🇨🇦 Canada → France
A complete, search-friendly guide for applicants from Canada: admission route, documents, visa, funding and arrival steps.
General information only — not official guidance. Rules change, so confirm with the official source before you act.
At a glance
Americas
At a glance
Direct application
At a glance
English-taught options common
What to do for this route
These sections are generated from the same editorial framework, so each country page stays consistent while still being specific to your route.
Canadian bachelor's or DEC/CEGEP; Québec applicants benefit from established agreements. Apply by the institution's deadline. For public universities, you must use the 'Mon Master' platform for M1 entry (typically Feb-April) and 'Parcoursup' for a first-year licence (Jan-March).
- For Licence 1 (first undergraduate year) at public universities, apply on Parcoursup (Jan-Mar).
- For Master 1 in a public university, apply on Mon Master (Feb-Apr).
- For 'Grandes Ă©coles' and private schools, apply directly on the school's own portal, following their specific deadlines.
- Francophone applicants are usually exempt from a language test.
No Études en France procedure — direct application; Campus France Canada provides orientation. You can still use Campus France resources for programme search, grade equivalence and scholarship calls.
- No Études en France procedure — direct application; Campus France Canada provides orientation.
- No Campus France attestation is required for your visa or enrolment file.
- Keep the same email address across Campus France, Parcoursup, Mon Master and the school portals.
The VLS-TS application is submitted at VFS Global (Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa). No EEF step is required for Canadian citizens. The VLS-TS (long-stay student visa) is required for any stay over 90 days for study purposes.
- Use the France-Visas wizard to generate your exact document list before booking.
- Your VLS-TS Ă©tudiant must be validated online via the ANEF platform within 3 months of your arrival in France.
- Renewals are filed on ANEF, ideally 2–4 months before expiry.
Prepare your transcripts, diploma, and passport. Applicants from Québec may need to provide specific civil status documents.
- Use one consistent spelling of your name across every document.
- Check whether your country requires apostille (Hague) or full consular legalisation.
- Keep certified digital scans — you will re-upload them for housing, CAF and the bank.
Proof of €{{visa.proof_of_resources_annual}}/year is shown via bank statements or an official confirmation letter for a provincial student loan.
- The reference figure is about €{{visa.proof_of_resources_monthly}}/month for the visa file.
- A guarantor file is usually needed for private housing, even when the visa file is complete.
- Scholarship award letters strengthen both the admission and the visa file.
Funding routes commonly used by students from Canada. Deadlines usually fall months before admission results, so track them in parallel with your application.
- Eiffel Excellence Scholarship — Outstanding international master's and PhD candidates — nominated by the French institution, not by the student
- Frontenac Scholarship (FRQ–France) — Québec doctoral students in co-supervision
- French Embassy scholarship — Canada — Applicants residing in Canada; calls usually open between November and March
Direct flights to CDG from Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver.
- Week 1: SIM card, transport pass, proof of address (attestation d'hébergement or lease).
- Week 1–2: open a French bank account and request your RIB.
- Week 2: validate the VLS-TS on ANEF.
University enrolment, social security registration, CAF housing aid and student insurance — done in this order, the first month stays manageable.
- Complete administrative enrolment and pay the CVEC before your student card is issued.
- Register for social security (assurance maladie) online using your enrolment certificate and birth certificate.
- File the CAF housing-aid application in the month you move in — it is not retroactive.
The recurring blockers reported by students from Canada.
- Confusing exchange status with degree-seeking status
- Late ANEF validation
- Not requesting transcripts in French where useful
Every step above points back to a government or national-platform source. Check the date on each official page before acting on it.
What we already know about this country
No Études en France procedure — direct application; Campus France Canada provides orientation.
Apply by the institution's deadline. For public universities, you must use the 'Mon Master' platform for M1 entry (typically Feb-April) and 'Parcoursup' for a first-year licence (Jan-March).
Prepare your transcripts, diploma, and passport. Applicants from Québec may need to provide specific civil status documents.
Proof of €{{visa.proof_of_resources_annual}}/year is shown via bank statements or an official confirmation letter for a provincial student loan. The VLS-TS application is submitted at VFS Global (Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa). No EEF step is required for Canadian citizens.
Estimate housing aid and plan ahead
CAF is one of the biggest money questions after arrival, so we’re surfacing it directly on the country page.
Eligible for CAF
Usually needs a French lease and residency status.
€176
Estimated monthly CAF support
What you may still pay
€344
This is a directional estimate. CAF uses income, household size, lease details and property rules. Check the official simulator before making a financial decision.