My visa is late and term has started. What now?

Short answer: Tell your university today, in writing, and ask what they do for students whose visa is pending. Many have a procedure. None of them can help you if they hear about it in week four.

What I can tell you

• I found no published Italian mechanism for speeding up a study visa decision.
• Late arrival is a university matter rather than a visa matter. Whether you can join late, defer, or keep your place is decided by your university's own rules.
• If you defer, your pre enrolment, your visa application and sometimes your qualification papers may all have to be redone for the new year. Ask before assuming a deferral is simple.

What I do not know

Whether a particular university will hold your place, whether a deferral keeps a scholarship, or whether the embassy treats a second application differently. These vary by university and by case, and I am not going to generalise from one story.

What to do now

Email the international office and your course coordinator today. Say exactly where your application stands. Ask them in writing what your options are. Then ask VFS for the status of your file. Do both on the same day, because the two answers depend on each other.