The consulate wants my passport to issue a visa but I am afraid I will not get it back in time: what to do?

It's pretty standard to have to send your passport to a consulate for a visa. The bad news: consulates are horribly disorganized, inefficient, and slow. The good news: some people know how to work them. I'm not sure if you're in the US, but my company uses PVS International to expedite our visas. My company uses http://www.us.cibt.com/Visas.aspx for the same reasons. They are not cheap, but it should be cheaper than physically flying there yourself.

Oh, regarding option B: I am almost certain that would not work. I live in a city full of embassies. They do not care if you show up. In fact, they have really strict rules about you showing up. For example, the Nigerian embassy only processes visas in person from 9-1 M-R, and they still take 3 days. They are not going to be impressed that you are there, nor will they see that as adding urgency. We had a(n American) contractor try and get a visa at an embassy abroad, and they seemed to take particular delight in making him sit around all day and then come back the next.

Use a service. I've used http://www.traveldocs.com/ in the past and have been pleased each time.

I don't know who the OP is, but I am having a very similar problem and I can't thank this person enough for posting this question. And to all the people who have answered...your responses are infinitely helpful! This is just another example of AskMetaFilter being the best resource one could ever hope for. Seriously, I've been in tears all afternoon, unable to think, as I watch my dream slip away into a tangle of a nightmare. But I think that these expediting services will help me in the event that my Visa application gets rejected a second time and I have to start all over. It's also comforting to know that I'm not the only person on Earth who's ever been in this special snowflake-shaped boat.

Contact them by phone and explain your situation and ask whether they would accommodate you should you take option B and show up in person? If they say they will, the $350 is the least of the potential inconveniences than the potential stress of the other 2 options. Failing that (or they say they won't accommodate you on the spot), try to make a connection with the person on the phone to see if you can get any traction/hope for option C.

Based on my experience I would order the options as follows: 1. Option B: there is a finite cost but there is the certainity that you get it and your passport doesnt lose your sight. This way you can still do A if you had to. 2. Option C: on every occasion when I have tried it things have worked surprisingly well (luck cannot be ruled out though) 3. Option A: immigration authorities can be very pedantic and dont forget that they exist to keep people out of their countries I dont know which country you are going to but I woundnt dare to do Option A with many civilised countries such as the USA/Germany/France/Britain

Option D: Maybe its not common where you are but in the UK there are agencies who - for a fee which depends on the country being applied to and the time available - will take care of all the business of going around to consultates to submit and collect passports for the visa process. is this service available where you are? Based on UK prices it would be much cheaper than the $350 you mention. I used this kind of service myself 2 years ago for a trip to China and would definitely do it again.

First, call that consulate and keep asking until you get the actual person who's going to be doing the visa. Get that person's name. Explain your issue very calmly and clearly to that person. FedEx (or whatever the equivalent is that will get it there first) the passport to that person. Next, you say this is all due to a government-sponsored scholarship -- is the sponsor the government of the country you're going to, or your own government? Because either way, there's gotta be an office somewhere that you can talk to and say, "Hey, that scholarship you guys gave me? It's going to go to waste if you can't get Mr. That Person at the consulate in That City to get this done for me now." And tell Mr. That Person that you're going to do this, just so he knows you're serious and this is something that has to happen.

If at all possible, go directly to the consulate and see if it can be processed on the same day. I would absolutely not try option A - showing up and applying for a visa on arrival - as you're likely to be entering the country under false pretenses. If you're going to study, you need a student visa. If you enter on another visa, you may very well be committing a crime. If you're tossed out of the country because you've not got the right visa (which is completely within their rights), not only is this going to complicate your current situation but it will also complicate future visa applications to many other countries (there's often a question asking if you've ever been denied a visa/entry). This all might sound a little alarmist but immigration rules and restrictions are increasingly strict. It's important to remember that you don't have any right to be any country where you're not a citizen - if you want to go, you need to play by their immigration rules.