A Few Questions for applying (in 2012)

[Alexis]

Hi Everyone,
I've been scouring the internet for info about this program but I still have a couple of questions if anyone doesn't mind helping me out.

1. Is the language requirement formal or is self taught Spanish acceptable. Do they require any particular documentation on this? (I've studied Spanish for years and years formally but my husband has only taken a few courses though we're going to try and get him more up to speed before we - hopefully - go)

2. I read somewhere that you need some sort of medical release. What kind of info are they looking for? What would keep you from getting a visa?

I'm sure I'll have more questions soon so I wanted to set this thread up instead of creating many.

Thanks!

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[sweetest_strawberry]

1. They don't check to see if you have a certain level of Spanish. It's more for figuring things out once you're in Spain; such as talking to landlords, communicating with the teachers at your school, communicating with Spaniards, getting a cell phone, etc. So I recommend that your husband keep working on his Spanish so that he has an easier time once you're in Spain. Especially in smaller towns, it's hard to find Spanish speakers and Spaniards, generally speaking, don't speak English well!

2. You need your doctor to type a letter saying that you're healthy, both mentally and physically. Here's the template that the programme manual recommended that we use.

This health certificate verifies that Mr./Ms ...... is free of drug addiction, mental illness and does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions to public
health according to the specifications of the international sanitary regulation of 2005.
These contagious diseases include, but are not limited to smallpox, poliomyelitis by wild poliovirus, the human influenza caused by a new subtype of virus and the severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS), cholera, pneumonic plague, yellow fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers (e.g.: Ebola, Lassa, Marburg), West Nile Virus and other illnesses of
special importance nationally or regionally (e.g.: Dengue Fever, Rift Valley Fever and meningococcal disease.)
Ms./Mr. ______________ is a very healthy individual in all senses, she/he has no pre-existing medical conditions, and she/he is capable of traveling abroad.

I'm encouraging my roommate to apply to be an auxiliar next year but I also know that she suffers from depression, among a few other problems. But I'm hoping that she'll still be able to get a visa. But I haven't heard of anyone who'd been denied a visa for health concerns. Although when I studied abroad back in 2010, there was this girl on my programme who had many mental health issues (depression, multiple personality disorder, etc.) and she had no problem getting a short-term (under 6 months) visa. But she ended up threatening my friend with whom she went on a trip to Greece with; and my friend got so scared that she felt unsafe and decided to return to Spain after just a few days (and lost $1.000). But that's kind of an irrelevant haha.

Here's another thread that might be relevant to you:
http://www.expatriatecafe.com/forums/index.php/topic,2712.0.html

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[Alexis]

Thanks so much for the quick responses!

I think re: the medical releases I was wondering about the "mental illness" point since both of us had depression in the past though its never impacted anything in our lives (jobs, social interactions, etc). I guess it depends on whether that qualifies you as mentally ill or not. I really hope not!!

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[WindyCity]

The med cert really just depends on what your doctor says.  My doctor was really low key, the appointment only took like 5 min.  So, as long as your doctor thinks you're fine, you'll get a clean bill of health.   

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[Alexis]

Thanks, WindyCity. I won't stress myself about it too much then. I'm sure my doctor would vouche for me which actually brings me to another question. Technically, my "doctor" isn't an MD. He's some type of high level nurse who can write prescriptions and do everything else a doctor does (except maybe not certain controlled substances). It needs to be an actual MD who signs the form though, right?

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[WindyCity]

Check with your consulate, they all appear to have slightly different versions of the rules   
I applied through Chicago and they required an MD signature, and also that the note be within 3 months of the visa app.  My first note was signed by a nurse practitioner at my school's health center so I had to go back and talk to a MD. 

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