THE issue of non-availability of student visa/blocked account appointments on the German embassy website is getting serious. It is an absolute ordeal for students looking to pursue education in Germany to apply for visas as there is a long waitlist, spanning over a period of 12 months or more, for appointment allocation from the time of registration. In my particular case, I secured admission to a master’s programme at a German university about two years ago, but I was unable to attend as I was given an appointment for visa at a date much later than the beginning of my academic semester.

However, as per the requirement for studies in Germany, I created a blocked account with an amount of 11,000 euros to finance my stay there. With the emergence of Covid, the embassies shut their operations, and I was not able to withdraw the money in my blocked account since the process of account closure is also initiated through a letter provided by the embassy.

Post-Covid, I hoped to re-apply for admission at universities, but to my disappointment, the waitlist for visa appointment has not been reduced, leaving me with no option but to try and get my blocked account closed so I can use the money to pursue studies elsewhere.

For more than two months now, I have been trying to book an appointment for this purpose, but to no avail. The message on the website repeatedly says: “No appointments available right now, new appointments will be made available for booking at regular intervals.” Yet, there is no information about any future dates of availability, and this is despite the fact that the German embassy in Islamabad is currently fully operational.

I resorted to sending an email using the official embassy email address to directly communicate my concern to the relevant officials, but have received no reply. Having exhausted all my options, I can only hope that someone at the German embassy will find a reason and the time to pay attention to the case.

Zoya Nazir
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2022