France’s parliament has recently passed a revised immigration law that will impact international students and their families planning to live and study in France. While the final approval of the law is pending by the Constitutional Council of France, a lot of changes in the proposed law are worth mentioning.

For International Students

New student visa deposit: A refundable deposit, yet to be declared in amount, will be required to process student visa applications. This deposit will cover “unexpected costs” during the student’s stay in the country. It will be refunded on completion of their study programmes, renewal of their residency permits or upon acquiring a new French residency status. However, the deposit will be forfeited in case the student doesn’t comply with deportation orders.

Increased tuition fees: International students arriving from non-EU nations will have to pay higher tuition fees which will add to the financial liability of studying in France.

Annual study programme verification: International students with multi-year residency permits will be required to provide annual verification of enrollment in a valid and active study programme.

Impact on families

Longer wait for family stay: It will be rather difficult for international students to bring their family members to France. The residency requirement to sponsor family stay has been increased from 18 to 24 months.

Age limit revised for unmarried partners: The minimum age for unmarried people planning to join their partners in France has been increased from 18 years to 21 years.

Points to remember

• This revised law is in sync with a new development in Europe of introducing stricter immigration policies as witnessed in the UK’s fresh ban on international students from bringing their family members along.
• While the law creates new challenges for availing benefits such as housing aid for general immigrants but international students are exempted from the new policy changes. They can continue to receive housing benefits with their student visas.
• The final draft of the law might be different as it will undergo review by the constitutional council, with likely amendments or even deletion of a few clauses from it.
• International students planning to study in France are therefore advised to stay updated on all the changes effected by the constitutional council and seek consultation from official French immigration authorities regarding the newly announced regulations and procedures governing immigration of international students.