Study in France Student Visa

How To Get A Student Visa For France 2022

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Thouhedul Islam

05 July 2022

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France is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe that not attract only tourism, but also attract international students from all over the world for quality education in France. France has top-class universities in the global university ranking along with highly qualified teachers and staff. Every year thousands of international students from all over the world come to France for Short Courses, Bachelors's, Masters's, Ph.D., and other degree programs.

France is another country where universities have very low tuition fees not only for French nationals but also worldwide students. France has excellent opportunities for quality education, a European standard lifestyle, and fantastic work. The question is how to obtain France Student Visa to avail all these opportunities. So Do you need a French student visa? or Not.


Do You Need A France Student Visa?

Whether or not you need a student visa for France will depend on whether or not you are an EU citizen. If you are a citizen of the European Union country, or a citizen of the EEA, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein, you do not need a French student visa to study in France. Instead, all you will need only to study legally in France is a valid passport or another valid travel document.

Besides this, If you are also a citizen of another part of the world, you just need to obtain a France student visa to be able to study at different universities in France.


What Type Of French Study Visa Will You Need?

There are several types of a Students Visas are available by the Government of France for International students of the world. Different types of French Student visas will be offered depending upon the duration of education / how long he/she want to study in France. The types of French visas are given below:

Schengen Student Visa (Short-Stay):

If you are planned to study in France for short courses like French Language, short term internship, or any other short term program, that lasts less than three months, and you are very confident that you will no longer spend more in the country, you can apply for the Vis type called "court séjour pour étude", or otherwise known as the "short-stay" or "Schengen Student visa" for France. The Good news is that the Schengen student visa is issued free of charge but cannot be renewed again.

Visa To Sit Entrance Exams:

Another type of visa is the Entrance Exam France visa, which is available for the entrance exams of multiple french universities. If you need to go to France for the admission test of one or more universities, you can apply for a " Sit Entrance Exam Visa" or "visa de court séjour étudiant Concours" application in your home country. If you pass your university entrance exam, you are eligible to apply for renewable of your France Visa, along with a one-year residence permit. For more information, you need to contact the admissions department of the French University, where you want to study your course.

Temporary Long-Stay France Student Visa:

France is also offering a short-term temporary long-stay visa that allows the international applicant to study in France for up to 6 months for any short-term courses. The Temporary long-stay France visa is also know as" de long séjour temporaire pour études". The good news is that you don't need to apply for a French Residence permit separately if you applied for this kind of student visa.

Long Stay France Student Visa:

The students, who planned to study for long term degree program / course in France for their bright career, must need a Long Stay France Student Visa and Residence Permit. The long-stay student visa / long-term student visa is available for those students if their study / education duration is more than 6 months. That type of Extended Stay Student Visa is known as VLT-TS or "visa de long séjour pour études".

We want to share that if you successfully obtain a long-stay France student visa, you don't need to apply separately for a residence permit as This visa acts as a residence permit during the whole duration of your study. As the duration of Bachelors / Undergraduate Degree programs is about 3 years, Masters Degree Program is 2 years as well as Ph.D. degree program is about 4 years in France.

As the mentioned duration of the study, there is no requirement of the French Residence Permit Separately, so you can freely stay and study. If you need further information about long-term stays France visa, you need to contact your French university / institution or embassy in your home country.


How Do Apply For A France Student Visa For Study In France?

Now come to the point, How to Apply for Student Visa for France. We have written a complete article for the international students so they don't need to search anymore to other websites for the France Student Visa application.

France has developed one of the best Online Admission Portal for French higher education institutions in the charge of promoting French education abroad and welcoming foreign students and researchers from all over the world. This Online Admission Portal is named " Campus France ".

There are hundreds of scholarships in France is managed by the Campus France System. International students from different parts of the world can apply for university admission, scholarship programs as well a France Student visa through the system of Campus France, as it is the official national agency of the higher education system of France for International Students.

The students of several countries will need to apply through Campus France for admission to French University by chosen CEF Method, You can check here a list of the countries if you need to apply for both your France Student Visa and entry.

If you do not belong to the above-mentioned list of countries, you have applied for both university admission application as well as French Student Visa application. Once you have admitted to any French Institution degree / short-term program, you are eligible to apply for France student visa. To for Apply your France student visa application, you need to contact the embassy of France or the French Consulate in your home country, and when they requested required documents, you need to provide them as following given below:

  1. The Admission Letter / Acceptance Letter provided by the French Institution. It should be on University headed paper along with full details of official acceptance at a French institution, details of the study program, duration, start and end dates.
  2. You need to provide proof of sufficient funds to live in France. The required amount by France is about €615 (Nearly US$820) per month, you have to have to show at least for one year, through your Bank Statements, Letter of Guarantee, any financial loan, aid, scholarship, or grant that support your studies in France.
  3. You also need to provide Proof of return repatriation, which means after the completion of your study in France, you must back to your home country, in the form of any handwritten letter.
  4. You need to provide a letter that you have purchased Medical Insurance with the minimum coverage of  €30,000 (US$40,150)
  5. You need to provide proof of Letter of accommodation, which means you already have arranged a place for your living in France that can be displayed in the form of student residency permit confirmation or in the form of a board and residence certificate.
  6. Language of Proficiency Certificate, for French Degree Program, provide If you are studying a French language course, proof of proficiency in French.


On Arrival In France, What Things You Need To Complete Study In France?

After arrival in France, you need to complete several tasks before the start of your study. As you arrived in France on Stay VLS-TS extended Visa, you need to send its official form along with a visa to the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII). You can send by registered mail or in person that resides in Paris, France. You also need to send a valid passport copy, include your identity page and entry into France.

Once your required documents (form and passport copy) are received, you will receive a confirmation receipt with the further details of the next step if required. The next step may be the instructions, that you need to obtain the medical examination certificate if you did not receive it in your home country.

The Good News is that your French institution, where did you get admitted, help you in this part of the process. In some cases, different French institutions have an agreement with OFII, to help the international students to submit documents to French University instead of the French authorities. The cost of the Administration about €58 (US$78) to manage these tasks.


About Working In France With A France Student Visa:

France has great opportunities for Internationals students, a student can work in France along with his/her study to bear the educational expenses. France allows the international student to work for 964 hours annually With a valid residence permit. Besides this, France has thousands of opportunities to provide to International students every year to brighten their careers.

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