In order to facilitate the procedures for residence permit application for international students, the French Ministry of Interior has announced it is launching an online service through which international students can submit their residence permit applications online, called ANEF-séjour (Digital Administration for Internationals in France).
Through this service, international students will be able to submit their applications for residence permits from home, without having to make an appointment or travel to make sure their residence permit application has been submitted, whether it is to receive the first permit after a visa or to renew the residence permit, Erudera College News reports.
In a press release announcing the launching of the service, the Ministry of Interior points out that students must appear physically only when the residence permit is ready.
In addition, within the framework of the Bienvenue en France plan established by the government in 2018, the service also aims to attract international students in France as well as to simplify their procedures.
The whole process of student requests dematerialization is about 120,000 procedures every year and will extend by 2022 to a total of 870,000 permits and other documents.
“Administrative dematerialization has many advantages, which improve the procedures for users and the working environment of the agents responsible for processing requests,” the press release issued by French Ministry of Interior reads.
The dematerialization of residence permit applications, among others, includes:
- Solving the problems with access, especially regarding the appointments for applications submission
- Processing requests for certificates more rapidly
- Limiting the number of visits at the prefecture
- Modernizing the work tools of prefectures
The site where students can submit their online applications has been designed as an easy one to use as it has been tested several times with many users.
Users can submit applications through smartphones, tablets, or computers.
Individuals who find troubles while submitting their applications online can contact the citizen contact centre (CCC), or in case they have any questions about their files. The question can be addressed by filling a contact form or by contacting the trained call centre agents.
Despite the launch of the online application, the centres continue to welcome individuals who do not have access, in a bid to support them.
During the 2018/19 academic year, the number of international students in France was 358,005, according to Campus France data.