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STUDYING IN FRANCE

France reopens visas to students and researchers from India after three-month suspension

Students and researchers from India can once again apply for visas to France after a three-month suspension of applications due to the pandemic.

Published: 20 July 2021 09:26 CEST
Updated: 23 July 2021 19:37 CEST
France reopens visas to students and researchers from India after three-month suspension
Passengers from red-zone countries register for Covid tests upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport. Photo: Ian LANGSDON / POOL / AFP.

The Local has spoken to many Indian students and researchers stuck in limbo, with jobs or study courses lined up in France but unable to apply for a visa since the suspension began on April 27th.

However on Friday, France’s ambassador to India announce that applications were now open for student, researcher or ‘talent passport’ visas.

The French government has also loosened restrictions on arrivals from red list countries, including Indian, for fully-vaccinated people.

Fully vaccinated travellers no longer have to provide an ‘essential reason’ for travel, although they do still need a negative Covid test and to quarantine on arrival.

At the same time, it was announced that France would begin accepting the Covishield vaccine, the version of the AstraZenica jab which is manufactured in India and widely administered in India and Africa, for travel purposes.

“Some of us may have regrets”

Aviral*, from India, was one of many left in limbo by the suspension of visa applications.

He was due to begin a Phd research programme in Toulouse in May, but was unable to travel, and says the anxiety of not knowing what will happen has taken a toll on his mental health.

“We rejected other opportunities in order to study in France,” he said. “Some of us may have regrets about this choice.”

Those with funded research programmes risk losing out on income.

“Many of us have to support our families, and many of the post-docs even have children and spouses to support so it’s very difficult for us if we’re not being paid because we’re not accepted by the universities unless we go there physically,” said Priyanka, from Mumbai, who is expected in Paris in late August to begin studying for a PhD at Sorbonne university.

A health worker prepares to inject a student with a dose of the Covishield vaccine in Amritsar. Photo: NARINDER NANU / AFP.

“I really do feel that India is being treated unfairly compared to the other European countries,” John*, who is due to move to France from Chennai in August to begin a PhD in geology, told The Local.

“I understand we had a really bad second wave of Covid in April, and it made sense for them to impose a travel ban in India, but right now the situation is much better.”

In India, there are currently 24 confirmed daily cases of Covid per million inhabitants, compared to 117 in France, and 665 in the UK, according to figures from Our World in Data.

France’s traffic light classification system lists red zone countries as areas where the virus is actively circulating and variants are a concern. Since the delta variant first identified in India is now widespread in France, the researchers who shared their concerns with The Local said they thought India was still suffering from bad publicity dating back to the peak of the second wave earlier this year.

“If people from the UK can come, people from India should be able to come,” added Sam*, originally from Kolkata. Sam was able to travel to France in February, before the travel ban, but his wife had to give her notice period before joining him, and is now unable to enter the country.

Above all, those affected want France to acknowledge the importance of education and research. “We are all coming here to work, we aren’t coming to see the Eiffel Tower,” Sam said.

John added: “Research and education should be considered essential travel.”

“In a way, we’ve already lost out,” Savio, from New Delhi, told The Local.

Savio is due to begin his MBA at the INSEAD business school in Fontainebleau in September, but he has already had to miss an intensive language class this summer since he was not allowed to travel.

Pranav is supposed to be joining Savio in Fontainebleau, and he admits to feeling powerless.

“We have been working towards this for years,” he said. “There have been multiple hurdles we’ve already cleared, and to have something stopping us from clearing the last hurdle, and to see that you come from a certain country which is why you don’t qualify, is mind-numbing.”

READ ALSO France to require 24-hour test for UK and some EU countries over delta variant fears

Those studying at INSEAD have already handed over a €15,000 deposit towards their tuition fees, and they already have housing lined up for August, explained Mahika, a student from India. “We didn’t have the option of not taking up housing, because even to apply for the French visa we had to show housing arrangements for at least three months.”

* Names have been changed.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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