WHV / Re-entering same country once visa expires

Ruth (9)...mmm, tried to keep things short so sorry for confusion.
Yes she's enrolled here (AUS) for uni Feb 08 but now is interested in studying in Paris - therefore she'd let her place here go to someone else. Perhaps she could apply for a student visa in the UK but I'd prefer her to come home and do it....my concern = the fact that her passport must be sent in with the visa application to the consulate in Sydney and is returned to our address in Aus. I don't want it posted from anywhere o/s to Aus nor do I want it going in the mail from Aus to Europe. This of course = $$ in airfares!
We are looking into French language schools in Paris at the moment...so if anyone knows of a good one, please let me know

Hello,

I have just returned to Canada from France. I had 2 back to back WHVs. I overstayed my second one by four months, and had no hassle. I even took a short trip during that four months when I was technically illegal elsewhere in Europe, and reentered France. Nobody has ever checked or questioned me. The French are more concerned with people entering France from Hungary, Bulgaria, and Africa, and do not give Canadians any hassle. I assume that this would be the same for Australians - it must - they so rarely check passports when you enter the country and shuffle you out as quickly as possible when you leave. I really wouldn't worry about it.

I'm sure you mean well original superB, but you really ought to think before encouraging people to overstay a visa.

Because you were not caught does NOT mean someone else will be as lucky. Overstaying in Schengen CAN result in being declared a 'persona non grata' in ALL the Schengen countries for up to 7 years. It can also result in fines, being held (therefore missing flights) up and perhaps most importantly, your travel insurance being void. A simple step off the curb in front of a car resulting in a hospital visit could see someone having to pay all their own costs when their insurance company found out they were in the country illegally. NO insurance will cover anyone for anything illegal and being in a country illegally is just that, illegal.

Every year thousands no doubt get away with overstaying but it is not thousands that anyone has to be concerned with, it is only one, themself. Every year some individuals do indeed get in trouble through overstaying a Schengen visa. Can you guarantee the OP that her daughter will not be one of them? I think not.

I re-entered France on a 3 month tourist visa after spending 3 days in Ireland following my WHV expiring. There's no problem. They're completely different visa subclasses.

And it's true - the French Embassy in Australia doesn't deal with visa enquiries. There's an embassy and a consulate general, and the consulate gives only recorded visa information and doesn't respond to emails.

Aussiemum, the best way to get answers out of the consulate general is to fax. Seems unbelievable, I know, but they do respond to faxes.

I really don't think there's any problem on this one.

Another question...kinda along the same lines.....
I have been in france working as an intern at a church as a tourist. I have no official visa, so this is my first 90/180. I am going home to the USA for Christmas and i will have been here for 86 days. Would it be possible to return in January as a student? Would i be able to return at all since i have been here for 3 months already? Does the 90/180 apply still if i had a visa when i returned?

I am not enrolled in a school yet, so i know that this is a far off chance, but i did not even know if it was a possibility.

Thanks for your help, this has been an interesting conversation so far!

internfrance - If you get a student visa before you return to Europe, then you can return any time. If you try to return in a tourist visa, you may have problems. The 90 in a 180 days is only if you do NOT have a visa. It doesn't matter what kind of visa.

Ruth

aussiemom - I am not sure I understand your reluctance to send the passport back to Australia or why it even needs to go back to Australia. Can't she get a student visa in another country? If not, I am pretty sure that visa services and courier services send passports regularly without problems. In fact, in many parts of the world it is absolutely necessary to do this. Certainly people in Alice Springs don't head to Sydney or Canberra every time they want to leave the country and need a visa. Then there are situations like Taiwan and China where there is no consulate. Your visa paperwork gets sent via courier to Hong Kong and then returned to you in Taiwan. Sending your documents via courier is a lot less expensive than flying yourself.

I am curious what you did work out if anything.

Ruth