Legally, it’s not possible to go to other European countries on a working visa if you are on a study visa in Cyprus.
Today in this article we are going to discuss why is it so hard to get a work visa to other European countries from Cyprus for international students.
When you come to Cyprus as a student, your visa status is a “Study Visa”. If you wish to go to another European country on a working visa, then you would have to change your visa status.
Heck, even changing a student visa to a work visa for Cyprus is also not possible. You would have to return back to your country and come to Cyprus with a “Work Visa”.
I also used to think it would be easier to go to Poland or Portugal or any other European country on a working visa from Cyprus, but I was wrong.
There were people who told me it’s impossible but I still wanted to try.
Related article: Cyprus Student Visa: A Detailed Guide (Everything You Need To Know)
Let me tell you a story.
I applied for one of the companies in Poland for a working visa and waited for 3 months to get a work permit.
After I received the work permit, I took an interview date from the Polish Embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus.
I prepared all the required documents such as medical insurance, flight ticket, travel itinerary, pink card, and so on.
On the day of my interview, I went to the embassy.
I presented my documents to the receptionist. I was told to wait for few minutes until they did a proper check-up of my documents.
After a while, I was called into a room. The Ambassador was there.
Here is the conversation that happened between me and him.
Ambassador: Hello Mr. Ashish, how are you?
Me: I am fine sir. Thank you for asking. How are you?
Ambassador: I am fine too. Could you please take out your mask so that I can see your face properly?
Me: Sure, why not. (I took out the mask, he checked my face with my passport photo and I wore the mask again.)
Ambassador: Thank you. I checked all your documents. They are legit and sufficient for you to get a visa, but unfortunately, we can’t issue you a work visa from here to Poland.
Well, I was shocked. I waited for 3 months to get the work permit. It took me around a week to prepare the documents and 15 days to get the interview date. For a while, I couldn’t speak. I became nervous.
Me: Sorry, sir. I don’t understand. How come all my documents are genuine but I can’t get a visa?
Ambassador: I didn’t say you can’t get a visa, I said we can’t issue you a visa from here.
Me: I am totally confused right now sir. Could you please explain me in detail?
Ambassador: You are an international student in Cyprus now, so your visa status is a “Study Visa”. When you finish your study, you are supposed to go back to your country.
According to your work permit from the company in Poland, you will get a visa for 2 years. After two years, you are supposed to return back to the place you applied for the visa from. So, where will you go after two years?
Will you come to Cyprus? You can’t do that because you won’t have a visa to return back to Cyprus. You would have to go back to your country Nepal. So as per the rule, the visa should be issued from Nepal, not from Cyprus.
Also, in Nepal, there is no Polish Embassy. You would have to go to Delhi, India to give the interview. And if you are selected, they will issue you a visa, not us.
Me: But there are so many international students who have gone to other European countries from Cyprus. How did they go?
Ambassador: No, they haven’t. Legally, no ambassador has the right to issue such a visa for international students. If someone has gone, they have gone from the illegal ways.
Agents are fooling innocent students. They take the money in the name of document preparation and make different excuses afterward. One should never trust such fake agents.
You can apply for a tourist visa or a visit visa. But a working visa, it’s not possible.
Sorry Mr. Ashish, if you wish to go to Poland on a working visa, you would have to go back to your country and apply from there. We can’t issue you a visa from here, even though all your documents are genuine.
Me: Thank you, sir. I have a better understanding of this concept now. Have a good day.
At this point, I was happy as well as sad. Happy, because I could return back to Nepal and still apply for Poland. Sad, because I wasted almost 4 months on the processing.
Here are the key points you need to understand from the conversation above:
- It takes at least 3 months to get a work permit. No company can provide it to you within 1 or 2 weeks.
- You can’t get a work visa from Cyprus to other European countries if you are a student in Cyprus.
- Visa can only be issued from your country or the neighboring country if no embassy is present in your country.
- Visit visa is possible. But it still needs a lot of documentation and a proper travel record.
Conclusion
So, what did we learn today from this article? It is possible to get a work permit but it’s impossible to get a work visa from Cyprus.
Next time, when some agent tries to sell you bullshit services and tell you they can get you a work visa, just copy this article and slap it in their face.
Don’t get fooled.
If you are already in Cyprus, I suggest you read the following articles to make your life better in Cyprus.
Can You Stay In Cyprus After The Study?
How to find a room or a flat in Cyprus?
How to make a Police Report in Cyprus?
If you are planning on coming to Cyprus, I suggest you read all the following articles one by one to have a better understanding of Cyprus.
Things you should understand before even thinking of applying for a Cyprus student visa
Pros and Cons of studying in Cyprus
How can you apply for a Cyprus student visa on your own?
How much is the actual college fee in Cyprus?
