In a recent development, the French parliament has implemented a new immigration law, ushering in stricter regulations for both international students and workers seeking entry into the country. Under this legislation, immigrants will now qualify for state assistance only after an extended residency, spanning from several months to several years.
This shift follows an agreement between President Emmanuel Macron’s party and the conservative opposition. The alteration introduced in the policy impacts immigrants seeking family reunification—a change that could pose significant hurdles for international students aiming to bring their dependents to France.
Furthermore, additional visa fees and a mandatory ‘return deposit’ have been imposed on international students, with their numbers now regulated under quotas. There are some French universities that have been accommodating, with 42 institutions entirely waiving enrollment fees. Not only this, 16 percent of the universities are offering partial exemptions, and a notable 13 percent have introduced increased fees.
Foremost among the countries affected by these changes are Moroccan students, which constitute the largest portion of France’s international student body. Concerns have already been voiced by African students regarding the repercussions of these stringent laws.
Remarkably, the influx of Moroccan students has seen an annual increase of 3 percent, with a staggering surge of more than 22 percent observed between 2016 and 2021. France, on the other hand, has experienced a substantial uptick in international student enrollment, welcoming over 400,000 students in the 2021–22 academic year—an 8 percent surge from the previous year and the most significant escalation in 15 years, according to Campus France data.
