Did you receive your offer from the IPLME Business School. Are you ready to say "Bonjour" every day? Before you grab your French dictionary and pack your luggage, you need to apply a French student visa. As we all know the visa applying process is a little bit heavy and you need to provide many documents. Here is everything you need to know about French Student Visa.
Which type of French student visa will you need?
French student visas will allow any student that wishes to be enrolled in a French University depending on the course and duration. In France, there are three types of student visas.
Short-stay student visa - for studies shorter than 3 months. This type of visa is mainly for short-term study programs or language courses.
Temporary long-stay visa - for studies that take 3 to 6 months to complete.
Long-stay visa - for studies that take more than 6 months to complete. You need to also apply for a residence permit in order to extend the duration of your stay after this long-stay visa expires (one year). For IPLME's students, you need to apply this visa.
How to apply for the French student visa
You can get your French student visa either at a French consulate in your country or through Campus France who is an institution promoting higher education in France and have a local office in almost all countries. In some countries, you need to register first with Campus France in order to get a student visa, and you need to pass an academic interview with Campus France before submitting your visa application to the French Embassy. Here are some of basic steps you will need to follow to reach the end of your visa application process:
Step 1 (Online registration)- If you will do through Campus France, firstly, you will be required to create an account on their website. Once it is done, you will have to fill out a form which will ask you for your personal and your educational information. After reviewing your documents, you will be given a date for an interview and you need to pay the required amount for the application process.
Step 2 (Interview)- Bring all your required documents ready with you during the interview. You will be most likely asked about your study motivation and your study plan in France and regarding the institution where you got selected.
Step 3 (Online application)- After this interview is done, finish your online application.
Step 4- Go for the scheduled interview with the French Visa Facilitation Services Centre or French Embassy. You will be required to submit your biometric details. Then you just need to be patient to wait for your visa.
Step 5- Once you arrive in France, you need to validate your VISA online within the 3 first months of your arrival in France. Within a month of your arrival in France, you will have to register at the local French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) and have a medical examination to validate your visa. This will make you a legal resident of the country.
French student visa requirements
You need to prepare several documents for a French student visa. Here is a list for your information.
Visa application form
Valid passport and two passport-type photos
Official acceptance letter or enrolment from the French institution you have been accepted in
Proof of funding is required to live in France (around 615 EUR per month)
Proof of accommodation
Medical insurance is required for a student visa in France
Proof of the flight ticket
Proof of fluency in French, if you apply for French-taught degrees (accepted tests are DELF/DALF or TCF). Or Proof of fluency in English, if you apply for English-taught degrees (accepted tests are: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC etc.)
Working and living in France as an international student
As an international student, you can do part-time job and receive some supports from the government and our school IPLME
You can stay in France for 4 to 12 months for your studies
Work for a maximum of 964 hours a year (20h/week)
Benefit from several governmental services (Social security, CAF, VISALE...)
Travel all around the Schengen area freely
What you need to do if your VISA has expired?
If you wish to continue your studies in France, you need to ask for a "Titre de séjour" with "Préfecture" in your host city and start the process a minimum of 2 months before your VISA gets expired. Since the Covid-19, all the students can apply for their "Titre de séjour" online. Here is the official site Étrangers en France .
For IPLME's student, please feel free to contact us if you need any helps or information for applying your "Titre de séjour".
Tel. : +33 (0)1 45 30 02 29 / +33 (0)9 82 38 90 78
Email: info@iplme.org
