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France may announce easier visa permits during Modi’s Paris visitAs per information available on the website of the Indian Embassy in France, the number of Indian students in France is estimated at 10,000.
Gyanendra Keshri
Last Updated IST
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Representative image showing a visa.</p></div>

Representative image showing a visa.

Credit: iStock Photo

France is likely to announce favourable visa and work related permits to attract Indian students, who have been facing challenges due to US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, and India’s diplomatic strain with Canada, said President of Emlyon Business School
Isabelle Huault.

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“The French government is convinced that attracting Indian students is a good opportunity for France,” Huault told DH in an interaction.

She said the two countries are likely to announce measures during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to France to further strengthen academic
cooperation.

Modi is scheduled to visit France on February 10-11. During his two-day visit, he will co-chair the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit along with French President Emmanuel Macron. Modi is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with Macron and other leaders attending the summit.

“Macron and Modi are friends that facilitate cooperation and collaboration. This is not the case with India and Canada, for example,” Huault said, adding that good relations at the top would help in forging cooperation between Indian and French universities and academic institutions.

She informed that French President Macron has set a target to increase the number of Indian students in France to 30,000 by 2030.

“I believe this target is achievable given the growth of Indian students coming to France over the past year. This needs to be sustained with offering more scholarships and research grants to Indian students, and as more French institutions offer programs in various fields in English language,” she added.

As per information available on the website of the Indian Embassy in France, the number of Indian students in France is estimated at 10,000.

In a bid to strengthen academic cooperation, the two countries in 2018 signed an agreement on mutual recognition of degrees. France has rolled out separate English medium courses for non-French speaking foreign students and relaxed visa-regimes to attract students from other countries including
India.

Huault said non-English speaking countries like France, Germany and Italy offer Indian students an attractive alternative for higher education beyond the big four countries – the US, the UK, Australia and Canada. 

India and France share a strong trade and economic relations. French companies invested $10.76 billion in India between April 2000 and September 2023.

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(Published 29 January 2025, 08:14 IST)