LEGAL UPDATES
| Entry |
 |
 |
 |
Q&A:
Q1: What formalities do nationals from non-European Union countries have to undertake if they want to reside in France longer than three months? A: You need to get a visa before you come to France. You have to apply for it at the French Consulate closest to your place of residence in your country of origin or where you reside. This visa will authorize you to come to France legally. ^top Q2: What type of visa do I need to stay in France longer than three months? A: Nationals from non-EU countries need to get a long-stay visa in their country of origin. This visa authorized them to come to France legally. Holders of a long-stay visa must then apply for a residence permit (valid one year) within the week following their arrival in France. There are different reasons that justify one's application for a long-stay visa: coming to France to study (student visa), coming to France to reside without working when you have the means (visitor visa), coming to France to retire (retirement visa), coming to France to work when authorized to do so (employee visa, a formality that goes through the ANAEM National Agency for the Reception of Foreigners and Migration), getting married in France, etc. ^top Q3: Can I go to France just to live for a year without working? A: Yes, if you have the means and if you have health insurance coverage valid in France. You must apply for a long-term "visitor" visa in your country of origin, and then for a "visitor" residence permit once you have arrived in France. This residence permit will be valid one year. The government administrative offices will examine attentively your bank statements, because you must prove that you have the means to live in France for one year. You cannot work for a French company with this residence permit. ^top Q4: I have double nationality: Italian and American. I am married and I have three children who are American. Can I come work in France? What does my family have to do? A: Yes, you can come work in France. If you and your spouse have Italian passports, you do not need either a visa or a residence permit. If your spouse and children only have American nationality, they need to get visas and, when they arrive in France, your spouse will have to get a residence permit and your children will need a travel document (Document de Circulation-DCEM). ^top Q5: Do I have the right to live and work in France once I'm married to a French citizen? A: Spouses of French citizens have the right to live and work in France. They can apply for a ten-year resident card after two years of marriage, as long as they still live with their French spouse. This ten-year resident card allows them to work. Nationals from non-EU countries who want to come to France to get married and to live here longer than three months must apply for a "long-stay visa for marriage". Once in France, they can apply for a "private and family life" temporary residence permit. To get married, at least one of the spouses must have lived in France for a minimum of 40 days prior to the date of the marriage. In France, a civil ceremony must precede any religious ceremony. ^top Q6: Is it possible to stay in France as an au pair if I come on a tourist visa? A: No. It is not possible to come to France with a tourist visa and then apply for "au pair" status. France has specific programs and formalities for people who want to work as au pairs. However, people who have a student status can get an au pair status once they are in France. The duration of stay for an au pair is generally one year. Au pairs are considered, first of all, to be students, and then workers. It is required to know or to study French in order to have this status. You cannot work more than 30 hours a week. You must get a "long-stay visa" for "family and homecare help" from the French consulate of your country of origin. You must be between 18 and 30 years old. You must arrange to make direct contact with a French family, or indirectly through an agency. Your work contract must be approved by the foreign labour office of the French Ministry of Labour. ^top Q7: When I arrived in France, I had a medical check-up during which they asked me to sign a "reception and integration contract". Do I have to sign it? What am I committing to? A: Yes, you must sign it if you are looking at long-term settlement in France. With this "reception and integration contract", France commits to facilitating your integration into French society and offers you, free of charge, a training session in civics to familiarize you with the values of the French Republic (notably, equality between men and women and secularism). You are also offered a free introduction to daily life in France with a presentation of the various administrations (health insurance, family allowances, etc.). You are obliged to attend these two training sessions, which are certified by an "regular attendance certificate". You also have to take a French test and, if you do not have good enough French, you will have to take compulsory French classes, which are free of charge. These courses lead to an examination. Respecting the terms of this contract will be taken into consideration at the time you renew your residence permit and when you apply for "resident" status (ten-year resident card). For more information, please contact us directly. |
| Last Updated on Monday, 12 October 2009 10:58 |
PRIVATE ACCESS
PRESENTATIONS
| Next presentations | to come |
| Read more... |
PARTNERSHIPS
| Discover our partners... |
| Read more... |
