French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday announced major new initiatives for Indian students studying in France and the Indian alumni, setting a goal of welcoming 30,000 students from India by 2030.
This comes nearly a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France as Chief Guest of Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. During PM Modi's visit, both India and France raised people-to-people ties as one of the three pillars of their strategic partnership, a statement from the French embassy said.
France has also promised to provide comprehensive training in the French language and other academic disciplines through the use of 'international classes', which will enable seamless adaptation of Indian students in the French education system.
Indian students holding a Master's degree or above and have spent at a semester in France will be granted a five-year short-stay Schengen visa. France will also strengthen its Campus France network in India with additional staff and resources for implementation of these initiatives.
"Our teams are working double time to implement the decisions taken by President Macron and Prime minister Modi in Paris to benefit students. France has always been an inclusive and diverse country, eager to share our rich cultural heritage and world-class education opportunities with Indian students. My message for Indian students: France will always be your friend, and we will do everything possible to ensure you have an amazing academic and life experience in our country," said France's Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain.
Meanwhile, the French embassy in India has also announced Choose France Tour 2023 to be held in four major Indian cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Indian students will get an opportunity to interact with representatives of over 40 French higher education institutions.
Additionally, graduates with French qualifications will gain employment in 570 French companies employing more than 400 000 staff in India, the embassy said.
France and India have recently announced an extension of their strategic partnership, outlining a comprehensive roadmap for the next 25 years, until 2047.
On July 13, PM Modi had announced that students pursuing a master's degree in France will now be given a five-year long-term post-study visa. Earlier, the two-year work visa was permitted to Indian students pursuing master's degrees in France.
As per reports, there are around 6,000 Indian students in France in the 2021-22 academic session, of which more than 70 per cent are enrolled in management programmes.
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