Planning to apply for Schengen Visa but F1 Visa is going to expire, help me!!!

[Liyuan Yang]

Hell all,

I am an international student in the University of Illinois. I am planning to apply for the Schengen Visa in the US, but my F1 Visa is going to expire on 25 June, 2015. However, the applicants of Schengen Visa are required to have the visa to be still valid after the last day of my stay in the Schengen area, and my trip in France starts from June 13 until July 5, which means that my F1 Visa will expire when I am in France. So I think that maybe I will not get a Schengen Visa due to my F1 Visa.

But I will fly to France from China where I come from, I do not think that having a valid US visa is that necessary in this situation and I will come back to China after my France trip. I will go back to China in the middle of May, so I am afraid that I may not have enough time to get a Schengen Visa in China, that's why I want to apply for a Schengen Visa in the US.

So I have a couple of questions, and I hope you can help me answer, I am really appreciated!!!

1. Can I renew my F1 visa inside US as an international student (I am from China)?

2. Will French Consulate understand my issues and give me Schengen Visa anyway?

3. If the answers to above two questions are both NO, do you have any ideas what I am supposed to do now?

I am looking forward to your responses. I am really appreciated!!!

[ExperienceIA]

1. No. Try Canada.
2. Not sure what you mean.

[bakstol]

Book your whole trip and during the Schengen visa interview explain to the officer that you will return to China after visiting France. You will need to show him your tickets/reservations to prove you're actually going to China. There should be no reason for them to deny the Schengen visa as long as you're flying out to a country in which you either have a valid visa or don't need a visa for.

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Also, you cannot renew your F1 visa in the US. However you may be able to renew it in another country, France for example. You will need to check the USCIS and ICE websites to ensure that you can renew in France. It is possible that as a citizen of China, they will not let you renew the F1 in France. I recommend filling out your DS-160 application and taking an appointment in the US Embassy of Paris for June now so you can present that at your interview for the Schengen visa. If you cannot renew in France, then schedule the F1 visa interview in China, and show that document at the Schengen visa interview.