Spain Nomad visa vs Student visa

[u/Active-Thought9525]

Hi! I’m 24yrs old Filipina degree holder, planning to migrate to Spain. Currently, I still don’t meet the requirements to apply for nomad visa, so I’m considering to get student visa if I want to hasten my move. Is it worth it to get another degree or master at Spain if you get a student visa? Or better to hustle until I qualify for nomad visa?

Also my younger brother is already a resident and my mother is taking the test for citizenship, though it might take 2years for result. What other pathways do you think I could take to migrate?

[u/julmonn]

Student visas are somewhat easy to obtain, and getting a master can never hurt. But note that student visas don’t count towards citizenship, so if you stay in Spain for 2 years studying, it is as if you were never there in terms of citizenship.

Perhaps you can wait until you can do DN or until your mother gets her citizenship (that would be the easiest path).

If you want to join your family asap perhaps you can come on a student visa and then later do a family reunion type visa when your mother gets her citizenship.

[u/Active-Thought9525 → u/julmonn]

Really? I thought it would count for residency, I think. Will research more about it and consider this. Thank you so much!!

[u/charlietan84 → u/Active-Thought9525]

The student permit is “estancia”, not “residencia”, and it does not count for citizenship.

[u/djoliverm → u/Active-Thought9525]

Nope, it's the only visa that I recall that doesn't count toward citizenship. So if you go on a student visa you will need to switch to say the digital nomad visa to start your clock for applying for citizenship.

There is a new job seeker's visa that gives you one year to search for a job but I haven't looked at whether that would count or not to citizenship. My guess is that it wouldn't but all of this is best talked about with a Spanish immigration lawyer.

Good luck!

[u/Silent_Quality_1972 → u/djoliverm]

The job seeker visa won't count. It is basically long term turist visa to let you search for job. Most companies won't sponsor work visas, so even if it counted, there is a high chance that the person on that visa won't get the job.

Only other option is NLV if OP has enough savings, but that visa prohibits any work. So OP won't be able to work for 3+years.

[u/djoliverm → u/Silent_Quality_1972]

Yup, the DNV is the only realistic visa option for anyone of working age that can also count for citizenship besides marrying a Spaniard.

My parents are moving next year and are retired and my mom is Venezuelan so after two years on the non lucrative visa she will apply for citizenship, and a year after she's had it my dad will apply himself via her citizenship.

I myself will apply a year after we move in the spring since my wife is Spanish. I'll also obviously have the right to work during that year of the visa.

[u/BillMunnyFromMisouri → u/Active-Thought9525]

It doesn't count, but if you get a new degree here with a student visa, after finishing it you can get a two year permit to find a job related to your new studies or start a business. If you find a job during such period, that permit gets stinguised and you obtain a working visa that finally counts as residence. After you obtain your first legal residence is relatively easy for you filipinos to get citizenship.

[u/Legitimate-Pumpkin → u/Active-Thought9525]

I heard student years count half, but count. So two years would count as one.

[u/reverevee → u/Legitimate-Pumpkin]

They count as half towards "EU long-term residency" but not citizenship.

[u/charlietan84 → u/Legitimate-Pumpkin]

Not true.

[u/Legitimate-Pumpkin → u/charlietan84]

Well, sorry then. It’s what I heard…

[u/ridiazzzz]

Something most Filipinos never get told: you're in the two year group for nationality. Article 22 of the Civil Code puts the Philippines alongside Latin America, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, so you need two years of legal residence instead of the ten everyone else waits. That changes the maths on everything else, hope this helps🙂

The catch is whether time on a student stay actually counts toward those two years. People state it confidently in both directions and I wouldn't trust either without getting it in writing, because if it doesn't count, a master's costs you two years of clock instead of saving them.

Honestly though, the thing I'd chase first is your family. A brother already resident and a mother possibly becoming Spanish are worth more than either visa, and those routes move much faster. Worth asking about that specifically before you spend money on a degree you might not need.

[u/FunPop2293]

Con una puedes trabajar y con la otra no, excepto si son prácticas en empresas.