Whether or not this is your first time away from your country, you are probably thinking about the different aspects of living in a new culture. Most grantees find that they must make some adjustments, since many things are new or unfamiliar. The process you will go through may be difficult, but it is also exciting and contributes to your personal enrichment and understanding of other ways of life.

Adapting to another culture may be frustrating at times, but there are people at your host university and at LASPAU who are able to help. Temporary problems should not discourage you. A growing familiarity with the new culture and with the resources available to you will greatly increase your enjoyment of your surroundings. You can read more about the process of cross-cultural adjustment by downloading this document in PDF format.

Immigration, Education, and Culture

Two websites provide useful information for international students in France.

Health Care

If included in your contract, LASPAU will automatically enroll you in the Virginia Surety insurance plan once you become a LASPAU-administered grantee, unless you inform us that you have alternative coverage. The Virginia Surety insurance plan, provided at no cost to you, is only for you and does not include any of your dependents. Please click here for more information on the Virginia Surety insurance plan, as well as on how to obtain coverage for your dependents.

Employment

If you or your dependents would like to work while in France, you must be certain that both your program sponsor and the French government will allow you do so:

If you work or receive grant funding in France, you may be expected to pay taxes. Please consult with the international student advisor at your host institution or the appropriate French government agency.


Housing and Your Mailing Address

Local newspapers, websites such as departiculieraparticulier.fr, seloger.com, fusac.fr,or expatriates.com and your host university's international office can often serve as excellent resources when searching for off-campus or on-campus housing. There are also several Paris-specific housing websites including: locaflat.com and paris-apts.com, amongst others.

Make sure your mailbox at your home, dormitory, or residence hall indicates your full name (first and all surnames), since some postal carriers in France may not be accustomed to multiple surnames.

You must register your address with the proper authorities in France. The international advisor at your host institution should be able to give you information on who you need to register with.


The French Post Office may provide a mail redirection service if you move while in your home country. This is generally done by filling out a mail redirection form. There is sometimes a small fee for the forwarding service.

Please note that the websites listed under the Immigration, Education, and Culture section and Redirecting Your Mail section are not maintained by LASPAU and LASPAU is not responsible for any of their contents. Please let us know if you find other online resources that might be helpful to international students in France.


Last revised: July 7, 2006