Applying for Schengen Visa while near I-20 expiration. Would it affect my application?
I am an international student on F-1 Visa in the US. Does the Schengen Visa application require my I-20 to be valid for a minimum of 3 months after the travel end date?
From the consulate website
Alien Residence Card (Green-Card) or residence visa valid in USA with I-20/IAP-66 (except B-1, B-2), those documents must be valid for a minimum of three months from the expiration date of your visa.
It is not clear to me whether the 3-month requirement is only for the F-1 Visa or if it includes I-20 as well. In my case, my F-1 visa would be valid for the 3 months after my Europe travel but my I-20 would not be.
Thank you.
Best Answer
Yes, since it seems that a valid I-20 is needed to re-enter the United States, it forms a part of the travel document that the Schengen Code requires to be valid 3 months after the expected exit from the Schengen Area.
So if your travel itinerary includes a return back to the United States, then the conditions of Article 6 (1)(a)(i) of the Schengen Code must be fulfilled.
The wording of your quote (which I found at a Spanish Consulate site) is slightly different than that of the Visa requirements pdf of the German Missions in the United States, where plus endorsed I-20 is stated and no meantion that the F-1 must be valid for a further 3 months.
The Schengen Code does not deal with the details of what is considered a valid foreign residence permit for reentry into that country.
The Schengen Code does require that the persons travel document must be valid to return after that person's visit plus 3 months (Article 6 (1)(a)(i)).
Based on the Wikipedia I-20 (form) article, a valid I-20 is needed to reenter the United States. So the I-20 will be considered part of the travel document.
Schengen VISA (all stays of up to 90 days)
...
- Original of valid US alien registration card or valid US resident visa (type A, E, F plus endorsed I-20, G, H, I, J plus J1 document, L, O, R) and one copy
Travel and travel signatures
Whenever the student re-enters the United States after traveling, the student must have all of these at the time of arrival at the port of entry:
- A valid passport (valid for at least six more months)
- A valid F or M visa
- A valid I-20 (i.e., an I-20 whose program end date has not yet arrived)
- A travel signature on the I-20 (page 3) from the DSO that is at most one year old (six months in the case of students currently on post-completion Optional Practical Training)
...
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