Foreign students planning to study in France will soon have to prove they have deeper pockets. A decree published in the Journal officiel on 22 June 2026 (n° 2026-526) and commented yesterday by Paris-based law firm Kohen Avocats raises the minimum amount of resources a third-country national must demonstrate when requesting either a long-stay student visa or the first “student” residence permit under the Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile (CESEDA). The new article R.422-2 now fixes the amount at “at least 47 % of the gross monthly SMIC” (France’s statutory minimum wage) at the date the application is filed. With the SMIC currently at €1 867 gross, the bar rises from €615 to roughly €877 per month—an increase of 43 %. The rule applies to initial visa requests made in consulates abroad and to first-time residence permit applications filed in France, including those processed directly by partner universities. Why the change? The Interior Ministry says it wants to align the resource test with real living costs and to “avoid precariousness among international students.” Critics counter that the jump may price out talented candidates from emerging markets and undermine the government’s stated goal of attracting 500 000 international students by 2027. Universities that recruit heavily outside the EU—business schools, engineering grandes écoles and regional campuses—fear a wave of late withdrawals this summer, as candidates scramble to update bank certificates or secure additional sponsorship.
![France increases minimum financial resources threshold for non-EU students applying for residence permits]()
For applicants who find the new threshold daunting, VisaHQ’s France team (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can help by providing up-to-date checklists, pre-screening financial statements and securing visa appointments, ensuring students and their sponsors meet the €877-per-month requirement without last-minute surprises.
Practical implications for mobility managers are immediate. Corporate sponsors must update financial support letters, and relocation providers should advise incoming interns or VIE assignees enrolled in French programmes to top up proof-of-funds before visa appointments. Consulates will reject incomplete files outright, and prefectures may issue orders to leave French territory (OQTF) if students cannot regularise within two months of arrival. Companies planning in-house training in France at Master’s level should therefore budget an extra €2 500–€3 000 per person for the academic year. In parallel, the decree simplifies certain filing logistics: partner universities may now collect applications on behalf of prefectures, a long-standing request from CROUS housing services keen to reduce queues at Paris police headquarters. Whether that offset will be enough to calm student groups—and the powerful Conference of University Presidents—remains to be seen.
For applicants who find the new threshold daunting, VisaHQ’s France team (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can help by providing up-to-date checklists, pre-screening financial statements and securing visa appointments, ensuring students and their sponsors meet the €877-per-month requirement without last-minute surprises.
Practical implications for mobility managers are immediate. Corporate sponsors must update financial support letters, and relocation providers should advise incoming interns or VIE assignees enrolled in French programmes to top up proof-of-funds before visa appointments. Consulates will reject incomplete files outright, and prefectures may issue orders to leave French territory (OQTF) if students cannot regularise within two months of arrival. Companies planning in-house training in France at Master’s level should therefore budget an extra €2 500–€3 000 per person for the academic year. In parallel, the decree simplifies certain filing logistics: partner universities may now collect applications on behalf of prefectures, a long-standing request from CROUS housing services keen to reduce queues at Paris police headquarters. Whether that offset will be enough to calm student groups—and the powerful Conference of University Presidents—remains to be seen.
