The VU Amsterdam is planning to cancel all exchange to destinations which have not received a yellow or green travel advice by the Dutch goverment. This decision will officially be executed on June 1st for destinations outside of Europe or July 1st for destinations in Europe. All attempts to open dialogue with the executive board (responsible for this decision) or other influential staff has either been ignored, or disregarded through generic responses that do not address the arguments made . It is completely unfounded to unconditionally cancel exchange to all countries with an orange travel advice, because:

1. The travel advice can be based on entry restrictions rather than on the number of COVID-19 cases. The entry restrictions responsible for an orange code are only for people going on a tourist visa, NOT a student visa (meaning the VU is categorizing the student exchange as needless travel, although some destination countries have separate policies for exchange)

2. A destination can actually be categorized as safe by the Dutch government despite an orange travel advice, making the argument that the exchange will be cancelled for the sake of the students' safety invalid  (https://www.government.nl/topics/coronavirus-covid-19/visiting-the-netherlands-from-abroad/eu-list-of-safe-countries)

3. Other universities such as the UvA, HvA, or Tilburg University have managed to find alternatives for the students' sake. For example, letting students go at their own risk, waiting longer for a final decision to be made, or looking at country-specific situations rather than only the assigned travel advice. It is simply not right to patronize the students by taking away their right to make their own decisions about their safety and future. 

4. The vaccination process of the destination country is being disregarded, as well as whether the outgoing student has been vaccinated or not. Furthermore, the VU has decided to call back students who go on exchange if the travel advice changes to orange while abroad (regardless of the reason why). This will result in severe study delay, as the required credits will not be able to be obtained.

For many students, the exchange is an incredibly important milestone in life requiring years of hard work. It is not simply a trip for leisure, but will have a grave impact on our individual development, academic journey, and even global career paths. There are not many opportunities in life that allow you to become part of another culture as a member of the society, having to be completely independent in a foreign country, and having to adjust to an unfamiliar environment. Taking this opportunity away means denying the students' hard work so far and hindering a path they have chosen after careful consideration of their desires for the future. 

We ask for your help and support in form of a simple signature to finally make our voices be heard and change this procedure of the VU so that the exchange may take place. Thank you very much!