All University of Wisconsin students traveling to Spain next spring will soon be receiving their visas.

Concluding weeks of tenuous uncertainty, Division of International Studies officials reached an agreement Friday with the Spanish consulate in Chicago to ensure all students will be able to fulfill their semester abroad in Spain this spring.

DIS has scheduled a group appointment to receive visas for all those in need.

"At this time everyone should be able to have their visas processed in time to make it for the start of the program," a relieved DIS Student Services Coordinator Julie Lindsey said. "Today we were able to get an appointment for Nov. 22."

Lindsey added program advisors did have an appointment set for Jan. 14, which was invariably too late. However, the new appointment will provide ample time for students to pursue their semesters in Spain as planned.

Problems arose nearly three weeks ago after students calling to schedule their visa appointments with the Chicago consulate — which serves Midwestern states — were told they could not be fit in until late January or early February, after their semester-in-Spain programs were to start.

Due to a combination of more stringent visa policies enacted as a result of the 2004 Madrid train bombings and a lack of employees, the consulate had filled all of their allotted student visa appointments for the semester.

In efforts to ensure all students signed up for the various international programs to Spain would not be left out of the trip, DIS officials began reaching out to all of their available resources, including the American Embassy in Spain, to agree upon a feasible alternative.

During that time, students such as UW junior Erin Vanden Brook were left unsure of how their spring semesters were to pan out and began preparing for the worst.

"I was sort of freaking out because right now its kind of crunch time with advisors," Vanden Brook said.

In fear of not being able to receive her visa, Vanden Brook said she began inquiring about alternate abroad programs and considered scheduling classes for spring.

"A huge reason of going to Spain was to fulfill credits for my Spanish major," she said, adding she had a feeling DIS would be able to resolve the situation.

Now that the situation has been resolved, Vanden Brook said she feels relieved.

"I guess all my plans don't feel worthless," she said. "I didn't waste two months of my planning, so that's good."

Last Thursday, 16 business students seeking to go abroad to Spain were told the department had found a group appointment for them at the Chicago consulate, yet the future of the remaining students signed on for other programs was still unsure.

Now that all students will be able to go abroad, as long as they file their necessary forms with their program advisors, everyone involved at DIS is "absolutely thrilled," Lindsey said.

"I think we're all very relieved," she said. "I think everyone was hopeful that there would be appointment times like group appointments that would open up."