Wrapping up a three-day state visit to India, President Emmanuel Macron used a press briefing on 19 February to trumpet a new mobility package—and Indian media set the headlines on 20 February 2026. The Times of India reports that France will pilot a six-month visa-free airside-transit scheme for Indian passport-holders and simplify study-visa procedures with a view to hosting 30 000 Indian students annually by 2030. The transit concession applies to passengers who remain airside for less than 24 hours while connecting through French airports to a third country. Although limited in scope, it removes a bureaucratic hurdle for travellers bound for Latin America or West Africa and positions Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle as an alternative to Gulf hubs.
![Macron Unveils Visa-Free Airport Transit & 30 000-Student Target for Indians]()
For travellers or students unsure about what the new rules mean in practice, the visa specialists at VisaHQ can walk you through every step of the process. Their France resource page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers real-time eligibility checks, document templates and application tracking so you know exactly when a transit waiver or study permit is required—saving you both time and guesswork.
The education component is more ambitious. France currently hosts about 10 000 Indian students a year. To triple that number, the French government will expand English-taught master’s programmes, roll out ‘International Class’ foundation years, and introduce a streamlined “Campus France Fast Track” visa lane with 10-day processing. Graduates will also receive a five-year post-study work permit—up from two years today—if they find employment in sectors facing skills shortages. For French employers the initiative is a strategic talent play. India produces the world’s largest STEM graduate cohort, and the French tech ecosystem, from aerospace to AI, is eager to tap the pool. HR directors should therefore watch for bilateral internship quotas and new scholarship schemes that could ease hiring bottlenecks. The pilot transit waiver will be formally gazetted in April after consultations with the European Commission; officials say an extension to other South-Asian nationalities will depend on security assessments and throughput data.
For travellers or students unsure about what the new rules mean in practice, the visa specialists at VisaHQ can walk you through every step of the process. Their France resource page (https://www.visahq.com/france/) offers real-time eligibility checks, document templates and application tracking so you know exactly when a transit waiver or study permit is required—saving you both time and guesswork.
The education component is more ambitious. France currently hosts about 10 000 Indian students a year. To triple that number, the French government will expand English-taught master’s programmes, roll out ‘International Class’ foundation years, and introduce a streamlined “Campus France Fast Track” visa lane with 10-day processing. Graduates will also receive a five-year post-study work permit—up from two years today—if they find employment in sectors facing skills shortages. For French employers the initiative is a strategic talent play. India produces the world’s largest STEM graduate cohort, and the French tech ecosystem, from aerospace to AI, is eager to tap the pool. HR directors should therefore watch for bilateral internship quotas and new scholarship schemes that could ease hiring bottlenecks. The pilot transit waiver will be formally gazetted in April after consultations with the European Commission; officials say an extension to other South-Asian nationalities will depend on security assessments and throughput data.
