This concerns a Russian woman who was admitted to an on-campus Integriertes Design program at a German university of the arts. According to human rights advocates, she is not connected to state structures or military developments, and Molniya called this decision the first known case of applying such reasoning to a student in an arts field.
The documents submitted to the embassy included an admission letter, a bachelor’s degree in design, a school diploma and transcript, a telc C1 certificate, health insurance, a résumé, and a motivation letter. The applicant confirmed financial support with a blocked account holding 11,904 euros, from which she would have had access to 992 euros per month.
According to the decision, the embassy did not proceed to a final check of the other visa requirements, as it had already concluded that grounds for refusal existed. The application was submitted for a national student visa, and German law ties its issuance to the same requirements as a residence permit for full-time study at a public or state-recognized university.
In its decision, the embassy referred to the absence of Ausweisungsinteresse — one of the conditions under § 5 of the Residence Act for foreigners — as well as § 53, which applies when a foreigner’s stay poses a threat to public safety, order, the free democratic order, or other essential interests of Germany. The document also separately states that when applying for student and research visas, it is necessary to ensure that knowledge obtained in Germany cannot be used for purposes that threaten the country’s interests.
At the same time, the published part of the decision does not say which specific circumstances related to the student, her background, or the study program the embassy considered risky. Molniya notes that the wording about the risk of knowledge being used for improper purposes also appears in the German Foreign Ministry’s public guidance for applicants for student and research visas, and in the past such concerns more often affected students in technical fields rather than design.
The refusal was issued amid Germany’s tightening of controls on the entry of Russian citizens. On September 1, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul announced stricter checks after German authorities blamed Russia for an attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport.
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