Good News! France is Re-opening its Doors for Indian Students

Great news is coming in from the French Government, which is all set to welcome international students in the upcoming academic year. In an official statement, the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Internal Affairs announced the reopening of the French territory. The Government also stated that it will lend full support to international students including visa processing. This is a huge relief for Indian students who have been eagerly waiting for the borders to open so that they could leave for pursuing their higher studies in France.

While addressing an audience via a webinar, H.E. Emmanuel Lenain, the Ambassador to India from France said that the situation of coronavirus has improved a lot in France and the Embassy of France will start issuing visas once again. He also said that France is committed to welcoming Indian students and advised students to apply and prepare everything right now so that, once visa processing starts, they can fasten the process and travel to France. The French Government also said that international students will be allowed to enter the French territory, starting 1^st July. Their visa and residence permit applications will be processed on priority.

Students who are going for the September 2020 session must get all their documents verified from Etudes en France. It is a mandatory step for student visa applications. Students can reach out to the Campus France office for more details regarding the effective and timely completion of all documentation, before flying to France. The French Government has assured that as soon as the travel restrictions are lifted, the consular office would resume the visa-issuing process and students would be issued a visa on a priority basis.

The Embassy of France in India will organize region-wise pre-departure virtual sessions for students flying to France for higher education. These sessions will cover all important aspects, such as visa application procedure, accommodation, French language, and administrative procedures to be completed post-arrival in France, etc. It will be a great opportunity for students to clarify their doubts and seek all relevant information since the alumni of different universities will also be attending this session.

The French Embassy, through Campus France and the French Institute of India, will organize a virtual Ph.D. Tour in September this year, spanning a period of 5 days. The virtual tour will encompass sessions on doctoral and post-doctoral programs, visas, and scholarships and will also include alumni meets. The France Tour will be organized in October. The purpose of this tour will be to enable students to gain a deeper insight into the French higher education system. Students will also get to interact with 40-plus public and private universities and learn about any of the 1600 programs taught in English and French. There will also be free one-to-one counseling sessions with the participating institutes.

Let us also look at some of the renowned schools offering extensive assistance to students:-

• Y Schools
• Rennes School of Business
• Kedge Business School
• Neoma
• College de Paris
• Skema Business School
• ESIGELEC
• IESEG
• Toulouse Business School
• Grenoble Business School
• Excelia Group

And last, but not least, France has decided to increase its proportion of scholarships by a staggering amount of Rs. 11 crores this year (a 40% increase). All students will be eligible for the same, irrespective of whether they start their semester studies in India or France.