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NEW DELHI: France on Thursday announced easing of visa norms for those wanting to pursue higher education, in a move aimed at attracting more Indian students. The move comes at a time when the United Kingdom is contemplating heavy cash bonds for Indian visa applicants.
"There is no competition between the UK and us. We have our own visa policy , they (the UK) have their own visa policy," French ambassador to India Francois Richier said here.
France, he said, is not challenging anybody but has introduced a number of measures to enable Indian students to study in his country. "It is about opening our arms and hearts for Indian students by facilitating their stay, not only in their visa area but other things like training, taking care of jobs when they are back in India. It is a package thing," Richier said.
The French envoy said that since France shares a genuine partnership with India, it has chosen to open its frontiers even wider to Indian students.
He said that following the visit of French President Francois Hollande in February, a number of measures have been taken to facilitate the issuance of visas for Indian students, the creation of a "France-India" network as well as an increased number of scholarships offered by the French Embassy and its corporate partners.
"In 1998, there were only 100 Indian students in France. We have had a steady progress and that trend growing," the ambassador said.
While earlier language was a barrier, over 700 courses are now taught in English.
France eases visa norms for Indians - The Times of India
"There is no competition between the UK and us. We have our own visa policy , they (the UK) have their own visa policy," French ambassador to India Francois Richier said here.
France, he said, is not challenging anybody but has introduced a number of measures to enable Indian students to study in his country. "It is about opening our arms and hearts for Indian students by facilitating their stay, not only in their visa area but other things like training, taking care of jobs when they are back in India. It is a package thing," Richier said.
The French envoy said that since France shares a genuine partnership with India, it has chosen to open its frontiers even wider to Indian students.
He said that following the visit of French President Francois Hollande in February, a number of measures have been taken to facilitate the issuance of visas for Indian students, the creation of a "France-India" network as well as an increased number of scholarships offered by the French Embassy and its corporate partners.
"In 1998, there were only 100 Indian students in France. We have had a steady progress and that trend growing," the ambassador said.
While earlier language was a barrier, over 700 courses are now taught in English.
France eases visa norms for Indians - The Times of India
