Visa de Long Séjour

This source “French Long Stay Visa Application” by Laura K. Lawless addressed how to apply and receive a visa de long séjour, or Long stay visa. The requirements for a person who desires to live in France for a year but not working are:

• A passport with three copies
• All the long stay visa application forms
• Five pictures (one for each application and one extra)
• Financial guarantee (since you will not be working they need to verify that you will have enough money to live on), this can include a bank reference letter, an account statement or proof of income from an employer.
• Medical insurance that will be valid in France
• Police guarantee, proving your record is clean
• Signed letter assuring that you won’t be paid for anything in France
• You must pay the 99 euros visa fee.

She encouraged you to figure out where you want to go first and allot two weeks to gather all the necessary paperwork, but it could take longer. The entire application process can take around two months and once you receive the visa you have a year to depart for France. Next, you should go to the police station to get your police guarantee because it will take a few weeks, then apply for the medical insurance and gather the financial guarantee documents. Photocopy everything because you will need all of the documents again. You then have to go to the French Consulate nearest you to give them your paperwork and pay the fees. There will then be an interview mainly about why you want to move to France and they may ask for more documents such as a confirmation of where you will stay when you arrive. If your visas are denied you can appeal to the Commission contre les Refus de Visa and it can take up to a year to get a reply back (if you receive no reply your appeal was turned down). You need to bring the application forms, photos and passport when you go to pick up your visa. “The visa de long séjour does not in fact give you permission to live in France - it just gives you permission to apply for the carte de séjour” (Lawless), which is your residence permit.

This source was very helpful and I enjoyed reading it. Laura actually went through this process, therefore she was able to provide helpful insights into the process. It was a more in-depth look at the emigration procedure and it will be a great asset to help me decide which country would be the easiest to move to.

Lawless, Laura K. “French Long Stay Visa Application. “www.French.about.com.about.com, June 2006. Web. 30 Mar 2010. <http://french.about.com/od/travelfrance/a/visa-residencecard.htm>.

http://french.about.com/od/travelfrance/a/visa-residencecard.htm

Emigration Process in France

Emigrating to France is a difficult endeavor, and there are numerous ways to achieve it. Any person who wishes to enter the country has to have a entry permit or a long stay visa, and the only way to obtain this document is to be approved by a foreign consulate. The long stay visa is required before a person can receive a stay card, which is necessary if a person is aiming to stay in France for an extended time period. Work Visas are also available if a person is hired by a French company. The company initiates the process, then they send in all of the employee’s documents. After they work their way through the system the employee has to personally show up to the French Consulate and agree to a medical examination, only then will the work permit be granted. Citizenship can be gained after five years of of living in France, having French parents, or marrying a French citizen. “French law does not require that when a foreigner becomes French he renounce his original nationality”, therefore once becoming a citizen you have the option of dual citizenship.

This was a really good source for my topic because it highlighted the basic points for emigrating to France and it explained the different ways to receive access to the country. It provided me with a general idea of what it takes to emigrate and helped me to figure out the easiest way to do it. I would say it would be simplest to marry a French citizen or arrange a job beforehand and apply for a work visa, but it is feasible to do it the other ways. Understanding how the emigration process in France operates will help me compare it to the emigration process of New Zealand in an educated and objective manner.

"Visas & Immigration Laws in France."www.Frenchlaw.com. French Law Publications Limited, 2002. Web. 45 Mar 2010..

http://www.frenchlaw.com/Immigration_Visas.htm