How long does it take to get a French visa?

Nowadays, studying abroad is becoming more and more popular, and more and more students are studying in France. To study in France, you first need to obtain a visa. How long does it take to issue a French visa? Let me take you to see it together.

How long does it take to issue a French study visa?

It takes about seven days to apply for a French study visa, but the whole process takes about 1 month.

Applying for a French long-term study visa requires several procedures, a large number of translated documents, the legendary "three certificates" and two interviews - before the visa interview, there is also a CELA interview. Many students may get confused when they see this complicated procedure. The French study visa time needs to be arranged in an orderly manner, and the whole process only takes about 3 months.

New policy for studying abroad in France

1. Increase in registration fees

Tuition fees for international students in non-EU economic zones will increase by more than ten times. It is expected that starting from the new academic year of 2019, the undergraduate registration fee for students from non-EU countries and regions studying in French public universities will rise to 2,770 euros (approximately RMB 22,075) per year, and the annual registration fee for master's and doctoral students will be 3,770 euros (approximately RMB 22,075). 30044 yuan).

2. Scholarships

The French government will set up 14,000 scholarships for students from developing countries and improve visa policies for international students. For example, we will prioritize the processing of student visas, simplify related procedures, and open a direct online application channel.

3. Simplify student visa procedures

Students no longer need to go to the provincial government to obtain a temporary residence permit after arriving in France. The visa students get is valid for 1 year! With the establishment of one-stop service windows in public universities, students no longer need to go to the Immigration Bureau for physical examinations; with the promotion of multi-year residence permits, students will no longer need to apply for renewal of residence permits every year.

4. New visa policies for French college graduates

Chinese students studying in France can find jobs or start their own businesses in France after graduation. Foreign students who have obtained a vocational bachelor's diploma, a national master's diploma and a doctoral diploma in France, as well as a master of science diploma and a professional master's diploma certified by the French Ecole Supérieure, can obtain a 12-month temporary residence permit after obtaining the diploma.

5. TEF and TCF exams

Before February 2019, TEF and TCF exams could be taken every week or every day; starting from March 2019, they will only be taken 9 times a year. Test opportunities, applicants can only take the pre-visa French test in the sessions open to each center!

6. Short-term projects launched in early 2018

3-6 months have low visa requirements.

7. Simplified college entrance examination scores in 2018

Public universities will continue as usual; college entrance examination scores will be canceled for business and technical subjects.

8. APS visa

Starting from March 2019, with the promulgation and implementation of the law on September 10, 2018, those who have obtained a diploma in France 4 years ago and have since This provision also applies to Chinese students who have left France since then; starting from December 2015, master's degree graduates and doctoral graduates can apply for a five-year multiple-entry visa. Whether traveling to France for tourism or business activities, visa holders can travel to and from France multiple times within the validity period of the visa (5 years).

Common sense about applying for a French study visa

Common sense about applying for a French study visa. The visa process for studying in France is different from that of other countries. The entire visa process involves two departments, one is CELA (French Education Service Center) and the other is VISA-FRANCE. The CELA center stipulates that if the place of residence is different from the application address, a temporary residence permit must be provided.

CELA centers have different regulations in different regions, and the visa interview locations are also different. If your household registration is not in the area where you live, if you want to apply for a visa here, you must prepare and provide a temporary residence permit that has lived here for at least six months.

Students who want to study in France must first register their personal information on the French Education Service Center website, register for the French test, and remit a registration fee of 1,000 yuan to the CELA center to determine the test time. Before the test Print out the admission ticket and bring it with you during the exam.

Next, fill in the pre-visa procedure form. After receiving the admission notice from the school, fill in the remaining information and confirm the form, and at the same time remit the 1,500 yuan evaluation interview registration fee to the CELA Center. Since the CELA Center confirms It takes a long time to remit money, so experts recommend that students remit the assessment interview registration fee to the CELA center when they pay the exam registration fee for the first time.

After waiting for the CELA Center to confirm the remittance, send the materials required for the interview to the CELA Center by mail, and wait for the interview time to be arranged. During the interview, bring the original materials required to the CELA Center for the interview.

After the interview, students will get an evaluation interview certificate and wait for the notification from the CELA center on the CELA personal webpage to determine when to send the required materials for the visa to the VISA-FRANCE visa office (signing).

After the materials are successfully mailed (signing is submitted), wait for the visa date to be determined. On the day of the visa, bring the original required documents and the visa fee of 50 euros to VISA-FRANCE for the visa interview.

After the above procedures are completed, just wait for the visa pick-up notification on CELA’s personal webpage. The entire visa process takes about one month.