It might be challenging to navigate all the French immigration regulations. The goal of AUP’s Student Immigration Services is to aid students with the immigration procedure and make what could be a complicated process simple and straightforward.
Each student’s required papers are different (see below). Look up what is expected of you from the moment you receive your acceptance letter to the end of your AUP experience.
Since some procedures can take up to a few weeks (the residency renewal process can take several months if the French Authorities’ Department, which is in charge of processing residency applications, is underfunded or overworked—sometimes both)
Therefore, it’s crucial that you take the required actions as soon as feasible. To enroll and stay enrolled at AUP, you must take care of your immigration needs. Please be advised that entering France on a tourist visa or without a visa at all with the aim of attending school is prohibited. Deportation is possible for students living in France without the necessary documentation.
First year student
You will be given the essential information and instructions to apply for a long stay student visa once you have been accepted to the university (the new students are given the necessary information by their AUP Admission Councilor whereas the returning students who need to apply for a new student visa must be in touch with SIS).
You are able to live and study in France legally with this residency permit. Make sure you can enter and live in France by carefully reading the first-year student procedures.
The Immigration Office of AUP officially disclaims all liability for any repercussions that might arise from a non-EU student entering France illegitimately and without proper documentation (valid student visa, valid passport, valid residency card).
You must deliver a birth certificate to Student Immigration Services prior to the start of your first semester (a certified copy in English or French). This paperwork must be completed and submitted before traveling to France. Certificates of marriage, divorce, and adoption are required to support any name change, if applicable.
First-year student procedure
While enrolled at AUP, all students are required to retain their legal residency in France. If you are a citizen of France or another country in the European Union, you are exempt from further visa requirements and just need to present your passport (or your national ID) once during orientation.
To be able to live legally in France, all students from outside the EU must first apply for a student visa, the Visa D-Long séjour- Ceseda R311-3 6°. You will receive instructions and the paperwork you need to apply for your VLS-TS Titre de Séjour student residence permit after being accepted to the University.
A new procedure for students
There is no longer an OFII protocol.In order for non-EU students to study and live legally on French territory, the French Government has decided to change the procedure for those students.
As a result, in order to provide better service to NON-EU students, the French Government has formally designated a few Paris-area colleges and universities to complete the residency process by granting the students their residency permits.
How to prepare for orientation
You must have your student visa in hand before traveling to Paris. The most recent information about the process is included in your acceptance packet. You must bring a birth certificate with the names of both of your parents listed on it to orientation in addition to your passport in order to provide it to Student Immigration Services. A verified copy of the birth certificate in either English or French is required. This paperwork must be completed and submitted before traveling to France. Certificates of marriage, divorce, and adoption are also required to support any name change.
Arrival in france
You will meet with a representative of the Student Immigration Services staff when you get to Orientation. We will confirm with you that we have obtained all necessary documentation from you (the copy of your passport information page, the copy of your student visa, the copy of your entrance stamp OR your boarding pass).
SIS will be in touch with you to set up an appointment to apply for your residency visa the week after Orientation. This appointment must be kept and cannot be postponed. It is crucial that you keep your appointment with SIS because skipping the residence visit results in the revocation of both the visa and the residency application. To validate the student’s visa and authorize their stay in France, they must attend this appointment.
Orientation for summer
In order to apply for their residency permit, NON-EU students who enroll at AUP for both the Summer and Fall terms and who have been granted a long stay student visa must meet with SIS no later than the first week following their arrival in France.
Late check-ins and acceptance
In order to apply for their residency permit, NON-EU students who will arrive later than expected or after Orientation and who have been given long-stay student visas must meet with SIS no later than one week after their arrival in France.