How to submit a student visa application for France?

The official national agency for higher education and international students in France, Campus France, will be used by nationals of a number of nations to apply for a French student visa. Additionally, those students would have been forced to apply to their preferred French universities through the CEF process using Campus France. If you’re unsure whether you need to submit separate applications for your visa and admission, check out this list of nations.

Your responsibility for both the university application and the student visa application will fall on you if your country of origin is not one of those specified in the aforementioned site. You can only apply for your student visa to study in France if you have been accepted into a programme at a French institution.

You must make contact with the French consulate in your place of residence to apply for a visa, and you must deliver the following documents when asked:

• A formal letter of acceptance to a recognised programme at a French university. This should be written on letterhead with your complete contact information, a description of your course of study, and the start and end dates of your course of study.
• Evidence that you have enough money to live in the country. A bank statement, a letter from a guarantor, or a notification of money from a loan, scholarship, or grant can all be used to demonstrate the current need, which is €615 (US$820) each month.
• Evidence of a return flight home. This frequently takes the shape of a ticket or reservation that shows the departure date, but it can also take the form of a handwritten statement of purpose that also includes anticipated departure dates.
• Proof of health insurance, with a minimum limit of €30,000 (US$40,150).
• Evidence of accommodation If you’re living with friends or family, you can demonstrate this by showing a “attestation d’accueil” or a certificate of board and lodging.
• If you are enrolled in a French-language course, documentation proving your language ability.

On arrival in France

The French Office of Immigration and Integration must receive the official form that was provided to you together with your extended stay VLS-TS when you arrive in France (OFII). You can either do this in person or by registered mail if you reside in Paris. You should enclose a copy of your current passport—complete with pages showcasing your identification and the entrance stamp—along with the letter.

You will receive a receipt of confirmation along with any additional instructions necessary once your form and copied passport pages have been received. If you haven’t already had one in your country of origin, you can be given the go-ahead to get a medical exam.

Frequently, this step of the process will be assisted by your place of study. In some circumstances, an agreement between the OFII and the questioned school exists, allowing documents to be submitted to the school rather than the French authorities.

You will always be required to pay a tax of €58 (US$78) to cover administrative expenses.

Using a French student visa while working in France

You can work for pay for 964 hours a year as an international student with a valid residency visa (the VLS-TS serves as such); this translates to around 60% full-time employment. This amount of hours is planned for use from September 1 through August 31. Between September and June, there are (up to) 670 hours of allowable work; from July to August, there are (up to) 300 hours.