New Visa Code Training provides tools on different stages of visa process

On 6 November, the launch webinar of the Visa Code Training took place online, hosted at studio of the Swedish Migration Agency in Stockholm. The webinar brought together representatives from the European Commission's department for Migration and Home Affairs, the Swedish Ministry for Migration, the Ministry of Justice, and the Swedish Migration Agency, connecting with over 300 participants from more than 60 countries.

The Visa Code Training is a new training on the visa process available for staff working with visas and other migration processes. During the webinar, participants learned about the training’s features, its development, and access procedures.

Visa Code Training helps to enhance the implementation of the common Visa Policy in an effective, and efficient way. It provides tools to identify and address the common challenges in the field such as visa shopping, as well as abuse and fraud during the visa process. The training is structured into common introduction and six in-depth modules covering the different stages of the visa process, from pre-application to the visa holder’s exit from the Schengen area.

The Visa Code Training is a project co-financed by the European Commission under the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) and developed by the Swedish Migration Agency. The project started in September 2022, and it will run until June 2025. It’s led by Sweden, in partnership with Czechia, Germany, Poland and Spain, with a reference group composed of Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

The training will be distributed through the EU Academy platform, accessible to Member States' consular staff. Staff members will have access to specific modules based on their role, such as Visa Officer or Local Staff. To ensure widespread accessibility, the training material will be translated into 10 languages.

A recording of the launch webinar is available online, and the introduction module of the training can be accessed by anyone. However, the full training is only accessible to authorised staff of EU Member States and Schengen associated countries. Each country has nominated a national contact point to provide access to the training. If you need help identifying your national contact point, you can contact us at HOME-VISA-CODE-TRAININGec [dot] europa [dot] eu (HOME-VISA-CODE-TRAINING[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu).