France’s student visa now covers the whole degree

France has stretched VLS-TS student visas for Indian nationals to match the full program length, so a master’s can run 2 years and a PhD 3-4 years without the old annual prefecture grind. That’s a real cut in hassle and honestly, it removes one of the most annoying parts of studying abroad.

The transit side is simpler too. Indian passport holders can now connect airside through hubs like Paris-CDG without an Airport Transit Visa, even without a US or Canada visa, which, surprisingly, makes long-haul routing a lot less painful.

Indian students get the main win, travelers get a smaller one

This change mostly helps students, not digital nomads or short-stay expats, so if you’re eyeing France for remote work, nothing here rewrites your path. The bigger story is the pipeline: France wants 30,000 Indian students by 2030 and it’s making the paperwork less irritating to get there.

Transit passengers also benefit, especially on US-India or India-Europe itineraries that pass through France. No ATV, no detour, no awkward visa scramble at the last minute, which is the part people usually hate.

Apply through Campus France, then watch the deadlines

If you’re heading to a French school, apply through Campus France and VFS Global and make sure your program proof matches the full visa duration. Standard student visa fees are still about €50, while the old annual renewal cost hovered around €75, so the money saved is decent, but the real gain is time and certainty.

One catch: a B2/A2 French requirement now matters for some residence-permit conversions, so plan for language prep if you want to stay longer after graduation. Read our full France guide for the complete picture.