France Streamlines Visa Process for Moroccan Students with Online Applications

In a press release, the ministry invites Moroccan students to submit their residence permit application online, whether it is a first application or a renewal. They also follow the processing of their files online until the issuance of the permit which is only obtained in person.

This measure is part of the process of digitizing student requests. It concerns 120,000 procedures each year and should be gradually extended by 2022 to residence permits, i.e. a total of 870,000 titles and documents issued. "This service contributes to the attractiveness of the French territory for foreign students and to the simplification of their procedures, as part of the Bienvenue en France plan implemented by the government in the fall of 2018," the same press release specifies.

In total, Moroccan students represent 12% of the total number of foreign students in France. According to official figures, there were 41,800 of them enrolled in a French higher education institution, including 5,079 in business schools, 5,102 in engineering schools, 2,124 in high schools (BTS & CPGE) and 2,030 in other types of schools (IEP, art schools, specialized schools, etc.). As for doctoral students, there are a total of 1,164 and they are in 6th place.