UPDATE 11/06/21: Email the executive board and your study advisor! For more information, see this update.

UPDATE 03/06/21: The UvA has just sent out an email (both Dutch and English below) in which they state that all students, including international students will have to return to Amsterdam to study next semester, with the only exception being students that cannot come to the Netherlands because of travel restrictions. In this email, they also mention the uncertainty of the situation and that all of this can change. This greatly ignores that there are other difficulties that international students face concerning coming to Amsterdam in the fall semester, many of which we have already mentioned (housing, financial, health, etc.). The UvA's statement that teaching methods may change also shows the uncertainty under which students would return to Amsterdam, uprooting their lives, although there is a chance they have to return to online teaching again. We understand the UvA is following the government's recommendations and do not ask them to not allow on campus teaching at all, but we ask them to allow the alternative of online studying. Because the Dutch government has decided to carry out the strategy of opening everything up, this does not mean the UvA has to blindly follow.

Please keep signing and sharing the petition, and don't forget to confirm your signature!

Follow @uva_onlineoption, an instagram account managed by another student.

As summer starts and the fall of 2021 approaches, many international students remain stuck abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For many, returning to Amsterdam presents an important amount of issues, which is why having the possibility to choose between online and on campus education this September is something we deem indispensable for those in need. If you as a student feel concerned by any of the following issues for this upcoming fall semester (2021/2022), or would like to show support to those in need we would like to invite you to sign this petition. This would show the UvA that coming to Amsterdam in September would be impossible for many and urge the UvA to allow those stuck abroad and affected by the pandemic to pursue their education from a distance (online) while allowing those in Amsterdam to attend their courses on campus (2021-2022).

The uncertainty that presents itself for many international student this upcoming fall is something we must acknowledge and take seriously. We therefore created a list of concerns to showcase the most prominent issues that will be affecting international students:

- Financial: if you have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and are now unable to pay tuition fees as well as the high cost of living in Amsterdam like you previously did (this is valid for students whose parents have been affected by the pandemic as well as the students that pay for their own tuition fees).
- Housing: if you have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and/or are unable to afford or find housing this upcoming fall (this is also valid for those abroad who are unable to find housing due to the fact that they cannot physically be in Amsterdam). There is currently more than 40 000 places too little in the Netherlands for students to live (source) of housing in the whole country, and in the most recent report on student housing, Amsterdam has again been named as one of the cities with the most difficult housing situations for students. This does not even take into account the extra difficulties that international, non-dutch students face when looking for housing.
- Transportation: if you have been financially impacted by COVID-19 and are unable to afford transportation (flights, trains, and more).
- Visa: if you are unable to attend the UvA due to VISA restrictions (time, money, inability to visit a consulate due to COVID-19 and uncertainty due to the ever changing nature of COVID-19).
- Temporary stay in Amsterdam: if are unable to afford and/or find housing for just one semester due to the fact that you are planning on not living in Amsterdam in the second semester because you will have finished your studies or study/do an internship abroad.
- (uncertainty around) COVID-19 restrictions: if you are unable to enter the Netherlands from your current country of residence or if you are unable to enter your current country of residence from the Netherlands and it would be impossible or too high of a risk to go to the Netherlands with the chance of being stuck in Amsterdam (again).

If you have been, are, or will be impacted by any of these issues please share and sign this petition, to help international students to continue their studies during the next semester in a safe and (mentally and financially) responsible way.
Thank you, and please share this petition with others!

ENGLISH EXCERPT FROM THE EMAIL, see the full email here
On campus
The UvA’s focus is on a return to on-campus education and being able to meet each other. That means that from September on, lectures will once again require you to be present in Amsterdam. The normal attendance requirements will be in effect. This also applies to foreign students. Only in special cases, e.g. for foreign students who are unable to attend due to international travel restrictions, may programmes explore additional solutions to enable students to receive education.

DUTCH EXCERPT FROM THE EMAIL, see the full email here
Op de campus 
Het uitgangspunt voor de UvA is terug naar onderwijs op de campus en elkaar ontmoeten. Dat betekent ook dat je vanaf september weer in Amsterdam moet zijn om colleges te kunnen volgen. De normale aanwezigheidsplicht zal gelden, ook voor buitenlandse studenten. Alleen in bijzondere gevallen zoals buitenlandse studenten die vanwege reisbeperkingen niet naar Amsterdam mogen komen, kunnen opleidingen zoeken naar extra mogelijkheden om hen toch onderwijs te laten volgen.