Student Visa Extension in France - All Questions Answered Amid Covid - 19

The world has suffered due to the global pandemic and everybody did everything to stay safe. After all, this time being lockdown we have developed a lot of questions and we have been looking for the answers. We at Edugo Abroad believe in providing quality services to students no matter what and even in this situation our team has been working on the top to do so. We understand that there have been a lot of questions such as the ways of visa renewals or about visa extensions for the students who got their visa. To cover all your doubts, I have prepared a blog for you. My name is Shivani Chavda and I'm an Admission Process Executive at Edugo Abroad.

First, let’s focus on Visa Extension:

1. In case of your long-stay visa expiry date is between 16th march 2020 and 15th June 2020

For the student whose long-stay visa is expiring between 16th march 2020 and 15th June 2020, the visa will automatically extend for 6 months from the date of their expiry. A student does not need to do anything. Next what you can do is, you can use the 6 months of period and then renew your visa before the expiry of extension period or you can renew the visa now whenever you can get an appointment at Prefecture (French governing body for a visa extension).

Visa concerned with this Extension are:

• Long stay visa
• Resident Permit of all sorts
• APS - Autorisation provisoire de séjour

If you are currently in France

You are legally authorized to stay in France and continue to get the benefits of your current visa. You should avoid going back to India with this extension and get your visa renewed before leaving.

If you are currently in India

You can return to France with this extension of visa and while you are travelling avoid transit via other countries, try to take the direct flight. You can book an online appointment for visa renewal through the website of a prefecture in your city.

If you are currently in another country

It is highly advisable to return to France immediately for the visa renewal before it expires or else you have to go back to India and apply for a fresh visa. If you are not able to travel due to certain reasons, then contact the French embassy in your country immediately.

2. In case of Short-stay visa

A wherein short-stay visa is not extended automatically but they can be renewed from the city (in France) you stay in. You just have to submit the relevant documents. For a short-stay visa, extensions are provided if the border is closed or no transportation or flight is allowed to your hometown.

Now let’s see how to renew the Visa

3. For Long-stay visa which is expiring after 15th of July 2020:

If you are in France

As mentioned above if you are in France you can renew the visa by making an appointment to the visa office for the available dates. Applications are also accepted by Post so find your nearest post office to submit your applications. You can send your complete file (photocopy of documents) by post on the address of Prefecture in your city.

Ensure that you attach the application form and the required documents according to the situation. Visa renewal and extension cannot be done outside of France. The process can be started 2 months before the expiry of the current visa.

If you are in India

If you are in India and want to return to France, you need a valid visa or receipt and can travel as usual. If you cannot be present at the Prefecture in France on the date of your appointment to receive your "carte de séjour" i.e. your residence permit, then you have to apply for a "visa de retour".

The "visa de retour" is nothing but a long-stay visa which allows an individual who is already a resident in France and temporarily studying or working in India to return to France, due to one of the following situations:

• Loss of your resident permit
• Residence permit has expired for less than 6 months
• Your residence permit will expire soon and you have a valid reason to travel back to France
• You hold a Receipts for requests for a residence permit

According to French immigration regulations, the students who are willing to follow their stay in France must go to the Prefecture of their residence within two months before the expiry of their long stay student visa to get the temporary residence permit. If the visa expires before you return to France, then you can apply for a visa renewal at your nearest VFS. In this case the campus France process is not required again, you can apply for the visa with the previous NOC. Please note that this exception is only for the current situation and not for the regular visa process.

You have to book the appointment at the nearest VFS and submit the documents as mentioned below.

• NOC from Campus France – due to the current situation previous year NOC would work.
• Cover letter mentioning about your study in France and your reason for reapplying for visa renewal.
• Long-stay visa application form (filled online on VFS website)
• Original Passport (valid for the entire duration of the course)
• Resume
• All-Academic documents
• Any English Language Proficiency Certificate like IELTS /PTE/Toefl.
• Admission letter from the university along with the transcripts of the previous year.
• TT copy of course fee payment
• Accommodation details upon entering in French territory (should be of minimum one month)
• Financial documents showing access to 12,000 euros living expenses (i.e. minimum 1000 euro per month) – funds are considerable from the following sources.

1. Bank Statement (last 6 months) and Balance Certificate.
2. Student Education Bank Loan from nationalized bank

• ITR (last 3 years) (4,00,000 rupees)
• Affidavit of oath
• Sponsor Affidavit
• Travel Insurance (30,000 euro with 1-year validity)
• Air Ticket

The complete visa renewal processing time can take up to a month (and sometimes more).

If you are currently in another country

Again if you are in another country highly advisable to return to France for your visa renewal before it expires. If that’s not possible, contact the French embassy in your country.

For Internship:

In case your visa expires before your internship period or you are unable to apply for the visa renewal then you can always apply for the visa at your nearest Prefecture in France. Visa is normally given for 3 to 6 months depending on your situation. The visa should be applied before the expiry of the current visa.

If you are applying for APS i.e. Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour

When you complete the course and get the diploma certificate, you can apply for the APS before your student visa gets expired. Generally, Indians will receive 1 year of paper version which later can be renewed for one another year. This is because of an agreement which was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in 2015. Other countries which do not have an agreement will receive different visas called Carte de séjour for one year only and it cannot be renewed.

We hope you like the blog by Ms. Shivani Chavda. Like Ms. Chavda, Edugo Abroad has an expert team that works as personal support for the students. We have the best counsellor who will guide you to select the business school according to your preference and interest and the process team to help you with the application process till you get your visa. With great network and vast experience in the field, Edugo Abroad leads the students for great success.

Students Looking for help regarding France Study Visa or taking admissions in top French University can contact Edugo Abroad for more details. Edugo Abroad is #1 Europe education and student visa consultant in India with more than 11+ years of experience in overseas consulting.