Visa interview next month and I was rejected before; Accepted at the Jagiellonian university

Hi,

I was recently accepted at the Jagiellonian university, and I'm supposed to have my visa interview next month at the Polish embassy in Cairo, Egypt. I needed to check on my situation before going in.

Is the fact that I was accepted at a major university and paid 5,000 USD for it enough to prove that I'm not one of those people who want to go to Europe with bad intentions? what kind of questions will I be asked? my visa was rejected before when I applied for a 3-months Polish language course back in January, I wanted to see if I can adapt to the country and culture before I file my application, will the fact that I was rejected before have any effect on my current application?

Please if you have any advice that may help feel free to post it.

Thanks in advance

it seams so, but I don't know rejection statistics. Language course is not the same as studies, so I think you can be optimistic now.

What documents did they ask for?

Did they explain to you why they rejected your previous application? Did you do anything to correct that?

They might ask you to show evidence that you have enough funds to get by during the course of your studies (for example a bank statement). In addition to paying tuition fees, you will need PLN 1,000-2,000 per month to pay for accommodation, food, transportation, clothing etc, depending on your life style. If we take an average of PLN 1,500 per month, this is equal to PLN 18,000 per year, or roughly USD 6,000 per year. This is the minimum amount you should have in your account (in my opinion.)

Thank you all for your answers.

@Polsyr, I can provide financial statements that proves my ability to provide for myself without the need to get a job, so there are no worries regarding that.

Regarding the last time I applied, they provided 2 reasons for rejecting me :

Reason #1: "Your intention to leave the country before the expiry of the visa could not be ascertained."
Reason #2: "the information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable."

Ok...

Reason # 1 is not applicable when you apply for a visa to go study for longer than 3 months, because you are required to apply for a residence permit once you arrive in Poland in this case.

Reason # 2 is more serious. You will need to (minimum) show them the original letter of acceptance from the university.

Did you show them a letter of acceptance last time you applied?

Yes indeed I provided them with the original acceptance letter (mailed all the way from Lodz) and the border agency called them to confirm and make sure that I did pay the 1,200 EUR fee.

Something interesting happened during the interview though, the counselor checked my paper and asked "I see you lived most of your life in Saudi Arabia, don't you think that people who were raised there tend to not be able to fit into the western culture?".. I replied by explaining how open minded I am (I'm an Atheist) and that I won't cause any unwanted religious-oriented issues, but she said "thank you for coming" and the interview ended.

Could that be the reason why? maybe.

It's common knowledge that terrorists come from Saudi Arabia...

Yea, but only an ignorant would think that everyone born in Saudi Arabia must be a terrorist.. and you'd expect someone in that position to be a bit more enlightened.

Again, we can't fully assume that this is the main reason behind the rejection of my application.

It almost certainly wasn't that. But something you said or did did send up some red flags. It might have even been something you DIDN'T say or do.

Basically, they want to be sure of five things: 1) you have enough money to support yourself; 2) you're going to leave when studies end and your visa/ residency permit runs out; 3) the invitation you received from the university is genuine and was applied for and issued with good faith; 4) you're going to stick to the purpose for the visa, which, in your case, is education and nothing else like work or finding a wife, etc.; and 5) you aren't going to cause problems once you're in the country (which is why the official asked you about cultural adaptation).

If they have any reason to doubt any of the five things above, they will err on the side of caution and deny your visa.

If you have money in the bank, great. If you own property or a business back home, even better. A very well thought out and PLAUSIBLE explanation for why would want to study in Poland is necessary, too. Poland is not exactly a popular study destination for well-off foreigners. Whether you think it's fair or not, they are, of course, going to have in the back of their minds the idea that you are trying to get into the EU through Poland for some ulterior motive. And for good reason, as many of your compatriots have been caught doing exactly that. If your story sounds implausible or not completely plausible, they will deny the visa. Be honest, open, and friendly, even if the officials you are dealing with are rude, and you should have no problem.

You can say that you want to study in Eastern Europe, because you're not poor, but not extremely reach, and cost of living in Poland is a lot of cheaper than in Western Europe and Jagielonian Univeristy is the best in the country according to international rankings. Actually it's good for the application that it's Jagiellonian and not any other.

@DominicB

You've raised a few excellent points here, I might have been a bit nervous which might have red-flagged me from the beginning of the interview, but that's who I am and I can't really control my nervousness in these situations.

I understand that many of those who happened to carry the same passport as I do might have taken a few deceptive ways to get into Europe and live the "European dream", but as for me I never thought of it that way, I'm doing well here in my home country and I will definitely have a lower quality life in Poland than the one I have here (due to the fact that I'm a foreigner in a country that isn't known of being the richest in it's continent) but yet I'm willing to handle all of that for the purpose of a high quality affordable degree.

Your reply is greatly appreciated and I did find very helpful, so thanks for that.


That's exactly my case actually, I'm somewhere in the middle between middle and upper class, so I can't really afford paying 15,000 British Pounds per year for a degree in the UK, that's why Poland is the most perfect option I have on the table.

The hardest part would be trying to get that point across to the counselor, since the reputation of my fellow Egyptians is smudged after years of manipulations and deception.

hi im sudesh from srilanka.i was applied to France student visa 9 months ago and unfortunately it was refused.no any rejection stamp in my passport.i got only rejection letter it was in french like below by translate in English

Object, notice of refusal of issue of long-stay visa
Reference file..cmb 2016.76958 received on 8/8/2016.
Sir
You have applied for a long stay to study in France
I hereby inform you that I wish to issue you the requested visa. Moreover, since you do not fall under a category provided for in Article l.211 / 2 of the CESEDA, this refusal is not justified.

You may challenge this decision before the Appeals Board against decisions to refuse visas to enter France, BP83.609.44036 Nantes CEDEX 1, within two months of its notification

I beg you to accept, Sir, the expression of my distinguished sentiments

now i want to apply Poland as a student. and im still scared when i applying to Poland, France rejection will give me bad decision in polland embassy?

No one knows. You have to apply and wait. Prepare to be disappointed.