France Eases Visa Norms For Students
From India
How
France is facilitating visa norms and increasing scholarships to attract Indian
students
With the rupee depreciating steadily
and the UK government’s tentative decision to a visa bond of Rs 2.75 lakh
(3,000 pounds) from high risk students who overstay, the scenario for Indian
students aiming to pursue higher studies abroad is fairly discouraging. In this
bleak situation, France has introduced a spate of reforms that primarily ease
visa norms for students hoping to woo more Indians to take up post graduate
courses in French institutes.
The numbers indicate an upward trend: In 2012, 2,600 Indian students opted for higher education in France, a jump of 50 per cent over the past five years. A major motivator for students is the fact that currently there are 700 courses being taught in English, in France.
According to François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, there are currently 500 active memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between institutes in France and India — from faculty and student exchanges to dual degree programmes — and the numbers are sure to increase in the near future. “In 1998, there were only 100 Indian students in France. We have had a steady progress and that trend growing," he said.
Campus France (the governmental agency promoting French higher education) will establish partnerships with various Indian higher education institutions in order to accelerate the procedures for exchanges with French institutions and for their alumni. The French Embassy is currently organising a "France- India job opportunities" network that will bring together the HR heads of the major French companies in India and major Indian ones working in partnership with French companies, as well as international relations heads of the French and Indian higher education institutions.
During his visit to India in February this year, French President, François Hollande made an ambitious announcement to further increase the intake of Indian students in France by 50 per cent over the next five years. It is this objective that intensified measures undertaken to facilitate the issuance of visas for Indian students and also led to the creation of a “France-India” network as well as offering an increased number of scholarships offered by the Embassy of France and its corporate partners.
The over 350 French companies present in India with a total investment of almost $18 billion, account for the generation of 2,40,000 skilled jobs spread all over India. In order to reach out even further to Indian students interested in studying in France, Ambassador Richier has decided to extend the Campus France network to Lucknow and Dehradun in addition to its current 9 offices in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
The French Embassy in India has simplified visa procedures for Indian students wishing to study in France wherein visa applications by Indian faculties and officials will be examined as a matter of priority. In addition, says Richier, "as of July 14th 2013, all Indian citizens who have graduated from a French higher education institution subsequently applying for a tourist or business visa for a trip to France, will be given a visa with a long period of validity – up to five years if the studies in France were at the master or PhD levels."
Moreover, in 2013, the Embassy of France, along Michelin India, will award scholarships for a total of Rs 7.1 crore to 235 meritorious Indian students who wish to pursue their higher education in France. Many of the scholarship holders are students of IIT Delhi, IIT Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Roorkee; IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, among others who have applied to institutes such as Ecole Polytechnique, HEC, Sciences-Po, ESSEC, ESCP, Ecole Centrale. According to a scholarship awarded student who will be pursuing a course in International Development from Sciences-Po, Paris, the two year course turns out to be a lot more cost effective than a one year course at London School of Economics, which is a major consideration when opting for the former institute.
The numbers indicate an upward trend: In 2012, 2,600 Indian students opted for higher education in France, a jump of 50 per cent over the past five years. A major motivator for students is the fact that currently there are 700 courses being taught in English, in France.
According to François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, there are currently 500 active memorandums of understanding (MoUs) between institutes in France and India — from faculty and student exchanges to dual degree programmes — and the numbers are sure to increase in the near future. “In 1998, there were only 100 Indian students in France. We have had a steady progress and that trend growing," he said.
Campus France (the governmental agency promoting French higher education) will establish partnerships with various Indian higher education institutions in order to accelerate the procedures for exchanges with French institutions and for their alumni. The French Embassy is currently organising a "France- India job opportunities" network that will bring together the HR heads of the major French companies in India and major Indian ones working in partnership with French companies, as well as international relations heads of the French and Indian higher education institutions.
During his visit to India in February this year, French President, François Hollande made an ambitious announcement to further increase the intake of Indian students in France by 50 per cent over the next five years. It is this objective that intensified measures undertaken to facilitate the issuance of visas for Indian students and also led to the creation of a “France-India” network as well as offering an increased number of scholarships offered by the Embassy of France and its corporate partners.
The over 350 French companies present in India with a total investment of almost $18 billion, account for the generation of 2,40,000 skilled jobs spread all over India. In order to reach out even further to Indian students interested in studying in France, Ambassador Richier has decided to extend the Campus France network to Lucknow and Dehradun in addition to its current 9 offices in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune.
The French Embassy in India has simplified visa procedures for Indian students wishing to study in France wherein visa applications by Indian faculties and officials will be examined as a matter of priority. In addition, says Richier, "as of July 14th 2013, all Indian citizens who have graduated from a French higher education institution subsequently applying for a tourist or business visa for a trip to France, will be given a visa with a long period of validity – up to five years if the studies in France were at the master or PhD levels."
Moreover, in 2013, the Embassy of France, along Michelin India, will award scholarships for a total of Rs 7.1 crore to 235 meritorious Indian students who wish to pursue their higher education in France. Many of the scholarship holders are students of IIT Delhi, IIT Delhi, Madras, Kharagpur, Roorkee; IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calcutta, among others who have applied to institutes such as Ecole Polytechnique, HEC, Sciences-Po, ESSEC, ESCP, Ecole Centrale. According to a scholarship awarded student who will be pursuing a course in International Development from Sciences-Po, Paris, the two year course turns out to be a lot more cost effective than a one year course at London School of Economics, which is a major consideration when opting for the former institute.
- See more at:
http://www.businessworld.in/news/economy/education/france-eases-visa-norms-for-students-from-india/970921/page-1.html#sthash.Mk6scr9G.dpuf
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