France intends to improve the rights and conditions for international students

President of France François Hollande recently approved the PlanNationaldeVie Étudiante. Consisting of 35 points, the Plan aims to improve the rights of residence in the country for foreign university graduates.

The National Plan, approved by Parliament, has developed the right to reside in the country for university graduates, with a maximum term of four years. This residency is more applicable to postgraduate students conducting research (PhD), as well as graduates of the Master's degree (Master's degree). The possibility of obtaining a multi-year residence during the student's studies will also be considered.

The developed Plan states that “the quality of student admission, expressed in terms of the government, improving the right of residence and simplifying such procedures, are key to raising the attractiveness of higher education in France”.

Other measures proposed in the Plan include expanding the scope of housing conditions, taking into account the special needs of international students and limited time to find housing, as well as the establishment of administrative departments that could immediately deal with the permita few questions. Such measures have been developed in conjunction with regional authorities to make it easier for international students to access all procedures upon arrival, registration, and also to introduce life in France.

“Improving the level of reception, information and counseling will have a positive impact on the attractiveness of France as a place to study,” says Lisa Einhorn, an employee of the public organization Campus France, according to PIENews.

She explains that “one-stop departments” will be able to provide all kinds of services for working with international students in one place and cites as an example the successful experience of 26 such centers that are already installedin France.

In order to implement the developed measures, “instructions” were sent to the rectors and senior representatives of universities in September to facilitate their establishment of special departments through interaction with local authorities. The national plan specifies that this measure shouldbe held until the fall of 2016 inclusive.

“Arriving in France requires a lot of necessary procedures, which are often quite difficult to understand,” says Lisa Einhorn. "Contacting one of the universal departments will allow international students to meet all registration requirements in one place." "Their further expansion will provide access to competent units for international students throughout France, as well as facilitate the distribution of their admission services."

According to a 2013 survey conducted by CampusFrance, among 20,000 international students, 9 out of 10 said they would recommend France as a country for an education and appreciate their time there.However, according to Einhorn, the negative reviews were caused by "difficulties with administrative procedures, as well as the provision of housing and integration into society." “The national plan is especially aimed at improving collaboration between universities and local governments in order to simplify the lives of international students and avoid the administrative horrors,” she told PIENews.