The relevant authorities in the UK have revealed that they have decided on a couple of plans to ease entry requirements for students from France.
This has been done to make it easier for French pupils to not have to face various travel restrictions when going on school trips.
In the last couple of years, the number of trips of students coming in from France has rapidly gone down.
As per Euronews, the territory of the British used to be a popular destination for various school trips throughout France.
Before the UK announced that it was leaving the European Union, which turned into the Brexit phenomenon, more than 10,000 French students visited the country in a year.
School trips
According to travel companies in the UK, school trips help generate around €116 million for the UK economy each year.
However, since Brexit happened and new rules were implemented across the country, the number of school trips went down significantly.
The outcome is believed to be consistent with the added requirements for documentation at the time of entry.
As of now, students are required to show an ID card and a passport, as well as a visa, if they are not citizens of any member state within the EU.
It is a known fact that half of the people from France do not have a passport, as it is not required for travel within the EU.
Moreover, it can often be a hassle for French parents to undergo the hassle of securing a passport.
Outcome
Due to the lack of passports for French children, schools had to leave behind children when going on trips.
At times, school authorities went on to ask families to pay a sum of €116 to go through the visa process at the British Embassy located in Paris.
Consequently, Representative authorities from the UK and France decided to arrange a meeting to discuss this particular matter earlier in the year.
The Prime Minister of Britain, Rishi Sunak, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, issued a statement to communicate that they had plans in place to expand the cooperation policy.
They further added that a new policy would be introduced on school education, which would facilitate exchanges and school trips.
New plans
In the previous week, the Parliament of the UK sat down to discuss plans to permit school groups to travel to the country with only ID cards.
Consequently, it was decided that non-EU pupils would be exempted from visa requirements and would only need a passport to travel to the UK.
The new rules will be implemented starting the 28th of December and will apply to all minors below the age of 18.
However, these minors should be studying at an educational institution or school in France which is registered with the Ministry of Education.
Meanwhile, school trips will only be considered if they include five or more students from such educational institutions.
In case this measure is successful, the UK has revealed that it will apply the same rules to other member states within the EU.
