GERMANY is one of the most popular study destinations for Pakistani students, mainly due to its low or no tuition fee and world class education. However, for the last few months, Pakistani students have been facing long and uncertain delays in getting appointments related to visa processing, which is disturbing their plans to proceed to Germany for their studies.

As things stand today, most of such students might not actually reach Germany in time for their classes, and will either have to defer their admissions or cancel them if the university concerned does not provide the option of deferment. In case of cancelling admission, students will have to apply for the next intake all over again, and there is no certainty they will get admission again.

German universities usually send out admission letters to the qualifying students in July or August, and classes start in October. The current waiting for allotment of appointments at German embassy in Islamabad is six months, making it absolutely difficult, if not impossible, for students to join their universities in October.

Students have invested a lot of resources and time for admission and visa processes, including German equivalence for their degrees, clearing language proficiency tests, and accumulating funds, etc. All of this will go in vain based on the current pace of allotment of appointments.

The German embassy needs to help the students waiting for the appointments and issuance of visas, as many students are extremely tense and anxious regarding their future. Pakistan and Germany have been enjoying cordial relations for the last over seven decades, and in the light of this friendship, it is hoped that the German embassy will speed up the issuance of visas and allotment of appointments for study visa.

Name withheld on request
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2022