WHAT HAS CHANGED : you’ll no longer have to apply for a residence permit at the prefecture once in France.
When you submit your visa application, you’ll have to join a so-called “demande d’attestation OFII”.
At that time you’ll fill out the upper half of the OFII form. The form is available in French only.
You’ll also be given an explanatory note. Keep all your documents for the formalities that have to be carried out in
France.
To have evidence of your arrival in France, before exiting customs, make sure your passport receives a stamp with
the date of your arrival. If for some reason this is not possible, keep the stub of your airplane and/or train boarding pass
or any other document that helps determine the date you entered French territory.
As long as your student visa is valid, you are authorized to travel within the Schengen area for 3 months.The Schengen
countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden,
Switzerland.