Here is your first Forum » Immigration to France

Introducing France which can be described as one of the biggest European countries with rich cultural heritage and respect for human rights. Statistics show us that the population of France is currently estimated at around 67.3 million. The biggest ethnic group is French. France also hosts many foreigners from Spain and Italy. There are also many immigrants from Algeria and Morocco, in addition to the other former French colonies in North Africa. The official language is French.

The Official currency is the Euro (EUR). France is a core member state of the European Union and the Schengen area, which provides many benefits for its residents. Currently France has no running business immigration programs, however, it is still possible to acquire a residence permit in France. For short stays up to 90 days, a visa will be required.

It may be quite difficult to obtain a residence permit in France, due to the strict immigration policies, in contrast with other European countries, such as Latvia. There is a significant difference in French law between a simple "visa" and a long stay or a residence permit, officially called "stay document" (carte de séjour in French). A long stay visa or entry permit is necessarily required for any person applying for a stay document. Applicant has to proceed by submitting an application with all supporting documents to a French Consular authority and receive an approval to travel to France. For the nationals of the OECD member states and the citizens of the U.S.A., however, no long stay visa is required to stay in France for a time period up to 90 days.

If you are a non-EU citizen, in order to stay in France for more than 3 months, you need a temporary residence permit, skills and talents residence card, resident card or retired residence permit. Thus, anyone entering France with the intention to stay in excess of 90 days and intends to work or study in France must have a long term visa or entry permit issued by the French authorities.

Immigration service providers
Despite the fact that the French law sets certain exceptions for visa and entry permit requirements, the generally applied rule is that an applicant shall not be granted a stay document, as long as he hasn’t been previously evaluated and approved by a French Consulate. Thus, any person seeking entry to France must start out by drafting and submitting an application to the French Consulate, which is specifically responsible for his country of residence. Submitting application to a wrong Consulate authority most likely will result in refusal to issue an approval. Such services are usually best provided by law offices and immigration agencies.