To study in France, Canadian students benefit from the 2015 Franco-Canadian agreement (I). And, since 2021, Canada has been part of the "Etudes en France" platform, which is an online service that brings together all the steps and simplifies the procedure (II). Finally, Canadian students can renew their residence permit (III).
I) The Franco-Canadian agreement on youth mobility of January 7, 2015
This agreement of January 7, 2015 was created to simplify and facilitate administrative procedures for young Canadians and French youth. It applies to anyone between the ages of 18 and 35.
This agreement provides for 4 categories of young nationals :
- Young professionals, wishing to go to France for professional development by means of a salaried work experience
under a fixed-term work contract.
- Canadian students wishing to complete part of their university curriculum
in a French institution under an inter-university agreement.
- Students or young people in training, enrolled in a secondary or higher education institution or in a training center, wishing to complete a practical internship
in France in connection with their studies or training program.
- Young people wishing to make a tourist and cultural discovery
stay in France and wishing to work there occasionally to supplement their financial resources.
The documents to be produced in support of the application for a stay are
:
- A Canadian passport with an expiry date of six months after the date of the end of the stay in France
- a dated and signed application form
- an identity photograph
- a student card with a copy of both sides
- a letter of acceptance from the home and host universities
- proof of sufficient resources for the beginning of the stay
This agreement claims to "facilitate" the procedures for obtaining a student visa, but in practice, it is necessary to go through the normal procedure to obtain a visa. (II)
II) Since 2021, Canada has joined the Études en France platform
To obtain a visa to study in France, you must be 18 years old, have chosen a course of study and be accepted by a higher education institution.
The Study in France portal has been set up to facilitate the pre-registration process for more than 280 universities and schools in France and to help with visa applications. Since 2021, Canada is part of it.
Registering on Etudes France does not allow students to free themselves from the steps to be taken with the French authorities in Canada to acquire the visa that will allow them to come legally to France.
Two types of visas are particularly relevant to students
:
The short stay visa is for students who have a training of less than 3 months (A) on the contrary of the long stay visa which allows to stay in France between 3 months and 1 year. (B)
A) The visa for short stays
There are two categories
:
- Short-stay "competition student" visa
: it allows non-European students to come to France to take a competition or an admission interview in a higher education institution.
It can only be issued if the result of the exam or interview is known within 3 months.
To apply for a visa, you must contact the embassy or consulate of the country.
- Short stay Schengen visa
: it allows you to stay in a Schengen country for a maximum of 90 days: the reason for a short training course allows you to be granted a visa. However, nationals of many countries are exempted from the Schengen short stay visa to enter and stay in Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days. This is the case for Canada.
If at the end of the validity of the short stay visa, the foreign student has passed an entrance exam to a school, he/she is not obliged to go through a "VLS-TS student". In this case, he/she can directly apply for a student residence permit at the prefecture.
B) The visa for long-term stays
This type of visa covers 3 categories :
- The student VLS-TS
: it allows students to come to France for a period of 4 months to 1 year to pursue higher education. It allows students to travel freely in all countries of the Schengen area. It also allows students to work 964 hours per year, or 20 hours per week, to supplement their income.
This visa allows you to benefit from VISALE (the free student rental deposit) and to receive a housing allowance from the Caisse d'allocation familiale (CAF).
This visa allows you to extend your stay beyond the validity of your residence permit.
- The VLS-T student
visa allows students to stay in France from 4 to 12 months. It allows you to travel freely in all countries of the Schengen area. It allows access to social security. This visa is not validated by the prefecture upon arrival, but it does not allow you to work during your studies.
Moreover, this visa does not allow you to benefit from VISALE, nor from the housing allowance of the CAF.
This visa does not allow you to extend your stay beyond the validity of your residence permit.
- The long-stay visa for trainees : this visa allows you to stay in France for more than 3 months for an internship. This internship must be part of a professional training program and take place in a company or a public hospital. It must be validated with the French Office of Immigration and Integration upon arrival in France.
For this visa, a tripartite internship agreement approved by the prefect and signed by the student, the employer and your training institution is required.
III) The "student" multi-year residence permit
After one year in France, the student can apply for a multi-annual residence permit for "students". The card is issued for a period equal to the remaining duration of the study program.
The student must prove the real and serious nature of his or her studies
:
- attendance
- exam results
- diploma obtained
- explanation in case of change of course
If you wish to come and study in France, we can assist you in your dealings with the French authorities as well as with any problems you may encounter in France.