People-to-people ties, youth and tourism [fr]

In the academic field, 10,000 Indian students chose France in 2019, attracted by the wide array of university programmes in English and French and the quality of the institutions. Given the pandemic, France has put in place support measures for international students, which have enabled thousands of Indian students to continue to travel to France for study.

France’s policy is twofold: support for scholarship programmes and support for partnerships between Indian and French institutions to develop inter-university agreements. Several agreements (mobility, mutual recognition of degrees) have been signed to boost Indian students arrival in France. France has set a target of having 20,000 Indian students study in its higher education institutions across the country by 2025.

On the occasion of his official visit to India in April 2021, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian appointed 15 alumni ambassadors for promoting studies in France (9 women and 6 men), selected from the prestigious France Alumni network. These Indian alumni of French educational institutions have pursued studies in France in the fields including science, management, art, gastronomy, social sciences, and gone on to become leaders in their respective fields in India.

People-to-people ties between France and India are also progressing with the boost in tourism. The facilitation of visa procedures, with visa issuance in 48 hours and the implementation of biometrics, has helped. Before the pandemic, France attracted more than 800,000 Indian tourists per year.