Thousands of UK students left in limbo as Brexit hits visa schemes

Thousands of UK students hoping to spend the year abroad are caught in limbo after facing challenges to complete their language courses or take up internships in the European Union (EU).

While some of the students have deferred their study projects or even have switched continents because of visa delays, hundreds of undergrads, who are taking modern foreign language courses, may miss out on a critical part of their degree.

In the most extreme case, after the Spanish Embassy in London received a large number of applications, the British government asked Spain to establish an expedited visa procedure for British students who wish to study and work there. However, Spanish officials rejected the request for a fast-track process, saying if the students have the right documents, they will avoid hold-ups.

Spain is the most popular destination in Britain for those wanting to study abroad.

Natasha Kerr, a modern languages student at Bristol, has long been waiting to hear about her visa status for Spain, after completing forms and getting the required documents followed by a long wait for an interview at the Spanish consulate in London.

“There was a lot of miscommunication and the university reached out to the consulate but they didn’t get any response and there wasn’t a lot they could do,” Kerr said of her visa process.

“Whether students are granted a visa or not seems at the moment to be somewhat random, with students going on similar placements granted visas, while their friends are not. The extensive waiting lists and difficulties obtaining documents from host departments in Spain is causing significant delays and anxiety for students,” said James Illingworth, a coordinator for the University Council of Modern Languages.

While most of the complaints involve Spain, students have also reported bureaucratic obstacles in applying for visas to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.

Britain’s new plan suggests that UK students take up places in Spain on a tourist visa and then apply for a student visa after arrival. However, a spokeswoman for Spain’s Foreign Ministry hit back at the plan stating that this is impossible as the UK students would need to complete the same visa process as all other non-EU students.

Emma Cayley, chair of the University Council of Modern Languages, said the post-Brexit chaos has led the language departments to pressure the government to negotiate visa waivers for students studying or working in the EU as a mandatory part of their course.

After the UK officially left the EU on January 31, 2020, followed by a transition period that ended on December 31, 2020, there have been several changes to the EU countries’ visa scheme, creating a predicament for UK students.

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