French President Macron announces smoother visa process, more English courses for Indian students

The recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India is expected to open new avenues for Indian students currently studying in France, as well as for those planning to pursue higher education there in the near future. The French President today announced that visa and sourcing procedures will be streamlined to make them more practical and aligned with the expectations of Indian students. Also, he committed to expanding the availability of courses taught in English.

During his visit to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) campus, President Macron underlined France’s commitment to strengthening educational ties with India and significantly increasing student mobility between the two countries.

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Macron expressed willingness to welcome more Indian students and have more French students coming to India. He added, “We have decided with Prime Minister Modi to increase the number to 30,000 per year by 2030 from the current number of 10,000 per year. From the French side, we will simplify the sourcing and the visa process.”

The French President also assured Indian students of best-in-class teaching and access to research centres with strong interdisciplinary collaboration when they come to France for education. He emphasised that France would offer diverse academic programmes in English to make higher education more accessible for Indian students.

Macron said, “To have a visa which meets the expectations of the students and is appropriate, for instance, if you have a PhD, I don’t know how many years it took for you, three years, so many. So if I give you a visa for one year, I’m a little bit crazy…So on the French side, we will clearly streamline this approach in order to have something which meets the expectations and is much more practical for the students and the schools… We will establish better connections in order to have better sourcing. In India, 10-15 years ago, it was not the number one source of students. Let’s be honest. So I want our universities and high schools to do much more, but we will do as well much more in terms of administrative facilities…”

#WATCH | Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron says, “…It’s very important for us to welcome more Indian students and to have more French students coming here. We speak about 10,000 per year, more or less, depending on the season. We decided with Prime Minister Modi to have… https://t.co/pj8bOckFdM pic.twitter.com/RPNLq4a7co

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2026

President Macron also inaugurated the Indo-French Campus on AI in Global Health at AIIMS, in the presence of Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda. The Indo-French Campus at AIIMS aims to advance research, innovation, and capacity building in AI for global health while fostering deeper academic excellence and international partnerships between the two nations.

#WATCH | Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron and Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, inaugurated the Indo-French Campus on AI in Global Health at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

This initiative marks a significant step in strengthening… pic.twitter.com/ViRBCyenLG

— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2026