Country fiches

In Denmark, measures have been taken to smooth the issuing of visas and residence permits to foreigners, including incoming IVET learners from third countries.

The Danish government has established an International Citizen Service , consisting of four offices in the country and a portal providing one-stop information about moving to, working in and studying in Denmark. From 2022 this service will be provided by the municipalities.

These measures facilitate the delivery of visas and residence permits to IVET learners from third countries, offering help with the paperwork, personal guidance and useful information (1).
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(1) www.icitizen.dk

The law of 7 March 2016 relating to the rights of foreigners in France includes several measures to improve the right of residence and simplify formalities for foreign students, namely (1):
- the creation of a multi-year residence permit until the end of the course of study. This multiannual residence permit, which had already been in effect for master's and doctoral students since 2013, was extended at the beginning of the 2016 academic year to students having completed at least one year of their bachelor's degree;
- the creation of a multiannual "talent passport" residence permit with a maximum duration of 4 years, in particular for researchers, doctoral students and young graduates with a master's degree in paid employment;
- the procedure for the examination of applications for long-stay student visas by French consulates is being speeded up and it is now compulsory to explain the reasons when the visa application is refused;
- the residence certificate requirement for foreign students enrolled in a master's degree has been abolished.

Where apprenticeship is concerned, work permits are granted to any foreigner holding a stay permit in France for the purpose of concluding an apprenticeship contract.
New provisions on the right of residence of students are included in the law of 10 September 2018 on asylum and immigration (2). Students at Master's level or higher wishing to work in France or start a business will be able to benefit from a one-year temporary residence permit mentioning "job search or business creation". As before, the job or business creation project must be related to the training or research carried out. A new feature of the law aimed at promoting "circular mobility" is that it is now possible to apply for this residence permit after leaving the country, within four years of obtaining the diploma.
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(1) https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT00003216…
(2) https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/loi/2018/9/10/INTX1801788L/jo/texte

The measure put in place is a website providing transparent information for the criteria applied when deciding whether a visa should be issued to learners from third countries or not. The website is combined with a personal telephone hotline for personal advice (1).
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(1) https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/

In Latvia, there are in force agreements on the facilitation of the issuance of visas between the European Union and the following third countries: Russian Federation, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Azerbaijan, the North Macedonia and Cape Verde (1). A written request or a confirmation of enrolment from the host education institution, student cards or certificates of the courses to be attended are sufficient documents for justifying the purpose of the journey to the Latvia for students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for educational purposes, including in the framework of exchange programmes, as well as other school-related activities. All categories of visas are issued for them according to the simplified procedure without requiring any other justification, invitation or validation concerning the purpose of the journey.
In addition, fees for processing the visa application are waived for the mentioned target group (2). The relevant regulations (3) stipulate the costs for individuals wishing to obtain visas and residency permits. The regulations determine that categories of persons exempted from payment of the State fee include:
- Students who arrive to study in an accredited Latvian education institution within the framework of an exchange programme and their inviter;
- Students who arrive for a training placement or traineeship at an accredited Latvian education institution or a registered commercial company and the training or traineeship is related to legal relationship of employment;
- Full-time students of an accredited Latvian higher education institution who have been admitted to studies in a master's or doctoral programme and their inviter.
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(1) http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/consular-information/european-community-visa-f…
(2) http://www.mfa.gov.lv/en/consular-information/obtaining-visas/visa-appl…
(3) Cabinet of Ministers “Regulations regarding the state fee for examination of the documents necessary for requesting a visa, residence permit or the status of a long-term resident of the European Union in the Republic of Latvia and the services related thereto” (2017) https://likumi.lv/ta/id/293626

The country has taken actions to smooth the delivery of visas and residency permits to IVET learners from third countries. If a VET student from outside the EU wants to study in the Netherlands for longer than 90 days, the educational institute (VET school) needs to be licensed by the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) as a ‘Referent’. All accredited VET schools are registered, the register is available on the internet. It is for the educational institute to arrange the necessary visa and permits for the student. The ‘Referent’ has the task to monitor and guide the student during their stay in the Netherlands.

Incoming students from non-EU countries who have been accepted to study in Slovenia at any level of education or specialisation, such as professional training, practical training or international student exchange in an appropriate educational institution, receive their residence permit, according to the current Slovenian Foreigners Act. According to Article 44 of this Act, an application for a temporary residence permit for study purposes should receive priority treatment by the competent authorities. In addition, Slovenia has signed bilateral cooperation agreements in the field of education with former Yugoslavia countries, so visas are no longer needed.