As of July, Lithuania has changed the procedure for non-EU nationals wishing to study in the country. Instead of one-year visas, prospective students have to apply for residence permits. Universities warn this means longer waiting periods and less accessibility.
Sankalp Sandeep, a student from India, is planning to come to Lithuania to study computer engineering. He says getting all the paperwork done to be able to come to the country was easy enough.
“It was very simple in terms of what to do. I got my temporary residence permit within 55 days,” says Sandeep.
However, the process is not that simple for everyone. Since July, a change in the procedure means that foreign students are no longer issued national visas for one year, but have to apply for a two-year temporary residence permit.
According to higher education institutions, the wait is longer and both universities and students need to submit more documents.
“Students have to submit a certificate that they don’t have criminal convictions and in some countries it can take up to a month or even two to obtain this certificate,” says Dovilė Jodenytė, director of the Centre for International Studies at Vilnius Tech. “For them people, the change in the procedure has taken away another two months of time they could spend on preparing for their studies.”
Higher education institutions say because of the more complicated examination process, some students will be delayed and won’t arrive until November, two months into the academic year. Others may have to postpone their studies altogether.
According to the Conference of University Rectors, the government should have given more time for universities to prepare. Meanwhile, the Migration Department stresses that universities were notified of the changes in spring and application processing time has been cut three times since last year.
“This is the middle of the admissions process, the peak, and the change of rules – it takes extra effort to manage it,” says Alvidas Šarlauskas, chairman of the Conference of University Rectors for international relations.
The Migration Department says that it had invited the public – including universities – to make suggestions before the new rules were adopted. “Universities could have submitted proposals to postpone the entry into force date,” says Lucija Voišnis, deputy director of the Migration Department.
The universities also point out that, in some countries, prospective students simply cannot collect or submit all the required documents.
“The continent of Africa, where the network is limited to one or two places where you can submit your documents, and I think it’s the South African Republic. A student who wants to get a temporary residence permit has to physically travel across the entire continent,” says Šarlauskas.
Voišnis, of the Migration Department, says the network may need to be optimised.
“In some places, there may be a lack of external service points, somewhere else they may not be needed. This is the year to analyse everything, to evaluate everything, and then different decisions will be taken,” she says.
The Migration Department estimates that the number of international students from outside the EU in Lithuania is increasing every year. In the first six months of this year, the agency has received more than 2,000 applications.
National visas will continue to be issued to those coming under exchange programmes, the Department stresses.
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