France has quietly tightened the financial bar for non-EU students just days before the main visa rush begins. In an update published on 28 July 2026, several Campus France offices—including Singapore—confirmed that, from 1 August 2026, applicants for a French long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) must now demonstrate resources of at least €877.50 per month, up from the long-standing €615 threshold. The new figure aligns the visa requirement with 75 % of France’s statutory minimum wage (SMIC), which itself rose on 1 May. While the change was signalled in Decree 2026-526 of 22 June 2026, many consulates had kept the old amount on their web pages until this week. The 43 % jump means a prospective undergraduate on a three-year licence programme must now show roughly €31,600 in guaranteed funds instead of €22,100. Acceptable evidence ranges from bank statements and scholarships to notarised parental guarantees; partial accommodation or meal subsidies may lower the amount case-by-case, but officials warn that under-funded files will be refused outright. Consular sources say the higher bar aims to curb rising default rates on health-insurance and housing bills and to deter “fictitious” enrolments that mask irregular employment. French universities have welcomed the clarity but fear the measure could price out talented students from lower-income countries just as they ramp up recruitment beyond the EU. Several schools plan to expand hardship bursaries; Sciences Po already announced a €1.5 million emergency fund for the 2026-27 intake. For multinational employers running graduate-rotation programmes, the new rule lengthens lead-times: HR teams must adjust allowance frameworks and issue stronger financial guarantees when sponsoring trainees. Mobility managers should alert candidates who have not yet lodged applications—documents filed by 31 July will still be assessed against the old €615 benchmark. Campus France has advised applicants to upload refreshed proof of funds to their France-Visas account before attending biometric appointments to avoid rescheduling. Practically, the move reinforces France’s push to digitise and standardise immigration processing ahead of the full rollout of the EU Entry/Exit System in October. With peak visa season underway and appointment slots already scarce in many countries, stakeholders urge early action: “Arriving with insufficient documentation will almost certainly mean missing the autumn semester,” warns the French Consulate in Singapore. Travel-risk teams should monitor further updates, as parallel increases for dependent and researcher visas are under review for the 2027 budget cycle.
Source: Campus France (Singapore)
