Posted by Jeff | Jan 9, 2021 | Visas | 95 

Colombia’s student visa is intended for foreigners engaged in an academic program at a school in Colombia. The Colombia student visa is relatively easy to get. And a student visa is a good way to stay longer in Colombia than the six-month tourist visa permits. We provide 2021 updates to the Colombia student visa rules.

To be eligible for a student visa you need to be enrolled in a public or private educational establishment that is recognized by the Colombian government. Most universities in Colombia are approved. In addition, you need to be taking at least 10 hours of classes per week.

The Colombia student visa used to be known as the TP-3 visa. The student visa is typically valid for the time you are enrolled in an approved school. I previously had two TP-3 student visas that were valid for one-year each when I was was taking Spanish classes at Universidad EAFIT in Medellín.

There are now two types of Colombia student visas. The Migrant (M) student visa is intended for those studying a degree program, such as a bachelors degree. And the Visitor (V) student is intended for non-degree programs like studying Spanish.

Coronavirus Visa Impacts

Has the visa process changed in Colombia due to coronavirus?

Yes, the Colombian visa process had changed due to coronavirus and the quarantine in Colombia. Migracion Colombia offices were closed for over five months.

However, Migracion Colombia offices reopened on September 21 with a resumption of services. So, it is now possible to obtain tourist visa extensions and cedulas for foreigners.

On September 21, 2020, Migración Colombia reopened it offices in Colombia and restarted operations for the following services:

• Issuance of the Alien Identification Card Cédula de Extranjería and its duplicate,
• Foreign Registration for both minors and adults,
• Certificates of Migratory Movements,
• Certificate of Migratory Movements and Nationality,
• Safe conduct (Salvoconductos) SC-1 and SC-2,
• Temporary Permits of Stay (PTP) for extensions of stay in the national territory and a category change,
• PEP-FF – this is for Venezuelan citizens.

According to ExpatGroup, the visa agency we partnered with, they have been submitting visa applications online without issues and have been receiving visa approvals since the coronavirus pandemic started.

The visa agency we partnered with has helped many foreigners obtain visas during the pandemic including student visas, retirement visas, marriage visas, investment visas and resident visas.

The new Language School building at Universidad EAFIT in Medellín

Colombian Now Has Two Types of Student Visas

Colombia changed its Colombian visa rules in late 2017. And these new visa rules went into effect on December 15, 2017.

So, a Colombia student visa changed and is known as a Migrant (M) visa of category 9 (an M-9 visa) or as a Visitor (V) visa. Furthermore, if you have an existing TP-3 student visa, it doesn’t change to one of the new types of student visas.

The M student visa is intended for those studying a degree program, like for a bachelors degree. The V student visa is intended for non-degree programs like studying Spanish. The M student visa can be for longer than one year depending on the length of studies.

In addition, with the new M-9 or V student visas you are not permitted to work in Colombia. This is the same as the previous TP-3 student visas. Also, a M-9 visa loses its validity if you leave Colombia for over six months without returning.

The cost for the M-9 student visa is $67 USD. This is higher than the previous TP-3 student visa that cost $55.  So, the visa price has increased somewhat for the new student visa.

Note the Visitor (V) student visa for studying Spanish are some some cases being granted for only for a maximum of six months according to visa agencies we have talked but some may still qualify for a year-visa.

Also, once you have a Visitor (V) visa you reportedly can no longer apply for another visa while in Colombia. To apply for another visa when you have a Visitor student visa you have to go to a foreign consulate in another country.

Applying for a Colombia student visa

How to Apply for a Colombia Student Visa

You can apply for a Colombia student visa online. In addition, you can obtain Colombian visas at Colombian consulates around the world. In the U.S., Colombia has consulates located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Newark, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC.

The Colombian visa process is fairly easy as it’s done online. You can apply for a Colombia visa online here. This application will require scans of all required documents in PDF files plus the photo in jpg format. In addition, a detailed guide for applying online is found here.

After receiving the online visa approval, if doing this in Colombia, you need to travel to Bogotá to get the visa in your passport. Or if at another country you can get the visa put in your passport at a Colombian consulate.

Visas in Colombia are issued at the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores office in Bogotá. This is located at Avenida 19 # 98-03, Torre 100 Building, 3rd Floor. It’s open from 7:30 am until noon.

I successfully obtained three Colombian visas that I applied for my own in the past (including two TP-3 student visas) that were good for a total of five years.

But the biggest challenge with doing a Colombian visa yourself is not benefiting from the experiences of a a visa agency, which has processed hundreds of visas and knows exactly what is needed for each type of visa.

Also, another big benefit of using a visa agency is that they offer services to courier your passport to Bogotá to get the visa put in your passport. So, you can avoid a trip to Bogotá. The cost of a visa service including the service to courier your passport to Bogotá can even be cheaper than the cost of a trip to Bogtoá.

So, for my latest visa received in 2018, a Colombia resident visa, I used a visa agency. And I found the experience painless and now highly recommend using a visa service instead of doing a Colombia visa application yourself. The bottom line is with a visa agency you are less likely to run into problems and you can avoid a trip to Bogotá.

Spanish Schools in Medellín That Offer Student Visas

There are at least three universities normally offering Spanish language programs in Medellín that qualify for a student visa:

1. Universidad EAFIT located in El Poblado,
2. Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB) located in Laureles and
3. Universidad de Medellín in Belén.

Universidad EAFIT reportedly has the largest university Spanish program for foreigners in Medellín and Colombia.

In addition, there are at least two private schools that qualify for a student visa: OLSA International and Elefun. OLSA International is offering both in-person classes and online classes during the pandemic.

Medellin Guru Partnered with OLSA International

Medellin Guru reviewed all the Spanish schools in Medellín and selected OLSA International as our recommended Spanish school partner.

Features of the OLSA Spanish School Partnership

• Ability to obtain a Colombian student visa
• Lower prices for Spanish classes than at Universities
• Only Spanish program in Colombia based on U.S. University Spanish curriculums
• Curriculum emphasizes conversational Spanish, so you learn to speak faster
• Location in Estadio is convenient to two metro stations
• Owner of OLSA is from the U.S and has 25 years of education experience in the U.S.

Take Spanish Classes at OLSA

Documents Required for a Colombia Student Visa

Documents required for student visa are similar to the previous TP-3 student visa:

• Photocopy of the first page of your valid passport where your personal data is displayed.
• Photocopy of the page of your passport with the last stamp of entry or departure of Colombia is located.
• If you’ve had a previous Colombian visa, a photocopy of this visa.
• Certificate of admission or enrollment to studies of elementary school, high school or higher education in undergraduate school authorized in Colombia.
• Photocopy of “certificate of existence and legal representation” from the university.
• Authorization of the parents and designation of the person responsible for the student during his/her stay in Colombia, authenticated by a Colombian notary or consul in the case of minors.
• International health insurance policy certificate showing you have an international health insurance policy. This policy should be valid for at least six months to a year, since the validity time of  your visa is dependent on the validity time of your international health insurance. This health insurance policy should show that it has at least $35,000 USD in coverage for a Visitor student visa and $60,000 USD for a Migrant student visa. We have a separate article that looks at travel insurance that meets this requirement.
• A letter (in Spanish) from the person with economic responsibility for the student guaranteeing the expenses of the student and documents showing economic solvency. If you are the student, the letter should say you will be financially responsible for yourself while in Colombia. To show “economic solvency” you could use a bank “certificate” showing the average balance over the past six months is greater than 10 times the legal minimum wage in Colombia or 9,085,260 pesos ($2,614 at an exchange rate of 3,476 pesos to the USD) in 2021. And this certificate should be notarized and translated. Or you can provide six months of bank statements with no need for translation in my experience. Also, credit card statements which show a sufficient available balance could be used.
• Passport style face photo with a white background, sized at 3 cm width X 4 cm height, maximum size of 300 kb jpg file for online application.

Note that the student visa to study Spanish is now known as a Visitor visa (V visa).

Having an international health insurance policy is a new student visa requirement in 2020 based on the experience of the visa agency we partnered with. Once you have a visa and cedula, you qualify for Colombia’s EPS health insurance, which is believed will be sufficient for renewing a visa.

Using a Visa Agency for a Student Visa

If you are in Colombia and not located in Bogotá and you don’t want to travel, you can use a visa agency to obtain a Colombia student visa. A visa agency can handle the online application. And it will courier your passport to Bogotá to get the visa in your passport.

for more information : https://medellinguru.com/student-visa/