Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was invited as the guest of honour during this year’s 14th July parade. During this visit, France and India have announced multiple new initiatives and agreements.
One of the important announcements was the issuance of a 5-year post-study visa for Indian students.
This update was misunderstood by a lot of people, especially the students.
What was announced ?
- A 5-year short-stay Schengen visa for Indian students with a Master’s degree, who have studied at an university in France.
- While submitting a standard tourist or business visa application, the Master’s degree certificate obtained from France must be submitted. There is no separate process for the alumni visa.
- This includes semester exchange programmes too. To be eligible, you should have completed at least one semester in France, provided that you have a Masters degree.
- This multiple entry short-stay visa will allow the visa holder to stay upto 90 days in a 180 consecutive days period.
- So, an Indian alumni can can alternate 3 months in India and 3 months in France, during the visa duration of 5 years.
- Spouse and Children are eligible too.
- You can find more information about the French short-stay schengen visas here on the official govt site and the alumni visa
What was misunderstood ?
- A lot of people misunderstood that the 2 years post-study work or business creation visa, known as APS, has been extended to 5 years.
- Unfortunately, this is a fake news. There were no updates announced about the APS. It will remain as 2 years based on the bilateral agreement signed between India and France, a few years ago.
This article will be updated, based on the official information from the french legal website Legifrance
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Autorisation provisoire de séjour (APS) –> this is not working or not opening
Hello Rakesh,
Sorry, I am not able to understand your comment. For all APS RECE questions, please refer to a detailed guide https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/01/aps-french-job-search-or-business-creation-resident-permit/
Cheers,
Prasanth
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Thank you very much for the article, the links are extremely helpful.
I had a quick question and was hoping you might be able to advise. I currently hold a récépissé for the renewal of my salaried visa. During the validity period, I left France and have been outside the country for approximately 3–4 months. My récépissé is due to expire in February 2026, and I am currently residing in the UK.
Given this situation, do you think I would be eligible for this visa? Additionally, would it be possible to apply before my récépissé expires?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Hello,
Which visa application exactly?. Please try to be specific.
Cheers,
Prasanth
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