French universities and multinationals had an easier time bringing talent into the country last year: 384,230 first-issue residence permits were granted, an 11.2 % increase on 2024. (connexionfrance.com) Student permits led the pack at roughly 118,000, confirming France’s spot as the world’s seventh-most-popular study destination.
Campus France credits streamlined online visa applications (VFS Global now processes biometrics in 17 markets) and English-language masters for the boom. Corporates benefited as well: although economic permits fell overall, the "Passeport Talent – salarié qualifié" sub-category rose 6 %, driven by AI engineers and renewable-energy specialists.
![First-time French residence permits rise 11 %—student titles dominate]()
VisaHQ can help both individual students and corporate mobility teams navigate these surging volumes. Its dedicated France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers step-by-step checklists, appointment scheduling tools and real-time status tracking, reducing the administrative drag that often accompanies French visa filing.
Processing, however, is far from friction-free. Consulates in India and Nigeria report peak-season backlogs of six weeks for visa appointments, and préfectures in Paris and Hauts-de-Seine are still piloting ANEF, the fully digital renewal platform. Mobility teams should budget extra time for students converting to work status after graduation, because they must switch from "étudiant" to "recherche d’emploi/création d’entreprise" within four months of finishing their course.
Looking ahead, the Interior Ministry is considering a quota for international students from 2027, mirroring Canada’s recent cap, though higher-education lobby Conférence des Présidents d’Université warns that any limit would hit regional economies that rely on student spending.
Campus France credits streamlined online visa applications (VFS Global now processes biometrics in 17 markets) and English-language masters for the boom. Corporates benefited as well: although economic permits fell overall, the "Passeport Talent – salarié qualifié" sub-category rose 6 %, driven by AI engineers and renewable-energy specialists.
VisaHQ can help both individual students and corporate mobility teams navigate these surging volumes. Its dedicated France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers step-by-step checklists, appointment scheduling tools and real-time status tracking, reducing the administrative drag that often accompanies French visa filing.
Processing, however, is far from friction-free. Consulates in India and Nigeria report peak-season backlogs of six weeks for visa appointments, and préfectures in Paris and Hauts-de-Seine are still piloting ANEF, the fully digital renewal platform. Mobility teams should budget extra time for students converting to work status after graduation, because they must switch from "étudiant" to "recherche d’emploi/création d’entreprise" within four months of finishing their course.
Looking ahead, the Interior Ministry is considering a quota for international students from 2027, mirroring Canada’s recent cap, though higher-education lobby Conférence des Présidents d’Université warns that any limit would hit regional economies that rely on student spending.
