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Hi,

I’m an American and I moved to France back in 2003. Quick answer? It could be easy  but be prepared for some amount of frustration. There are relatively few Americans on France compared to the number of Europeans, so the bureaucrats in France don’t have a lot of experience in how to deal with us. That said, they are perhaps more aware if what to do with  non-Europeans these days since all the Brits now have the same immigration status as Americans (or any other non-Europeans). But in the end, they do welcome us and you'll eventually succeed in getting a residency permit. Something you should be sure to do is make several copies of every single piece of paper you had to use to get your visa. Also, we found - the day before we left! - that we would need a letter from the French Consulate saying that you are moving from the US to France. Its a formality, but it seemed necessary. That may have changed but you should check with your consulate. They are a great resource, of course, and will be up to date on what the latest rules are. Once you’re here, you'll have to renew your permit every year for, I think, 5 years. After that you can apply for a 10 year permit. Typically, its easy,  ut can take some time. In our experience, each year we would bring a pile of papers to the Prefecture, and they would give us a check off list of other papers they wanted. We'd bring those and often get yet another list. But eventually we'd end up with the permit.   But in the end, they will make it work. They actually seem to want to make it work but French bureaucracy is so convoluted it annoys the bureaucrats just as much as it annoys everyone they're trying to help. Anyway, good luck!

Forgot to add that your renewals are done in France. BTW, I’m assuming you already have someplace to live in France. That's paramount.

Thank you so much for your comprehensive response.
It certainly gives me a good insight into what's ahead.

It's this first step and the anxieties of waiting for the ok on the visa
and having everything on hold not knowing if they'll approve it... though
I'm feeling like they will!  ....I do have that pending property lease, which as you say is Paramount!

Thank you!

In answer to your question #2, "good" in France means you have enough income (currently, I'm told, 3000€ per month) to not be a drain on the French social services system. In other words, they want you to be self-sufficient. If you have a high enough income, it doesn't matter whether you're a saint or a drug kingpin. They'll let you in.

Nothing is simple. You are here with a one-year visa? So you have a reason to be here that they accepted? They gave you instructions on what to do when you arrived. You do that and they will tell you what to do next. Nothing is fast and if they say 3 months it will not be less unless you missed something or got it wrong or not translated. They will tell you if it needs to be translated. You can get approved certified Translations on the web overnight.
The only thing that I had trouble with was trading my driver's license in for a French one. It took a year and got sent back twice for more. But that part was all by email.

And you need to ask questions here. And to answer your question you have to give me more information. Why are you here? Doing what? Immigrating? Just a visit? School? Working? They all are different. If you are here for family reasons. You presented Documents to get the Visa.
For any reason, you need to keep the documents because they will be needed (maybe) at every step. You were told to contact the Prefecture within 90 days of arriving? Go to the Prefects web page for the department that you gave as your destination. Even if you read French use Google Translate to confirm. It translates a document written in PDF or the phone APP will do it by reading the text. Caution it is not perfect - him and her, he and she, male and female is only 50% right. And if you use Google Chrome on your computer it will do well on most web pages. Caution. I print to file PDFs in both English and French of pages and forms so they are easy to go back to. Next time they will be different but maybe the same number. Always check. Ok, the first contact is to ensure that you are here and where you said you would be. And collect the tax stamp. That happens fast. Every Perfect is different. But the email and the number you get are proof you checked in and that may be it for the year. Or they will tell you. You will have to set up the next appointment. If they say 2 months before it runs out that's it, start then. As long as you contact them and get an appointment before the end. Even if the appointment is after your VLS runs out the appointment email is your pass. The renewal will start on the day after the old one runs out whenever it happens.
You will never see the headman, you deal with whoever is at the window when your appointment happens. And they just check the papers against the list. It is only mins you pass, or get sent back to go. All documents requested, copied onto A4 paper one side (it all gets scanned) no folds, bends, or staples. In the exact order of the list of documents. (Hard to do sometimes) (the same Document in 2 places works. I put them in a folder and use paper clips to hold groups. It is about making it easy for them. Be on time, No extra talk, smile, Listen to the person. Appointment paper first, ID next, document papers next. If they want to see the original you must have it or you have to come back. I keep a big file with me for the interview with the originals in the same order. And a second one with everything from the start. And watch the things like your birth certificate and others that have to be less than (X) months old. Or greater than (x) months before they expire. My Perfect lets me send the file in by mail or internet transfer. Never send the only original. If they want to see the original. that will slow things down. Good copies are a must. I have always done it in person. But now I know the rules so next time Internet. When copying a passport for entry proof copy all the pages including the first blank one. And if you married and have a Green Book it is the same they need that blank page.
John

Three months before your one-year visa is up, you ask for an extension from the prefecture. They are very easy on this. You just keep requesting an extension till you get to stay for good, if that’s what you want.

I am hoping to move from the US to Paris with my son in January 2022.  At this point I am scouting schools for him, he's 14.  My question is, do I have to show monthly income or can it be a bank account balance?  I may not find a job in the first few months but I have enough for living expenses.

First of all, do you have a visa allowing you an extended stay in France? If not, that would be a show-stopper (unless, of course, you are an EU citizen). Assuming you have the right to live in France beyond 90 days, your next step would be to obtain titres de sejour for yourself and your son, which would qualify you for social services (school, medical, dental, etc.). In order to qualify for a titre de sejour, you need to show that you're self-sufficient, i.e., your annual income is sufficient to meet your needs. In my case, I came to France from the US and even with my partner's help (she's a fonctionnaire and knows her way around the French bureaucracy), it took over four months for me to get my titre de sejour.

I do not have a visa, I will be applying in October.  The consulate has advised me not to apply more than 90 days prior to departure.  At this point, I am just trying to secure a school and an apartment before I submit the application.  I think my only concern at this point is if my bank statement is sufficient without a job.  Of course, the consulate representative could not confirm that.

If you're rich, you won't have any problem because the expected or real income from your assets (say, by using a conservative investment strategy) will be enough to enable you to live without government assistance. Otherwise, your account balance will probably not be enough to enable you to live in France.

Haha, not rich at all.  I was told I am able to stay if my son is in school. From your knowledge, is that true?

Well, from what I understand, your son could get an education visa if he were accepted to university here (you didn't say what level he was at. University level for a 14 year old is unusual but not unheard of; a colleague of mine did just that: finished high school at 12, waited a year to mature, then started MIT at 14). Also, you didn't say if you planned to enroll him in a public or private "college" (middle school) or how fluent he was in French. If not at all fluent, maybe an International school would be in order, although if he's immersed in a French milieu, he would probably become fluent within 3 months, but it would be a tough 3 months for him! Everythng he read and heard would be gibberish until suddenly it all falls into place; that's how it seems to work.

But I digress. Even if he did qualify for an education visa, I'm pretty sure you couldn't come along fro the ride; you'd need to qualify some other way, unless YOU plan to enroll in a class (I wonder if cooking schools qualify; if so that could be fun, at least, if you love cooking).

Does anyone else have any ideas?

Thanks so much.  It would be lycée and he does speak French. 
Cooking class would be an excellent idea.

So much the better, that he speaks French! If you do decide to enroll in a cooking course, talk to me first. We would have much to discuss.

Hello, I am from Morocco. I am looking for a work contract in agriculture. Can you help me? Thank you

Bonjour je m'appelle Youssef du maroc j'ai 28 ans j'ai un bac je souhaite immigrer en france pour y vivre et travailler dans n'importe quel domaine que ce soit dans l'agriculture ou autre.  j'ai besoin d'aide

ONe thing to be careful about when applying for the visa: If you are intending to be a permanent resident in France make sure you do not apply for  VLS "temporaire." We had that and were not allowed to renew it in France.

Hello Painthacker,

I have been living in France for 3 years now on a student's visa.  I studies french language the first two years so that I could integrate easier and last year, I enrolled in an MBA program.  I finished the academic part and now in search for an internship to complete the program.  It's just all been a negative response to the internship application which is getting quite frustrating.

I agree from experience that the visa is renewed yearly and that's provided that I could show proof that I have registered in a school which allows me to work just part time.  Do you have an idea or suggestion on how else I could stay here in France if I am no longer a student to reach the 5 years and hopefully apply for a carte de séjour where I could eventually work full time ?  Let's get real, I can't be a student forever LOL. :-)

Thank you in advance for any information that you might or could share.

Regards,
Ana

Hello, Ana,

Assuming you do not also have EU citizenship and are not a US diplomat, the only way I can think of to stay and enjoy all the rights residents have would be to marry an EU citizen living in France.

Bob

you can be a student for the time needed to get your "carte" ;p

Note that she said she did not intend to continue enrolled in school.

Hi Bob,

That's right, I am not an expat through work.  I came to France after quitting my job in NYC to learn the language and see if I actually like it here as it has always been my dream to live in France since I first visited.  Anyhow, if I stay for 5 years as a student, could that eventually be a path to getting a resident card?  Note that I could enrol again for french classes as I have not reached the highest level which I believe is C2.

Je vous remercie.

Hi, again. My girlfriend has returned and I spoke to her about your situation. She said that when you go to the French consulate, you need to apply specifically for a visa longue sejour and for that you apply right away. Apparently, when you spoke to them you just asked for a visa; you need to be specific because they thought you just wanted a tourist visa which, as you know, is limited to 90 days. That's why they told you to not apply until 90 days before you expect to arrive.

As for working in France, you would need to apply for a work visa while in the US. You first need to have an offer from a company in France, either a French company or an American one. You can't just blow in and start knocking on doors!

Thanks Bob.  So staying there while my son is in school is not an option?

Karen

Not unless you already have a visa longue sejour. And remember, your son needs to be admitted to a college or lycee for him to qualify for an education visa. Once he's admitted (and while you're still in the US, of course), you contact the French consulate and request an education visa.

Hold on. I told you the wrong thing. Your son does not apply for an education visa. He comes along on YOUR visa longue sejour. Once you're both in France, he will autmatically be enrolled in the neighborhood lycee or college. If it turns out he's not sufficiently fluent in French, he will be referred to a school that offers remedial lessons.

One more thing: Dominique doesn't think you'll be able to arrive in France as quickly as you think, in part because of the pandemic situation vis-a-vis the US. Also, keep in mind that school attendance for minors is mandatory and begins in September. It's all very complicated, I'm afraid, but still your first step is to contact the French consulate and get your visa application in.

Yes, I am concerned about travel.  The one good thing is we are both vaccinated and as of now we can still enter France.  That may change by the end of the year .

I was hoping to get him started in January.  I will be in France next month to visit the Rectorat.  Worst case we may have to wait until September 2022.  Say thank you to Dominique.

Karen

Hi -
I do have a CDS as I am currently enrolled in a school.  If I continue to be enrolled for another 2 years with the hopes to getting further improving my french language learning, will I then be entitled to apply for a regular CDS resident and no longer student after the 5th year ?
Thank much for sharing your thoughts.
Ana