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Visiting Students Attending Fall or Spring Semesters | JCU Rome
Immigration Services
Visiting Students Attending Fall or Spring Semesters | JCU Rome

Visiting Students Attending Fall or Spring Semesters

STUDENTS WHO HOLD A EUROPEAN PASSPORT

If you are an Italian or a European Union country citizen, you need to upload a copy of your passport and of a health insurance valid in Italy on the Student Portal. Please visit the JCU Health and Wellbeing page for information regarding the recommended coverage plan.

STUDENTS WHO HOLD A NON-EUROPEAN PASSPORT

Non-European citizens have various steps to complete in order to be able to study and reside in Italy legally. Complying with Italian laws is essential to studying at John Cabot and our staff is committed to assisting our students in the process.

All non-European Union students must apply for a study visa to legally enter Italy. Once you are accepted at JCU, the Admissions Office will provide the information and documents you need to apply for a visa.

If you need to apply for a visa, you must request it at the Italian Consulate with jurisdiction over your home state or city before you come to Italy. It is your responsibility to start the process, so make sure you do it as soon as possible, as the visa may take up to two months or longer to obtain.

After you have obtained your visa, you will need to upload a copy on the Student Portal and check the Immigration Guidelines to know the exact steps you need to follow.

Based on the length of your study visa, you will have to request either a Declaration of presence (if your visa valid for less than 150 days) or a Permit to Stay (if your visa is valid for more than 150 days). These steps are mandatory, as they allow you to legally study and live in Italy.

DECLARATION OF PRESENCE REQUEST PROCESS

1. Upload a scanned copy of:

  • Your original passport.
  • Your study visa page.
  • A health insurance valid in Italy: please visit the JCU Health and Wellbeing page for information regarding the recommended coverage plan.

2. Fill out the Declaration of presence during Orientation. The Immigration Services Office Staff will take the document to the local police station to be approved and will inform you when it is ready to be picked up from our office.

3. Pay the Declaration of Presence request fee through the JCU online payment system.

NOTE: should you decide to register for an additional semester at JCU, you will need to obtain a new study visa. Please make sure to inform both the Admissions and Immigration offices.

PERMIT TO STAY REQUEST PROCESS

PRE-ARRIVAL STEPS THROUGH THE STUDENT PORTAL
You will need to start your Permit to Stay request through the Student Portal by following these steps:

1. Upload a scanned copy of:

  • Your original passport;
  • A health insurance valid in Italy: please visit the JCU Health and Wellbeing page for information regarding the recommended coverage plan;
  • Your study visa;
  • Proof of financial support (you can submit the same document you used to obtain your visa).

2. Pay the Permit to Stay request fee through the JCU online payment system.

3. Register at the link provided on the Student Portal to start your Permit to Stay application.

ORIENTATION STEP
BRING YOUR PASSPORT! During your scheduled Immigration step at Orientation, the Immigration Services Office staff will accompany you to the local Post Office, where you will be issued your Permit to Stay receipt and fingerprinting appointment letter.

The Permit to Stay receipt is the legal proof that you have applied for a Permit to Stay: it is crucial that you keep it in good conditions, and that you take note of the day of your appointment. 

FINGERPRINTING APPOINTMENT
The fingerprinting appointment is held at the Central Immigration Police Station (Questura Centrale) in via Teofilo Patini 1. The appointment is automatically scheduled at the time of the Post Office appointment. It is mandatory to attend and cannot be rescheduled. Missing the appointment will result in a €250 fee and will jeopardize your Permit to Stay application.

The Immigration Services Office staff will accompany you on the date of your appointment. We will send you all information via email about 2 weeks in advance: remember that you are responsible for checking your email regularly.

In order to complete the appointment successfully, you will need to have with you:

  • Your original passport;
  • Your original permit to Stay receipt;
  • 2 passport-sized pictures.

REMINDER: Students waiting for their Permit to Stay Card may leave Italy if they are travelling directly to their home country with their Permit to Stay Receipt, or if they have a valid multi entry visa. Students travelling under circumstances other than these do so at their own risk. 

PICKING UP YOUR PERMIT TO STAY CARD

The Permit to Stay card should be ready for pickup 30/40 days after your appointment.  

Once the card is issued, you will receive an email from the Immigration Services staff and be asked to pick up the card at the police station closest to where you live. You must go to the police station in person with your original Passport and original Permit to Stay Receipt. You must provide the Immigration Services Office a copy of both sides of your Permit to Stay card. If you miss this last step, a hold will be placed on your account, and you will be blocked from registering for classes.