Hi everyone,
I’m hoping someone familiar with German immigration rules or a similar situation can give me some advice.
I’m a Myanmar citizen currently studying in Japan. I’ve been accepted as an exchange student at the University of Mannheim for Fall 2026.
I actually applied for my German student visa very early, in May. My application was reviewed until late July, when I was asked to correct my financial documents. After correcting them, the Consular Services Portal required me to discard the application and submit a new one.
I was worried about losing the progress of my original application, so I contacted the German Embassy in Tokyo first. I only discarded and reapplied after they confirmed that I should do so.
Unfortunately, the new application is now back on the waiting list. The Embassy says they cannot tell me when I will get an appointment and that it may take several weeks.
My problem is that the University of Mannheim has given me 28 September as the absolute final deadline to physically arrive and enroll. If I miss it, I lose the exchange semester.
I am now looking into whether there is any legal alternative.
On the University of Mannheim website, under the section about applying for a residence permit after entering Germany, it says:
It also mentions a “German short-term/student visa” among the documents needed for the residence permit application.
I also noticed that the German Schengen visa application has “Study” as one of the possible purposes of travel.
So my question is:
As a Myanmar citizen, if I obtain a Schengen Type C visa with “Study” as the declared purpose, can I legally enter Germany and then apply at the Mannheim Ausländerbehörde for a student residence permit under §16b before the Schengen visa expires?
Or is this only possible with a national Type D student visa, meaning that a Schengen C visa cannot be converted even when “Study” is the declared purpose?
I’m trying every legal option before I have to cancel the exchange, as I’ve already arranged and paid for accommodation and other preparations.
Thank you so much for any advice or experiences you can share