What are the steps from admission to visa, in order?

Short answer: Admission, then your qualification papers and Universitaly in parallel, then VFS. Each step has its own waiting time, and the waiting times are what decide whether you make the year.

1. Get an admission, or a conditional admission, from one university. See the bachelor's and master's guides. PhD applicants win a position through a public competition instead (PhD guide).
2. Apostille your certificates on the MOFA MyGov portal. Start early. It depends on another ministry verifying the document first (B14, M18).
3. Start CIMEA, or apply for the Declaration of Value. Sixty working days is about three calendar months (V6).
4. Complete the Universitaly pre enrolment for the one course you will attend, then wait for the university to validate it. Nothing downstream can move until it is validated.
5. Wait for VFS to email you. You do not book your own slot. VFS writes to the email address on your Universitaly account.
6. Attend the appointment with originals and copies, give fingerprints, pay the fee (V25).
7. Wait for the decision, then collect your passport.

The sequencing error that costs people a year

Leaving CIMEA until the pre enrolment is validated. Steps 2, 3 and 4 run alongside each other, not one after another. Start your qualification papers the day you hold your final certificate.

Sources: MUR circular, Embassy notice, 10 June 2026.