Immigration: Those foreign students we’ve been tearing apart
What will you do next year? “She probably has a PhD in neuroscience from Paris-V or Saclay,” says Lisha, a 20-year-old Chinese woman with a master’s degree in DC. At the moment, in the Cité internationale, where she lives, the atmosphere is set for revisions. “Tomorrow, I have some partials,” you say, in English with a touch of Mandarin.
Like them, the number of foreign students in France is growing: nearly 400,000 in all. That’s up 8% in one year, the strongest increase in fifteen years. According to INSEE, which is published this Thursday An extensive file on “immigrants and descendants of immigrants”Studies have become the main reason for coming to our country, just before the family reunion.
In the Cité internationale de Paris, where 12,000 students and researchers from 150 nationalities reside, demand is growing. “The number of applications has increased by almost 20% this year,” estimates Michelle Krebs, director of residence. Such a vast campus where the pavilions are lined with the colors of the world, people come from all over the world to take courses in Molière’s language, especially in the sciences. Morocco and Algeria took the first two steps, followed by China, Italy and Senegal. “Covid has delayed projects. suggests Jean-Christophe Dumont, an expert on international migration at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
France remains competitive despite its high tuition fees
The health crisis does not explain everything. This jump is all the more exciting because it follows a sharp rise in university tuition fees for non-Europeans. “Despite everything, we are still very competitive. If non-EU citizens now have to pay 2,700 euros for a year for a bachelor’s degree and 3,700 euros for a master’s degree (for 170 euros and 243 euros for others)This is much lower than what is practiced in the Anglo-Saxon countries, where prices can exceed 20,000 euros a year, ”confirms Donatien Hussard, Director General of Campus France, the national agency responsible for promoting tricolor higher education abroad.
On the part of the public authorities, we also highlight efforts to strengthen the assets of the Enlightenment state, in particular its sectors of excellence. Last year, Campus France organized more than fifty exhibitions or events abroad to impress the hesitant. Among the most targeted regions: Asia, a heavyweight demographic with a highly mobile population, and Africa. France has always received many foreign students, and it is receiving more and more, but this is also the case for other countries. Indeed, we are witnessing a global phenomenon of the internationalization of studies “, analyzes Jean-Christophe Dumont.
In this field the competition is fierce. The researcher points out that “France was the fourth host country, but Germany overtook it, and today it finds itself in sixth place, closely followed by Japan, which has a very active policy.” The government has set itself the goal of reaching 500,000 international students by 2027. The benefit? Expenses for food, rent, entertainment, transportation, visiting relatives … According to a survey conducted by the Kantar Institute, they represent a windfall of 5 billion euros annually. Subtracting 3.7 billion from the public spending they benefit from (housing aid, scholarships, social security, etc.), the gain still exceeds 1 billion euros. But these not neglected benefits are far from being the main motivation.
A “talent pool” for multinationals and SMEs alike
“We are helping more and more companies with their foreign student recruitment projects,” says Geraldine Reynauder, principal at Fragomen, a specialist law firm. So far it has been mainly multinational companies but we also support SMEs and startups. These companies come to take advantage of the major universities and schools ‘talent pool’.
“In fact, the professional integration of foreign students is often hampered by the long and complex administrative procedures, which qualifies this specialist. The employer and the young graduate may encounter technical barriers, and processing times of up to several months, discouraging them from their efforts. The result: after five years From their studies, two-thirds of them have left the country. But these too can be interesting in terms of soft power. The hope is that, upon their return, they will become ambassadors to France,” notes Jean-Christophe Dumont.
“Unapologetic pop culture trailblazer. Freelance troublemaker. Food guru. Alcohol fanatic. Gamer. Explorer. Thinker.”