HOW TO CONTACT THE CMI?
Students can reach us:
- by mail, at etudiant@cmibrest.fr
- by phone, 02 98 010 67 00
We are open to the public during the week:
- Monday through Friday, from 9AM to 12PM and from 1:30PM to 4PM. We close on Wednesday afternoons and during the weekend.
HOW DO I KEEP UP TO DATE ON CHANGES IN PROCEDURE?
CMI Brest informs you of changes via:
- its website, in particular the sections "COVID -19" and "RCS JONCTION" which you will find on our home page
- its webinars, "Les Jeudis du CMI"
- its Facebook account and Twitter account
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A VISA AND A RESIDENCE PERMIT?
A visa is used to legally enter a country, a residence permit is used to legally reside in that country.
WHEN AND HOW TO MAKE A FIRST REQUEST FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT?
When the words "residence permit" are used, they include:
- a long stay visa validated online, therefore visa + validation certificate
- a residence title (card)
- a resident certificate (card)
- a récépissé for a renewal of residence permit, accompanied by the old residence permit
- an APS (temporary residence permit)
The first requests for residence permits at CMI Brest therefore concern:
- students arriving in France with a “schooled minor” visa
- students with a 3-month or 6-month visa who need to request a residence permit within two months of arriving in France
- Passeport Talent researchers with a contract exceeding one year and their spouse
WHEN SHOULD THE FIRST REQUEST FOR A RESIDENCE PERMIT BE MADE?
For students who are minors: the first request for a residence permit has to be made within 2 months of turning 18.
For other students, it must be made within 2 months after your arrival in France.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET A RECEPISSE?
Récépissés will soon be obsolete, as they are replaced by online attestations de décision favorable. The current waiting time for the Brest sous-préfecture is around 1 to 2 months.
For in-person procedures, a récépissé is given to you at the end of your
CAN I GO TO MY COUNTRY AND RETURN BEFORE THE END OF VALIDITY OF MY VISA?
Normally: Yes, if your visa has been validated and you have your validation certificate.
However, in a crisis like the one we are currently experiencing with COVID-19, you cannot be sure that you will be able to return to France before the end of your visa. If your visa expires, you will need to request a return visa or a new student visa from the French consulate closest to your home. We advise you to take with your documents proving your situation in France (school certificate, student card, rental lease, invoice, etc.)
HOW TO RENEW MY RESIDENCE PERMIT?
During lockdown, regularly consult the "RCS JONCTION" section of the home page of the CMI Brest website
WILL I RENEW MY VISA WITHOUT PROBLEM AT THE END OF LOCKDOWN?
Deadlines are to be expected because there will be a high influx of requests.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE YOUR INTERNSHIP YET?
If the internship has not been completed, the student must normally be registered for the following academic year, or benefit from a postponement of education and have in hand a certificate from his/her university/college certifying this.
The procedure to follow is therefore that of a renewal. There is no change of status, the person remains under student status.
WHAT ARE THE PROCEDURES FOR EXTENDING A RESIDENCE PERMIT?
Extensions of residence permits are made on an exceptional basis, for example to allow a doctoral student to defend his/her thesis.
In most cases, we refer to this as a "renewal of residence permit". This procedure is changing this year. You must consult the "RCS JONCTION" section on the home page of the CMI Brest website regularly to be informed about the procedures to follow.
I SUBMITTED MY REQUEST AND I HAVE HAD NO NEWS. WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?
First step is to check your emails (and spam) and your ANEF account. You may have receive a request for additional documents!
Secondly, it depends on the type of request. First request? Renewal? Status change?
Email us (etudiant@cmibrest.fr) as many details as possible and include your attestation de dépôt, so that we have as much information as possible to work with.
I RECEIVED A RÉCÉPISSÉ/ATTESTATION DE DÉCISION FAVORABLE, BUT NO TEXT TO NOTIFY ME THAT MY RESIDENCE PERMIT WAS AVAILABLE. WHAT CAN I DO?
There is usually a month and a half between receiving a récépissé and your permit being available for pick up at the sous-préfecture. If you have received your récépissé only a few weeks ago, no need to worry just yet.
If it's been two months and you still haven't had any news from the sous-préfecture, send us your récépissé or attestation de décision favorable by email (etudiant@cmibrest.fr), so that we can check if your permit is available.
Once it is, we advise you to pick it up sooner rather than later, as you won't be able to renew it without having picked it up first!
CAN I CHOOSE THE TIME OF MY APPOINTMENT AT THE SOUS-PRÉFECTURE?
No.
An appointment at the sous-préfecture is mandatory and not something you can afford to be late for, or to miss. It must come before your other obligations.
The visa you received to study in France was for a specific reason: to study. It's that visa that allowed you to get a residence permit to stay and affords you rights (to study, to work, to travel...). You cannot work backwards ("I will travel so my permit must be ready by X date") : you need to think with the permit first ("My permit expires at X date, so I must have renew it by Y date to be able to travel").