Chinese Students Complain of Overly Strict Checks When Applying for German Visa

Chinese students have complained that they have to undergo unnecessary stringent checks when applying for a German visa to enter the country for study purposes.

Such concerns were brought following indications that there might be some informal policies aimed at discouraging them, Schengen.News reports.

Data from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) show that of a total number of 220 Chinese students, doctoral candidates, and researchers who were granted scholarships in 2023, four of them had their visas denied, leaving them unable to enter Germany.

Even though there is no official statement by the authorities on this matter yet, some reports have suggested that tightened controls are being imposed on Chinese students applying for visas due to concerns over the illicit outflow of knowledge in fields that are considered to be sensitive.

Waiting Times Are Unnecessarily Long, Chinese Students Say
Concerned with the current situation, a chemistry student at the Humboldt University in Berlin said that Chinese PhD candidates have been subject to unreasonable and overly strict controls when applying for a German visa in the last couple of years.

The student further stressed that the waiting times for a German visa are unnecessarily long. According to the student, in some cases, the waiting period to receive a decision on the visa application exceeds six months, Bloomberg.

On the other hand, the Federal Foreign Office of Germany said that the processing time for each applicant varies as, in some cases, the authorities could need more time to verify certain information. The same stressed that the authorities do not keep track of the processing times.

Another Chinese student pursuing their studies in Germany’s Dresden said that they hope that policies that do not put them at a disadvantage get implemented soon.

As Bloomberg explains, last year, the government of Germany published a paper in which the country outlined its position on universities that work with Chinese students.

The paper called for international cooperation and highlighted that Chinese students are welcome in Germany. However, the paper also raised concerns about technological and research advances being used to benefit China’s military.

Chinese Nationals Filed 2nd Highest Number of German Visa Applications in 2023
Chinese nationals filed a total of 160,479 German Schengen visa applications last year, ranking as the second nationality with the highest number of applications for Germany.

Compared to 2022, the number of German visa applications filed by Chinese nationals in 2023 was ten times higher. In 2022, Chinese nationals filed only 12,917 German visa requests.

The reason why applications increased so much in 2023 is that there no longer were COVID-19 restrictions in place, and Chinese nationals had a pent-up demand for travel to the EU.

Source: https://schengen.news/chinese-students-complain-of-overly-strict-checks-when-applying-for-german-visa/