French Student Visa Situation

[Tom10101]

Hey everyone

I am a UK citizen who is (was ? ) going to study a Masters in Paris starting this September. I Completed my France visa online form at the start of July and made my appointment with TLScontact which was scheduled for earlier this month. However they have pushed back my appointment, apparently because of COVID, so now I am left in a situation where my appointment is now after my planned arrival date and will be too late to make it for the start of my course.

So I am wondering what my options are. I will try to apply for an additional passport in the UK so I can travel on a short stay visa while my other passport is held for the visa decision, though I am not hopeful it will work.

Is it possible to go for the 90-day period and apply for a student visa while in France?
Could I reschedule my appointment, then travel to France and come back to the UK during a half term and hope that TLS return my passport in time or is this stupid ?
How long to TLS usually take to return your passport after your appointment ?

I have been trying for weeks but have still not managed to make contact with anyone from TLS so I have no idea how long passports are typically held for. The website says 15 working days, but the website also said an appointment would be available 48 after applying on France visas and it over 2 months away!

I would be really grateful for any advice or even just somewhere that I can contact to get advice about this.

Thanks for all your help

Tom