Hi everyone,

I am an American student currently studying in the UK as part of a multi-site Masters. My next stop is L' Universita' degli Studi di Siena, where I will be studying until June, then hopefully will stay on and find work in Italy. My question relates to my visa application. Am I a temporary resident of the UK since I have a study visa here until 2009? Would apply for my visa at the Italian Embassy here under the UK guidelines or the American ones (which are different). I can't seem to get any answers from the Embassy. If anyone can give me some insight based on a similar experience, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Stacey

Which embassy? American or Italian? And have you tried asking the school where you plan to study? In another post you mentioned completing your masters degree in Italy, so if you are a student in the UK, you might see if they have information.

It's not surprising that you can't get answers from the embassy. Remember that embassy staff report to a completely different ministry than the immigration people you'll deal with once you get to Italy.

Chances are you'll have to go by the rules for US citizens when it comes to moving to Italy. There are lots of inter-EU programs to aid mobility for students, but unless you have EU nationality, they don't apply to you. Residency in an EU country isn't sufficient. (Been there, done that... )

Check out the website for the European Union. They have a number of factsheets (in various languages) for students, workers and other categories of potential immigrants. Just remember to check out the information for non-EU nationals.
Cheers,
Bev