France President Macron Announces Visa Reforms, More English Courses and Targets 30k Indian Students Per Year by 2030
Los Angeles/ Feb 18, 2026
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/ A.Gary Singh
French President Macron and Indian PM Modi reaffirmed the priority given to strengthen educational cooperation and student mobility. To this end, they appreciated the International Classes initiative, which facilitates access to French universities for students from the Indian secondary school system by offering them dedicated linguistic and methodological training. This will promote student mobility with the objective to meet the target of welcoming 30,000 Indian students to France by 2030 from the present 10,000.
Both leaders welcomed the establishment of a hub in Mumbai that will bring together ESSEC Business School and CentraleSupélec engineering school. The two leaders welcomed the upcoming revision of the agreement on Mutual Recognition of Academic Qualifications.
Both Leaders commended the growth of Academic and Scientific cooperation and the success of the High Level Academic and Scientific Meetings hosted by AIIMS in New Delhi on the 18th and the 19th of February.
These high-level meetings brought together more than 200 universities and research institutes and scientific organisations from both countries and highlighted the vibrant cooperation between the leading universities and academic institutions on both sides including double and joint degree arrangements. In the field of social sciences, both leaders expressed their appreciation and support to the work accomplished by CEFIPRA in promoting and funding bilateral scientific research.
With a view to expanding mutually beneficial skills and talent mobility between the countries, both leaders emphasised the importance of the India-France Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) and Young Professional Scheme (YPS). Both leaders welcomed the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of skill development, vocational education and training that would strengthen opportunities for mobility of youth and professionals and strengthen people-to-people bonds between India and France.
In this spirit, the leaders welcomed the announcement of the upcoming visa free transit of Indian nationals through French airports, which will be reviewed after a six month pilot period.
Source: Indian PM Govt.
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