France to ease visa rules, increase Indian student intake from 10,000 to 30,000

The initiative marks a significant step in strengthening India-France collaboration in artificial intelligence-driven healthcare solutions.

• France to simplify visas and expand English courses for Indians
• Indian student intake in France to rise to 30,000 by 2030
• Indo-French AI campus launched at AIIMS for joint research

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French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday announced a major push to attract more Indian students, promising to simplify visa procedures and expand English-taught courses in France as part of deeper Indo-French educational cooperation.

Speaking at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus in the national capital, Emmanuel Macron underlined France’s commitment to boosting student mobility between the two countries. He said both governments have agreed to significantly raise the number of Indian students heading to France.

“We want to welcome more Indian students and have more French students coming here. We are currently speaking about 10,000 per year. We have decided with Prime Minister Modi to increase this number to 30,000 per year by 2030. From the French side, we will simplify the sourcing and the visa process,” Macron said.

He further assured that procedures would be made more practical and aligned with students’ expectations.

“We will clearly streamline the approach in order to meet expectations and make it much more practical for students. We will establish better connections in order to support students more effectively,” the French President said.

Highlighting France’s academic strengths, Macron pitched the country as a destination offering top-tier research and interdisciplinary learning.

“I would also like to tell all Indian students who come to France that we have best-in-class teaching and access to research centres with strong interdisciplinary collaboration. I want you to be sure that we can offer you different approaches in English,” he added.

During his visit, Macron, along with Union Health Minister JP Nadda, inaugurated the Indo-French Campus on AI in Global Health at AIIMS. The initiative is aimed at strengthening collaboration in artificial intelligence-driven healthcare solutions and advancing joint research, innovation and capacity building.

The new campus is expected to deepen academic ties and expand cooperation in emerging technologies, marking another step in the growing strategic partnership between India and France.