France! The most favourite study destination nowadays for most of the students. Depending on your purpose i.e. whether you are going for a visit, for pursuing higher education or for work, there are 3 types of visas i.e. Schengen Student Visa, Visa to sit in Placement test and Long Stay Visa. Let us discuss each of them in detail with Study in France Visa requirements.
Schengen visa France
It is also known as temporary Student Visa in France. If you want to go for a maximum of 3 months, then you will have to take this visa i.e. students taking courses of less than 3 months. They are not renewable visas. Before you apply for a Schengen visa France, keep in mind that they are not renewable visas
Student Visa in France to sit in Placement Test
If you need to go to France with a particular ultimate objective to sit in any college’s entrance exams then you can go for this type of visa. In case if you are selected then you can apply for a 1-year residence permit and it is renewable.
Temporary Long Stay Visa France:
For the courses that have a duration of more than three months and less than six months, the candidate will have to apply for the Temporary Long Stay Visa (visa de long séjour temporaire pour études). There will not be a separate residence permit with this visa. The Temporary Long Stay Student Visa in France is non-renewable.
Long Stay Visa France
Okay, so this is the longest stay visa. If you want to go for more than 6 months you can apply for this kind of visa. It includes Residency permit as well as the study period.
You might have come across this word “Campus France”. Campus France is an organization that helps students who want to go to France. It works under the observation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It also helps French students who want to go to other countries for pursuing higher education. It is basically a stepping stone where each and every student has to undergo a certain process like that of registering, taking interview date in return campus France provides details about Scholarships in France information, Application procedure, providing details about various colleges, Interview Procedure etc.
Documents Required for Student Visa in France
- You have to fill the France Visa Application form after downloading it from Campus France website and take a printout of the form.
- 2 photographs must be connected; the photograph ought to be of international ID design – a current entire face catch with a light foundation.
- Passport having at least 2 blank pages which is legitimate for no less than 3 months beyond return date and copies of your past visas are required.
- They also ask for the Xerox of return ticket reservation and travel visa insurance affirmation of least 30,000 € scope inside France and the whole Schengen region
- Health/Medical Insurance of €30,000 minimum
- There is also a requirement of a cover letter expressing the reason for a visit to France and agenda, confirmation of convenience for your stay in France.
- Evidence of your status i.e. marriage certificate, birth certificate etc.
- Proof of adequate money related means for the time to remain. According to the European Commission determines you must be capable of bearing witness to the French Embassy or Consulate having the day by day cash measure of 120€ if you don’t have any proof of your accommodation. And if you have proof of your accommodation then this sum decreases to 65€/day. For more information on that, visit: Cost of Studying in France
France Visa Process: How to Apply for Student Visa?
Based on the country you are from, you will have to apply for the student visa through Campus France. Campus France is an official agency under the French Government which helps students from all over the world with their immigration. With Campus France, they will be applying through “Etudes en France” (studying in France). For More information on Campus France, visit: Campus France
- One will have to make an account with Campus France and book for an appointment. Students will also pay the visa application fees and upload the visa documents.
- The student will have to appear for the Interview at their nearest Campus France. The questions are closely related to your decision to study in France. The most common interview questions are given below.
- Campus France will forward your application to the institute of your choice and French consulate. You will get a revert from them in a given timeline. If the university is not listed in the Campus France, you will have to apply to that university directly.
- Visa interview is taken at the time of Application. Biometrics (photographs and fingerprints) are also required for some countries.
- With VLS-TS (the long-stay student visa), students can apply online on the Campus France for the Residence Permit. These are only valid for one-year and they need to be renewed after that.
For the countries that have Campus France, the students can apply for universities in France through Campus France. For countries other than that, there has to be a separate application for university and student visa in France. Here is how to apply for a student visa in France:
- Sign in and create an account on the official France visa website.
- The next step is to fill out the France Visa application form. The form will ask for details like your home country / is the stay long-term or short-term / what is the purpose of staying in France.
- Based on all this information, the website will tell you if you require a visa for France or not.
- The next step will be for your personal information.
- After filling up your personal details, you will be asked if you have ever stayed in France for more than three months in a row before.
- The next step is to declare how long are you planning to stay in France and your accommodation contact where you will be staying in France.
- After the final step, you will be given a list of documents required to complete your visa process, along with accommodation and fund proofs.
- Application Fees: The France visa fees to be paid: 99 € (8432 INR approx.)
- With printed Application and Required Documents, you have to visit one of the French Consulates in Mumbai, Delhi, Puducherry, Kolkata, or Bengaluru.
- The France visa appointment can be taken at French consulate as early as three months before departure date. To know about Admission Cycles and deadlines to prepare, visit: Intakes in Frnace
France Student Visa Interview Questions
When you apply for a student visa, at VFS Visa Center, one might or might not be asked these questions as a standard procedure. Here are some of the questions that might be asked during the Interview:
- What is your name?
- What is your educational qualification?
- Why do you want to go to France?
- Which institute or school or college you are going to study?
- What course you are going to study?
- Why this school?
- What are the subjects?
- How does it help you with your career?
- How did you find the school name? How did you come to know about the institute?
France Student Visa processing Time:
The normal France Visa processing time for the student’s visa is three weeks. So keep in mind the timelines of application and visa process in France.
France Student Visa Work Permit:
With French Long Stay Student Visa, students are allowed to work for 20 hours a week during their studies. In summer breaks and other semester breaks, the students are allowed to work at full time jobs. Working while studying is one of the most important ways for international students to fund their study abroad. Not only it helps them networking for their future jobs, it also helps them with the tuition fees and living costs when they are going through courses.
