If you didn’t receive an email from IES Abroad last week regarding your Italy study-abroad placement, count yourself lucky as many Rome and Sienna programs have been shortened to 90 days, instead of the usual four months. Many students have been left confused by this abrupt change, as the reasoning behind this move was to avoid the hassle of applying for an Italian visa, due to new requirements by the Italian government.
As of Jan. 11, the Italian government has implemented new biometric requirements for all visas, along with other regulations that significantly increase the complexity and time of the application process. Students now must apply in person at their local consulate, which may prove difficult for some, due to time and distance restrictions. Many students at Villanova live closest to the New York consulate, which is notoriously difficult to apply for a visa from due to delays and disorganization. This leaves their next closest consulate, presumably the one in Philadelphia. If the application process stretches over the summer, students could be forced to make the trek back down to Philadelphia again to fulfill these new requirements, which is inconvenient, expensive and time consuming.
Due to these new biometric regulations, such as fingerprinting, the Italian consulate can also no longer batch process applications, meaning that it will take longer than ever to undergo the visa process for students. In response to these new regulations, many schools have taken the initiative to shorten some of their programs, including IES Abroad and Arcadia Abroad, two very popular program facilitators. This new policy is somewhat understandable, although frustrating. For students who choose to go ahead with the condensed program, they will only be allowed to stay in the Schengen area, consisting of the countries currently in the European Union, for 90 days. Additionally, they are prohibited from travelling anywhere in the Schengen area for 90 days prior to the trip, as well as after.
These new requirements have directly affected my study abroad experience as an upcoming student, as my Rome program is one of those affected by these new regulations. I applied for the WFI Rome Internship program back in February, which allows accepted students to intern at either IFAD, an agency apart of the United Nations, RomeReports, or an agency part of the Vatican in a few select communications fields, while taking a few classes at the IES Abroad campus in Rome. Therefore, when I first received the email, I was confused. My program has the added complication of an internship, and I had no idea what that meant for my ability to study abroad next semester. I also didn’t have any real understanding of the visa application process. Honestly, I thought if I tried to get a visa and was successful, perhaps they would let me continue with my original semester-long course.
I have dual citizenship in the UK (which would have solved all my problems before Brexit), and thought that maybe applying with my British passport would help. (Spoiler alert: it didn’t). Fortunately, after talking with my advisor and other friends in the same boat, I realized that my internship wouldn’t be affected by this change in plans, and so I am still planning to study abroad in Rome this fall.
For others who were sent this email and panicked, don’t worry. Be sure to contact your study abroad advisor for additional information and clarification, but I think there is at least one benefit to this shortened program that may not be initially obvious. We do get a few extra weeks off for our winter break, after all.
