Mathou said that President Emmanuel Macron has conveyed that France is willing to welcome 30,000 Indian students within its higher institutions by 2030.

The French Ambassador Thierry Mathou also discussed the recent measures regarding the five-year short-stay Schengen visa. He said that France believes that when an Indian student spends even just a semester in France, it creates a connection that ought to be fostered and cherished.

Since this summer, Indian students who hold a Master's degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa. This is a special provision for Indian alumni to enable them to keep close links with France and their French counterparts.

During an interaction with IANS in New Delhi the Ambassador replied to several questions and described the policies of the French government. Excerpts from the interview:

IANS: How will providing a five-year Schengen visa help Indian students?

Thierry Mathou: The recent measure regarding 5-year short-stay Schengen visa, France believes that when an Indian student spends even just a semester in France, it creates a connection that ought to be fostered and cherished.

Since this summer, Indian students who hold a Master's degree or above and have spent at least a semester studying in France are eligible for a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa. This is a special provision for Indian alumni to enable them to keep close links with France and their French counterparts.

IANS: Is the French government also trying to target Indian students who opt for Canada?

Thierry Mathou: We are trying to target all the youngsters.

IANS: Is there any plan to expedite the process, as there are a lot of pending visa applications?

Thierry Mathou: It’s our priority, as I said. We have done some benchmarking; going to France is much easier as compared to other countries, and we try to do everything to make the process easier.

IANS: Is there any specific sector that France is targeting to enroll students in?

Thierry Mathou: Yes, we already have a lot of students in our business programme, and we are very happy to enroll students in engineering as well. I will say that this is a top priority for us because we have a strategic partnership in many sectors, including engineering and design.

During this event students will have a chance to get first-hand information from representatives of 50 leading universities, Grandes Ecoles, and colleges about the programmes they can attend. These programmes span a wide range of fields.

Among them we have 22 business and management schools, 17 engineering schools, three arts and design schools, five public universities, two hospitality and tourism schools and one French language school.

IANS: How many students are targeted for this season?

Thierry Mathou: As I said, our target for 2030 is 30,000 students. As much as we can, we’ll be happy. The success of this event shows how eager young people are to study in France.

IANS: How the recent announcement on Education or academic cooperation after Prime Minister Modi's visit will help both the countries?

Thierry Mathou: For several years now, France and India have been sharing a very strong connection regarding student and research mobility, as well as academic cooperation.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France on the occasion of Bastille Day last July, different measures have been taken to reinforce France and India's strong partnerships on that matter. President Emmanuel Macron explained that France is willing to welcome 30 000 Indian students within its higher institutions by 2030.

Additionally, international classes will be created within universities in order to admit non-francophone students in standard French bachelor programmes after one year of training.

Their commitment to strengthening academic ties is further evident with the establishment of over 600 partnerships between French and Indian institutions.