocked account anyway. If you receive a stipend equal or more than the required amount (€10.236 as of August 2019), I believe you could dispense with this requirement altogether. But make sure to ask for the original proof of scholarship from your university for submission to the German embassy.
   • I purchased Euros from a personal contact that sells foreign currencies (feel free to email me for details). Since this will involve a substantial amount of money, it’s best to canvass for the best exchange rates out there. Most banks, however, will only sell you Euros for tourism purposes, i.e. you have already booked a flight to Germany (which I haven’t done). Other banks such as BDO will also only sell to individuals that have an existing account with them.
   • I remitted the amount to Xpatrio through Metrobank. The remittance fee costs roughly around Php4,500.
   • I received the blocked account confirmation certificate from Xpatrio one day after the remittance. It could take up to 3-5 working days for the certificate to arrive. The certificate emailed to you will be the one to be attached to your visa application.
9. Proof of health insurance
   → I went with Dr. Walter insurance, which was arranged by Xpatrio together with the blocked account.

STEP 3: Day of the interview 

My interview schedule was scheduled between 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. I suggest that you arrive a lot earlier if you want to finish on time. Cellphones and electronic gadgets are not allowed in the embassy so consider bringing a book to help you pass time as well as to calm your nerves.

Some of the questions asked to me:

• What program are you taking in Germany?
• Do you have relatives or friends in Germany?
• When did you graduate college?
• What do you do in your current work? – For some reason, I had difficulty explaining my current job description to the visa officer. She inquired on the specific clients I’m handling and thankfully, most of them are household names in the industry they are in.
• What will you do after completing your studies? – This is where it gets a little tricky. I answered that if there is a good job opportunity, then I might as well take it. WRONG. The perfect Miss Universe answer would have been “I will return to the Philippines to apply the things I’ve learned in my master’s degree.” You should clearly communicate that the purpose of your visa is to merely study, and that you will not be using it to circumvent the immigration laws in Germany (e.g. employment visa, marriage with a German, etc.) Although I was granted a visa despite my open-ended answer (which is also the truth, by the way), it would’ve reduced my anxiety a lot more had I prepared better for this question.
• Are you currently in a relationship? – A little personal but they were polite about it.

After the interview, I had to pay the visa processing fee (EUR 75 or approximately Php4,400 – bring cash) and give my biometric data (i.e. fingerprints). They stamped the date of application in my passport and returned it to me. I was actually paranoid at first because they did not get my passport after the visa interview, thinking that this was a sure sign that they’ve rejected my application. But in hindsight, they probably did so because of the long processing period.

STEP 4: Processing time for the visa

And now, the most dreadful part begins. You could scour the depths of the internet for all the relevant articles on visa processing to help you soothe the uncertainty of the wait. But there’s nothing you can really do at this point but wait (and patiently at that).

The processing of my student visa took approximately 2 months from the date of the visa interview. The admissions team of the German university I was enrolled in also helped follow up the immigration authority in Hamburg to approve the said application.

STEP 5: Release of the visa

I received an email telling me to bring my passport to the embassy and to inform them of my intended date of arrival in Germany. The visa officer told me to pick up my passport after 5 working days. But I went ahead and got it after 4.

Be sure to check all the information indicated in the visa itself. The name of the university in my visa was not spelled correctly. I had to double check the same with the visa officers, who then inquired with the German immigration office. Thankfully, they confirmed that there’s no issue and that I may still use the same upon arrival.

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And there you have it.

I hope the foregoing will be useful for Filipino students who aspire to complete a master’s degree abroad. Will update this should there be any questions or clarifications that pop up along the way.