content(guide): clarify visa D vs residence permit and residence application routes

Update the Student Welcome Guide residence pages (EN/MK/SI):

- visa-and-residence-explained: clarify that visa D mainly applies to
  study exchanges (e.g. Erasmus, up to one year) and is handled only by
  the embassy, while degree students use the temporary residence permit
  decided by the administrative unit (a permit, not a "visa").
- where-to-apply-for-residence: explain that the embassy only forwards
  the application to the administrative unit (slower, costlier); present
  applying directly at the administrative unit as usually faster and
  cheaper with the same documents; replace vague checklist prompts with
  concrete facts (appointment contact, standard document list, official
  Slovenian translation, certification, criminal-record recency, fees);
  keep the cautious lawful-stay wording and add a warning about leaving
  Slovenia while the application is pending.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

en/student-welcome-guide/visa-and-residence-explained/index.html

@@ -227,7 +227,9 @@
 
                 <h2>Visa D</h2>
 
-                <p>A long-stay visa D is a separate document, generally used for a stay longer than 90 days and up to one year where its conditions are met. It is not automatically the correct or necessary route for every degree student.</p>
+                <p>A long-stay visa D is a separate document, generally used for a stay longer than 90 days and up to one year where its conditions are met. In practice it is mainly relevant for students coming on a study exchange, for example Erasmus, for up to one year. This route is handled only by the Slovenian Embassy in Skopje and cannot be arranged through a Slovenian administrative unit.</p>
+
+                <p>Students enrolled in a full degree programme in Slovenia normally do not use visa D. Their route is the temporary residence permit for study described below, which is decided by the Slovenian administrative unit (upravna enota). Many people loosely call this a &ldquo;visa&rdquo;, but legally it is a residence permit, not a visa.</p>
 
                 <h2>Temporary residence permit for study</h2>
 

en/student-welcome-guide/where-to-apply-for-residence/index.html

@@ -217,29 +217,28 @@
 
                 <h2>Route A: Slovenian Embassy in Skopje</h2>
 
-                <p>This is the more conservative route for a first permit because the process begins before long-term relocation. Before the appointment:</p>
+                <p>You can start the process from Skopje before you move to Slovenia. Keep in mind that the embassy does not decide the residence permit itself: it forwards your application and documents to the competent administrative unit in Slovenia and passes the decision back. Because the paperwork travels both ways by post, this route usually takes longer, and the fee is higher than applying in Slovenia. What to prepare:</p>
 
                 <ul class="guide-checklist">
-                    <li>Confirm the current appointment method.</li>
-                    <li>Request the latest document checklist.</li>
-                    <li>Ask which documents require Slovenian translation.</li>
-                    <li>Ask whether legalisation is required.</li>
-                    <li>Ask how recent the criminal-record certificate must be.</li>
-                    <li>Confirm fee payment.</li>
-                    <li>Prepare originals and copies.</li>
-                    <li>Keep proof of submission.</li>
+                    <li>Appointments are arranged in advance by phone (+389 2 310 3050) or email (consular.skopje@gov.si).</li>
+                    <li>The usual documents are a valid travel document (passport), adequate health insurance, sufficient means of subsistence for your stay in Slovenia, a criminal-record certificate, and a certificate of enrolment or acceptance into a study programme in Slovenia.</li>
+                    <li>All documents must be translated into Slovenian by an official (court-certified) translator.</li>
+                    <li>Documents must be certified (overitev).</li>
+                    <li>The criminal-record certificate must be no older than three months.</li>
+                    <li>The fee at the embassy is 123 EUR (applying at an administrative unit in Slovenia is cheaper, around 70 EUR in total).</li>
+                    <li>Prepare originals and copies, and keep proof of submission.</li>
                 </ul>
 
                 <h2>Route B: Slovenian administrative unit</h2>
 
-                <p>A lawfully staying student may be able to submit the first application in Slovenia under the current general rule. Before choosing this route:</p>
+                <p>If you are already lawfully in Slovenia, for example on a visa-free short stay, you can usually submit your first application directly at the competent administrative unit (upravna enota). This is normally faster and cheaper than going through the embassy, because there is no back-and-forth by post and the fee is lower (around 70 EUR in total). The documents you need are the same as for the embassy route. Before choosing this route:</p>
 
                 <ul class="guide-checklist">
-                    <li>Confirm that your purpose is covered.</li>
-                    <li>Calculate your remaining lawful Schengen days.</li>
-                    <li>Ask whether you receive any document allowing continued stay.</li>
-                    <li>Ask where the decision and card will be delivered.</li>
-                    <li>Check whether leaving Slovenia while the application is pending creates problems.</li>
+                    <li>Confirm that your study purpose is covered.</li>
+                    <li>Keep track of your remaining lawful visa-free days so you apply in good time.</li>
+                    <li>Ask the administrative unit whether, on submitting, you receive a confirmation that lets you stay until the decision. Do not assume it does.</li>
+                    <li>Avoid leaving Slovenia while your application is pending. Returning to North Macedonia and re-entering can cause problems at the border, especially when transiting Croatia.</li>
+                    <li>Ask where the decision and residence card will be delivered.</li>
                 </ul>
 
                 <h2>Which administrative unit?</h2>
@@ -261,8 +260,8 @@
                     <table class="guide-table">
                         <thead><tr><th>Route</th><th>Main advantage</th><th>Main risk to manage</th></tr></thead>
                         <tbody>
-                        <tr><td>Embassy in Skopje before relocation</td><td>The process begins before the long-term move</td><td>Appointment, translations, and processing may require early preparation</td></tr>
-                        <tr><td>Upravna enota while lawfully in Slovenia</td><td>The student can submit locally where the current law permits</td><td>Submission does not automatically mean the lawful short stay is extended until the decision</td></tr>
+                        <tr><td>Embassy in Skopje</td><td>You can start before you move to Slovenia</td><td>Slower, because documents are posted to and from the administrative unit, and more expensive (fee 123 EUR); the embassy only forwards the application</td></tr>
+                        <tr><td>Upravna enota while lawfully in Slovenia</td><td>Usually faster and cheaper (around 70 EUR); you apply directly with the office that decides</td><td>You must already be lawfully in Slovenia; confirm whether submission lets you stay until the decision, and avoid leaving the country while it is pending</td></tr>
                         </tbody>
                     </table>
                 </div>