France opens its doors for Indian students – Times of India

NEW DELHI: France has opened its door for Indian students. Emmanuel Lenain, the ambassador of France to India, on Thursday tweeted, “Finally, the wait is over! Delighted to announce that our visa service is now open for receiving applications for the short-stay and long-stay student visa category. Talent passport, professors or researchers, ‘Assistant de Français’ – visa applicants who fall under these categories are welcome to apply as well.”

The US also resumed processing students visas in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata from August 17, as the fall semester is about to begin from next month. “As per the latest Open Door Report, students from India account for almost 18% of all international students in the US. In fact, the number of Indian students in the US increased by 2.9% from 2018 to 2019,” tweeted EducationUSAIndia.

India has air bubbles with US and France, allowing people eligible as per government norms to travel between the two countries.
VFS centres in 7 cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kochi — have started receiving French visa application from August 17. The French embassy website lists the categories of travellers from India who can apply for visas. Travel in these pandemic times means every country has its own requirements.
The French Embassy website says: “With effect from August 1, 2020, once on French territory, passengers from India must mandatorily present a Covid-19 PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before departure (from India), or take this test on arrival in France and remain available thereafter for being contacted by telephone in case of testing positive. Children below 11 years of age are exempted from this requirement,” Under French law, wearing a mask is compulsory in all closed public spaces, including airports and public transport.
The US embassy will, however, continue to remain closed for routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa services. The US Embassy in Delhi had tweeted last Friday: “Our consular sections are opening to process student and academic exchange visitor visa applications on a limited basis. Student visas are a high priority, and we will make every effort to assist applicants in a timely fashion, while keeping our customers and staff safe. However, due to our very limited appointment availability we may not be able to accommodate all requests in time for the start of the fall semester.”