France raises proof-of-funds requirement for student long-stay visas to €877.50 per month from 1 August

France-Visas, the government’s official application portal, has published a notice informing prospective international students that the minimum resources they must demonstrate for a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) will increase to €877.50 per month for all files submitted on or after 1 August 2026. The new threshold—equivalent to 70 % of France’s monthly minimum wage—represents an 8 % uptick on the previous figure of €812 and is designed to reflect higher housing and living costs recorded by INSEE over the past year. The change affects tens of thousands of degree-seekers from outside the European Economic Area, including those enrolled in English-language business-school programmes and Erasmus Mundus joint degrees that require an initial French residency period. Students can meet the requirement via personal savings, a bank guarantee, a notarised sponsorship letter or proof of a scholarship covering living expenses. Universities have welcomed the four-day advance notice but warn that some late applicants—particularly from emerging markets—may struggle to top up financial proofs before consular appointments. Business-school admissions teams are therefore urging incoming cohorts to upload updated bank certificates to the France-Visas portal immediately and to schedule earlier arrival dates to finalise accommodation contracts. For multinational employers that sponsor interns and sandwich-course trainees, the higher threshold will likely increase stipends or oblige companies to provide formal accommodation attestations. Immigration counsel recommend that HR departments revise template support letters and budget forecasts now to avoid last-minute visa refusals that could delay September onboarding cycles. The Interior Ministry has not yet announced parallel increases for other visa categories such as the “passeport talent” programme, but observers expect index-linked adjustments to follow in the autumn budget cycle.