Has anyone here gotten approved for an extended stay visa?

If the school will assist you, I'd suggest that pursuing a student visa would be an easier approach.

Visa free keeps getting more popular. My first trips (Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Phillipines) required a visa for every country. I think the normal visa then was good for five years and you could visit for any six-month period within that window. Nowadays, if you want to visit longer than the visa waiver time-period, you need to demonstrate your reason for traveling more than you used to. A student visa is relatively easy. A non-student visa is harder, you have to prove that you have the means to survive (and travel home) without additional employment (which would be illegal). Or you can demonstrate that you have approved employment (usually a US govt job or specialized job with a Europe company) lined up.

I am not sure about an extended stay tourist visa. What is (or was back in late 2006) the case for France, Italy and Spain was a long term residency visa - but this may have changed since. We looked into all 3 and Spain seemed the most straightforward, which is what we applied for. We wanted to live there long term so the requirements were OK - but would have been onerous for a 6 months visit. There may be student visas and I think that is the route you should investigate - at least first up. The relevant Embassies in the US should have all relevant info on their website or be able to assist you by phone.

The school you're going to should be able to help you with visas Melissa. Otherwise , the advise already given here is excellent.
Good luck and have a wonderful time!

Student visas are the easiest to go. The schools concerned should know how to help you with the process.

Yes, it sounds as though you will need a student visa/study permit. If you're currently a student here, your home institution will have an office that handles study abroad programs...start there, as they can help you navigate the process. If you're not a student, contact whichever office works with international students at the school(s) you'll be attending. Once you're accepted into the program, you can submit your application for a student visa through immigration/the consulate...application is probably downloadable from website but needs to be mailed with supporting documentation. You'll need a valid passport, of course. You'll need financial records to prove you can cover all expenses and support yourself while studying. Your school should include a letter with total costs and length of program...goes with the visa application. You may need passport photos. You'll need to pay a fee. There is typically a guide/checklist with the visa app so that you don't miss an important piece of information. Once mailed, it should take just several weeks to receive something back from immigration. When you arrive for your studies, you'll probably need to spend a little time with immigration, getting a visa stamp in your passport and an actual paper visa, too. I don't think I've missed anything...that's roughly what to expect. You shouldn't have delays or get called for an interview unless something is missing or the immigration officer finds something weird. I think someone else may have mentioned this, but you won't be able to work without a work permit...totally separate application (although working on campus is sometimes different). Good luck!

I figured the student visa would be the easiest way to go however the courses I am taking are not through traditional universities, rather just small independent programs (Scoula Leonardo). They don't offer visa assistance and so to apply on my own I will have to sign up for the course and pay in full, which I'm not sure I want to do in case I get there and don't like the course after a few weeks. Maybe that's the risk I have to take. I will be able to prove financial independence for the visa application. Why is an extended stay visa harder to get?

"Why is an extended stay visa harder to get?" Why is an extended stay visa for the USA harder to get? Same reason.

I only have personal experience with student visas/study permits...you're not going to be approved unless you have been accepted into a program and the school has produced the paperwork needed to submit with your visa application. So, I really don't think you can just go to, say, France as a tourist (under Schengen) and then just decide later to apply for a school's program, then apply for a study permit...I don't know...you would have to research that part. BTW, you don't really need the school's assistance to apply for a visa...it just makes it easier if they have an office that can assist you/help direct you/help answer questions. Bottom line is that if you want to pursue a study permit, you'll have to sign-up for your program and receive an acceptance letter first. BTW, if you end up leaving the program because you didn't like the courses, I'm not sure your student visa will remain in effect...I'm sure it won't, but you had better check this one out...don't want to be illegal. Maybe an extended stay visa is an option instead...I can't help there...good luck!

Take your acceptance letters to both the French and Italian consulate or embassy in your city. Apply for students visas for both countries. When you arrive in the country you will have to go to the local foreigners police station to get the 'permission to stay'. I have done this for Italy but not for France but I imagine it would be the same or similar.

Start early! Five years ago it took my wife 13 months to get her extended-stay visa for Italy and she already had a job AND a contract arranged. The bureaucracy challenges in Italy especially are challenging (and legendary!). We paid to have multiple documents translated, used a school lawyer, and I went to the Questura and Immigration Center probably 5-6 times in the initial process. And then, because of the terms of my wife's contract we had to renew annually. We started probably 4-5 months into each year as it took months to get appointments. Thankfully, a student visa IS much easier to get! I believe there are only about 10 Italian Consulate Offices in the States and depending on your "zone" you will have to travel. We lived in Georgia and our consulate of record was in Miami... so we had to journey south. I'd look up the locations for the French and Italian consulates closest to you. For Idaho, I think the closest Italian consulate is in San Francisco. On the other end of the spectrum, when we relocated to Denmark... we got a three-year extended visa with work permits (for both of us) in less than 3 hours. And the folks in the Copenhagen immigration office apologized to us profusely for the wait. We just smiled.

I recently applied for a long-stay visa as a visitor to France (i.e. not as a student). I had to make an appointment and bring documentation to the French Consulate in San Francisco, per their list of required documents. The most important things seemed to be:
Proof that I had the money to support me while in France, flights reserved there and back, lodging reserved for the entire time of my stay, also letter promising not to work, and of course my passport. Since I am not staying more than 6 months, it turns out I do not have to apply to OFII (French Immigration) when in France. I had been under the impression that I had to go through OFII for anything over 3 months, but apparently the rules changed some time ago. As soon as I faxed them the documents that I didn't have at the appointment, I got my passport back with the visa. It was easier than I had thought it would be, especially with not having to go through OFII. Best of luck, and have fun!

Thank you all your replies. It sounds like either way I will need to provide some proof of either enrollment in the program or reserved lodging for the entire duration of my stay. Instead of applying for two different visas (France and Italy), does anyone know if I am able to stay in France for a couple months under the Schengen Visa and then move into Italy under a student visa? That way I would only have to apply for one country. I'm not sure if you are allowed to travel as a tourist before or after you visa dates.

Hi! I had a 6 month student visa for Spain last year and was told that if I wanted to stay in the Schengen area longer than that I would have to leave Schengen and re-enter to start the 90 day countdown for a tourist. I did leave (Morrocco) and when I came back, they still looked at my student visa (which had 4 days left) and then just stamped my passport, no problem. When I left to come home 3 weeks later, no one said anything about overstaying my visa or asked how long I had been there or anything.

Good on you Melissa for having your travel requirements correctly in place before you go. Unlike a young university student who does volunteer work with me in the Adelaide Visitor Information Centre on a Friday morning. He was talking about his upcoming trip to the States in July. He will be travelling on a Student Visa. However, he remarked he is only buying a one-way ticket!!! I strongly advised him to go to a travel agent who deals solely with students to check if he will be allowed into the States without a return ticket. I don't like his chances! What do you guys think?

Melissa, You are able to travel before and after your student visa validity period, as long as it does not total to more than 90 days. I had a 120 day student visa for Italy. I entered Italy a few days early, stayed in the Schengen zone using my 90 days after it was up. However, if your intention is to live and study in France for a few months - that may be a little harder. If you are studying there, often times you do need a student visa even if you will be staying for less than 90 days.France may be different, I am not sure. You may need student visas for both. If you will be staying in Italy for more than 3 months, you will need to work with immigration like Ron referred to. In regards to Caitlin's trip to Morocco - I bet it was fun, but it was not necessary. You do not need to leave the Schengen area after your student visa is up, you just need to have more of your 90 days left to cover the travel. (I was interested in this last year and read up on the legal document. After my visa was up, I still traveled to Switzerland and had no problem upon my exit to England.)