The Visa Application Process

Welcome again, for something much-awaited!

   As promised, I am providing a step-by-step guidance specifically for students from Pakistan on how to go about the visa application process "after" receiving an admission letter from a German university.

Students from other countries: Students from Asian and most African countries, I guess, have to follow an almost identical process. Students from Europe, Australia and USA/Canada should not have a similar visa process. Please check your local German Embassy's web site for country specific requirements.

Please read completely for your own benefit. In a few minutes, you'll be able to get a complete picture of the whats, hows and whens of the visa application process. So, let's get to the point:

1. Finances
   As soon as you receive your admission letter from a German University, you should check your available finances and the financial requirements for students from your country's German Embassy website. Most recently, it is known that you normally require an amount of around € 670 per month (as in my case in February 2011). This amount can vary on the basis of your country.
   
   
   Then check for a similar amount mentioned in your documents that the university sent you with your admission letter. Normally, they should also let you know about how much you will need every month to support yourself around that university. This can vary on the basis of your University's location. The variation can be around € 30 and not more, usually.
   
   
   The next thing you should note is the difference of the amount mentioned by your University and that by the German Embassy. If there is no difference, you are good to go. If there is a difference, I would suggest you to note the amount which is higher. In my case, the university sent me a letter requiring € 670 per month whereas the Embassy web site said € 650. I chose to calculate using € 670 to be safe.
   
   
   Now calculate as follows: 670 x 12 = € 8040. Add € 50 as account opening charges by Deutsche Bank. So, you need to show € 8090 in your account. Arrange the oye-rows! (Euros)
   
   
2. Passport
   Check that you have a valid passport and that the validity is at least 6 months after the desired length of your required visa duration. This can also vary, please check your country's German Embassy requirements to be sure.
   
   
   *** IDEALLY: you should have your finances and passport ready by the time your admission letter arrives. Passport should not be a problem and the finances you can prepare by checking the German Embassy web site. Even if the University may mention a different amount, it will give you the minimum amount you may require and that is a very good starting point! ***
   
   
3. Bank Account
   Go to your nearest Deutsche Bank branch with your valid passport and the admission letter (take the originals and one photocopy for each, with you). Tell them that you want to open a student account in Deutsche Bank. Please keep in mind here that "no" account is opened in your local branch. This account will be opened in Deutsche Bank's Hamburg, Germany branch and this is "standard" procedure for students from all over the world who belong to countries where opening a bank account in Deutsche Bank is a requirement for visa application process.
   
   
   The bank staff will ask you to fill out an account opening form for students. While filling the form, in the appropriate boxes, you have to write the per month and total amounts we calculated in step 1. After this, they will verify  all your documents and your form. They will stamp all your documents and hand over everything to you. You will be given the address of Deutsche Bank Hamburg and you will be told that you have to send the completed account opening form, the passport photocopy and the admission letter photocopy to the given address. These letters will all be already stamped/verified by the bank. Before leaving, please make sure you have all the documents and that they are verified. You should also keep a copy of these verified documents for yourself for record keeping.
   
   
   Now, DHL is your best friend! Go to the nearest DHL office and send the documents to the given address as instructed earlier. Students may ask DHL staff to give them a student discount on the package. You can show them your admission letter as a proof. I managed to get it in the same way.
   
   
   Next thing ... be patient! Yes, it was said on a lighter note, but that's exactly what you can do now. From the date of sending your account opening request to the confirmation of your account opening, it will take a minimum of 7 to 14 days. The account opening confirmation email will be sent to you on your email address that you provided in the form. For me, the email could not get through to my Gmail address so I would suggest you to provide a Yahoo or Hotmail address to be safe. This confirmation will also be sent to the Deutsche Bank which verified your documents and to your country's German Embassy as well.
   
   After the account confirmation, you have to deposit the calculated amount (e.g. € 8090) in this account. For this, you can choose one of the two possible options:
   i. Take the cash and send it from a International Exchange company or Western Union. It is an easy process. Just go to their office and they will guide you. They have nominal charges for this.
   ii. If you or someone in your family/friends has an account in Euros, you can deposit the cash in that account and then send it via international bank transfer.
   This process should take 3 working days, normally. You will get a confirmation of the deposit automatically on the same email address that you provided. There will be a pdf file attached to the email, print it out and you are ready to go to the embassy now! You do not need any official bank document, this print out is enough for the confirmation of your deposit.
   
   
4. Visa Appointment
   As soon as you get the email confirmation of your deposit, you should call your country's German Embassy and ask them for a "student visa" appointment. Now, there are two options for Pakistani students, depending on their residential address. These are:
   
   
   i. Residents of Sindh & Balochistan: You need to contact the German Consulate in Karachi for appointments and requirements. As of February 2011, the Karachi Consulate takes student visa interviews on a first-come-first-served basis for a maximum of 20 students every day. It means you do not need an appointment and can go straight to the Consulate. Some friends told me that this number has now been increased but I am not sure. If you are unlucky, you go to the embassy but there are more students than the maximum possible number. No need to worry, they will give you a time/appointment for the next day on priority. Please note: you will have to provide proof that you have been living in Sindh or Balochistan for the past one year at least, otherwise they can refuse to entertain you. Students from other provinces, please keep this in mind and do not try any gimmicks. On the other hand, if you are a resident of the Punjab or Khyber but living in Sindh or Balochistan for the past 1 year or more, as a matter of fact, then you can go to the Karachi Consulate but you will need concrete evidence to prove your claim. Contact the Karachi Consulate to check what kind of proof they want or accept.
   
   
   ii. Residents of the Punjab & Khyber: My poor friends, you are in a spot of bother just like I was. You "cannot go straight to the embassy! The German Embassy in Islamabad takes only a limited amount of student visa interviews every day and you "have to take prior appointments". The appointment system has been improved now. They operate using an e-appointment system which operated directly from Berlin, Germany (NOT by the Germany Embassy in Islamabad). 

   
   Click here to go to the Visa Appointment page. Typically, you will get an appointment 3 to 4 weeks from the current data. It may vary in summer (4-8 weeks) because thats the high intake season, but 3-4 weeks is normally the earliest appointment that you can get. However, the people operating this website from Berlin do release interview dates which have been cancelled by people due to various reasons. These dates are not simultaneously updated on the website as soon as they are cancelled, but they accumulate until they decide to make them available. So if you are looking for an earlier date: "keep checking the website every day" because you never know when they might release those dates (and they do arrive in bundles - batch processing).
   
   
   Here you can do something else also to save some time at least. A week after sending the account opening form, you can take an appointment from the Embassy and in the mean time your account opening confirmation should arrive and you may make the deposit. As they say, try it at your own risk! Because if you later need to re-schedule your appointment, it will again be given 3 or 4 weeks from the date you request the re-scheduling. But one thing is almost certain, if you get the account opening confirmation and initiate the bank transfer, then you should not wait for the deposit confirmation and call the Embassy for an appointment. The appointment will be at least 3 weeks from the current date and your deposit will be confirmed in 3 working days. Safe bet!
   
   
5. Some documents for Visa Interview
   Please prepare all documents listed on the German Embassy website and take them with you for your interview. Make sure that you take originals of all the required documents and at least 3 photocopies of all these documents. Check about the visa fees in advance and take that amount with you as well. You need to have a health insurance with you when you go to the embassy, valid for one month. You should inquire about the start date for this insurance when you call for the visa appointment. They will tell you to get it from a date which is around 4 weeks after your visa interview date. This is a mandatory requirement. The embassy has listed the insurance companies that it accepts, on its website. For students whose courses in Germany are taught in German language, you need to provide a German language test certificate e.g. A1. I think they accept only NUML and Goethe Institute certificates. Please check this! Students whose courses are in English, they need to provide TOEFL or IELTS certificates.
   
   
6. Preparing for Visa Interview
   Review carefully and make sure that you have all the documents that are required at the time of interview. The visa officer will review your documents may ask many questions and in some cases in Islamabad, they can be a bit rude to you as well. In particular, a Pakistani lady aged more than 50 with short hair is bound to give you a very tough, and rough time. You do not need to panic at that, just be sure and confident of yourself and everything should be fine. Be a gentleman/lady, do not get confused or irritated and reply to the point.
   
   
   Now, you need some time alone to sit back, relax and think about everything you have done up till now to achieve your goal of higher education. There can be many questions, but you need to have your mind very clear about few things which I describe below. These are typical questions BUT, in my opinion, I would also ask those from you if I was taking your interview. Moreover, I think I would be able to completely judge the depth of your intentions by your response to these questions. Here, "truth" is your best friend. Be very honest, you will be rewarded.
   
   
   i. You should know why you chose Germany for your studies. Yes! After all, the world is a big place, why Germany? You should have a very clear and precise answer for this. And please, do not use answers that other people tell you. Try talking straight from the heart!
   
   
   ii. You may have more than one admission letter but you can apply on the basis of only one of them. When you are deciding this, you should know the reasons of your choice, and why not! If you are a student aspiring for higher education, why do you not know the reason you chose the universities you applied to? You "must" know this. Otherwise, how and why should I believe that you know where you want to go. Think about this with a clear mind with your future in perspective. You can explain about all the universities you considered, how you got to know about them and how you picked the ones which you applied to.
   
   
   iii. My next question would be, why did you choose this particular course to apply to? How does it relate to you and how do you think it will be beneficial for you/your life or career in future? Relate it to your future plans and try to figure this out. This is probably the most important question for you. You cannot provide a satisfactory answer without a goal, without a complete future path in your mind w.r.t. your previous studies and work experience.
   
   
   My observation is: if you are clear about these things in your mind, then you should not have any major issues during the interview and in getting a visa approval.
   
   
7. Miscellaneous
   Please dress up elegantly. It always gives a good impression about your personality. Do not overdo it and do not be in rags, just keep it in the middle. Being on time is also a must. Your body language also reveals a lot about you, so just be calm and yourself, no fidgeting - Relax! Speak clearly, in an audible voice and with confidence. Anybody listening to you must feel that you know what you are doing and why! It is better to be to the point in your replies.

I hope that I have provided a good starting point for everybody to prepare for the Visa Application Process. The basic skeleton of this process is bound to stay the same, however, some changes may occur from time to time, as they should. I have highlighted the basic areas for everybody and you will have to dig yourselves for the "specifics". If you cannot do that, you are not welcome here in Germany and you should cancel your plans right here because you won't be able to keep up with everything here - I assure you this. Germans are a very practical nation and they like and respect similar people.

For my Pakistani fellows, here is your big chance to prove that you also belong to a learned and hospitable nation!

Viel Glück!

PS: Any comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. Errors are regretted and corrections encouraged. Feedback increases my motivation. Thanks.