Hey, long story short, my master is a 1-year master and I already renewed my student visa for 1 year only to do my thesis, but for many reasons I haven't been able to finish it and I'll need 4 additional months after my visa expires (so, instead of submitting my thesis in August, I'd submit it in December).

After talking to some immigration lawyers, they have all agreed that the City Hall will not renew my student visa because I already renewed for 1 year, but if I go back to my home country to finish my thesis there, I won't be able to make use of the search year visa here in Belgium because you need to be a Belgian resident to do so, and now I have my whole life in Belgium (I've been living with my boyfriend for around 8 months, we have rented an apt together, I have a job, etc), I already have full-time offer for as soon as I graduate. This means that, if I go back to my country as soon as my current visa expires (Oct 22), I won't be able to come back to Belgium ever again and I'll lose everything I have.

After thinking a lot about it, I have realized that my only option is to enroll in another master (but never going to classes and just fail), that way I'll have another student visa from Oct 22 to Oct 23, which will allow me to stay in Belgium while I finish my thesis from my current master. As soon as I graduate from my current master, I'll make use of my search year visa, I'll keep living with my boyfriend, we'll do legal cohabitation, etc, and everything will go as planned.

However, I only need to find a way to stay legally in Belgium from November 22 to February 23 (4 months) while I finish my thesis and graduate, and from all the research I've done so far, I think enrolling in a second master will be my only option.

Has anyone from a non-EU country enrolled in Belgian studies while haven't finished their current studies? Could I apply as a non-EU national to a Belgian university while currently living in Belgium? Should I issue my new student visa at the Embassy of my country in Belgium? Could the Embassy tell me something like "wait, you are currently a student in Belgium and you haven't graduated yet, therefore you cannot enroll in another master and therefore we cannot issue a new student visa"?

My whole life depends on this.

Thanks!