u/Initial_Beautiful_60

I’ll be in Glasgow from the end of October until November end for a four-week medical elective. I’d love to connect with fellow med students who’ll be around during that time!
It would be great to make some new friends, grab coffee, explore the city, and maybe organise a few outings together. If there are any medical students around who’d be up for meeting, feel free to comment or DM me!
Also, if there are any active medical student group chats I could join, please let me know. Would love to connect with you all! 😊

I’m a final-year MBBS student from India. I was recently refused an Italy Schengen visa for the second time, both times under Reason 12 (reasonable doubts regarding the reliability/authenticity/veracity of supporting documents).
The confusing part is:
Both refusal letters have no additional remarks.
I submitted everything myself (no agent).
All documents were genuine: official Doctors in Italy Fellowship acceptance letter, accommodation confirmation, sponsorship letter from my father, bank statements, insurance, flight booking, etc.
I also disclosed my previous refusal in this application.
I’m struggling to understand what exactly triggered Reason 12.
My questions are:
Has anyone successfully appealed an Italy Reason 12 refusal?
Did the Italian Consulate ever clarify which document they doubted?
Would you recommend appealing through an Italian lawyer or submitting a fresh application after a few months?
If I defer my programme to December, would it be reasonable to apply through France only if France genuinely becomes my main destination, with Italy as a secondary stop?
Any advice or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

I got my Italy Schengen visa after a previous refusal in April (reapplied on 25 May). 🎉
One thing that confused me is that the EES authorised stay checker still shows “Authorised Stay: NOT OK,” even though my visa is valid.
So for anyone stressing over the EES checker—don’t rely on it. It even states that its result should not be interpreted as a decision to grant or refuse entry.
Has anyone else’s EES status stayed like this even after getting their visa?

Applied for an Italy Schengen visa through VFS Bangalore. My application has been processed and dispatched to VFS, but I haven’t received the passport collection message yet.
The EES website still shows “NOT OK.”
Has anyone received an approved Italy visa even though EES showed NOT OK? Or did it change to OK only after collecting your passport?
Looking for recent Italy applicants. Thanks!

Hi everyone,
I applied for an Italy Schengen visa through VFS Bengaluru on 23 May, and my travel date is 17 July.
Today my VFS status changed to:
“Processed application reference number XXXX is in transit from the Bengaluru Operation Center to the Bengaluru Visa Application Center.”
However, I haven’t received the “passport ready for collection” message from VFS yet.
I also checked the EES travel eligibility checker using my Indian passport details, and it shows “Not OK” (sometimes it doesn’t even accept my passport details).
I’ve seen a few Reddit posts where people with a similar dispatch status already had EES showing “OK”, even before collecting their passports, so I’m getting a bit anxious.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
Did your EES show “Not OK” but your visa was still approved?
Did EES change to “OK” only after you received your passport or collection message?
Anyone with a recent Italy VFS Bengaluru application who can share their experience?
I’m just trying to understand whether the EES checker has any real correlation with the visa decision, or if it’s completely unreliable before passport collection.