Well...my husband and I had our interview for a long term Visa this past week..he will be fine....me...debatable...I am resigning my job and will not have an income. My husbands pension is $200 short for the both of us. I showed a large annuity but they want to see liquid assets. What would happen if I go over without a visa? Anyone have any experience? Any advice?
I don't have direct experience with this as I have dual citizenship French and American - however I'm aware of numerous Americans who come as a tourist and then just stay...you could plan to arrive separately from yr husband as a simple tourist. You should not have any problems getting into the country...and you'd avoid questions that will undoubtedly arise if you're accompanying your long-term-visa-husband without having yrself a long-term visa. This blog post may be useful to you. best of luck!
It may well be helpful to your cause if you have a lawful French resident who is both willing and able to stand as a financial guarantor for you so that it can be shown that you will not become a financial burden on the French State.
Hi Melissa
Do you have an Irish grandparent ? If you do (as many americans do) then you are automatically entitled to Irish citizenship. Nothing doddgy about it - a tribute to the historical links between Ireland and the US. With Irish citizenship you can live anywhere in the EU. So much easier
Arriving separately as a tourist will only entitle you to a maximum of 90 days in France. To get a long duree you have to show a lot of documentation, especially money. It is often impossible to change visas without going home to do so and nothing is guaranteed. I've had so many problems staying in France due to rules and barriers with visas I don't feel qualified to say more.
Hi, fellow American here. I was in Ireland for 11 years before coming to France 4 years ago, married to an EU citizen but still encountered difficulties in France as certain prefectures are confused and obfuscatory about rules. Rather than trying to find a back way in (not a great idea, in my opinion) have a look at this site:
http://www.jeantaquet.com
He or someone like him are your best bet. Bon courage.
Frances is correct. You can only apply for a long stay visa in your home country. You are already familiar with the paperwork involved in that, and since your road block is only a small monthly dollar/euro amount, might it be possible for your annuity to supplement that amount? Or perhaps you could start a small e business that would generate enough cashflow to get you qualified. You will need that visa to get into the French health care system. I would concentrate on finding a way to get income qualified, as opposed to stop-gap workarounds.
I can vouch for Katherine Davies, Jean Taquet is fantastic he is an attorney in Paris and also in the US he knows this subject inside and out, and is very helpful.
I too am a citizen of the US and a long term resident of France. I had to apply for my first long term visa for one year at our regional consulate in Chicago, in person. Then within 3 months of arriving in France, I had to visit the regional immigration office and then the prefecture every year for 5 years to renew my visa, then after that, the renewal period will be longer and I may be able to apply for citizenship. No, The US State Department says you don't have to give up your US citizenship and can have dual citizenship. I wouldn't recommend trying to stay long term without a visa. You can leave France but may not be able to get back in. Like others have suggested, there might be some way you can become more financially liquid and show more income. The fonctonnaires want to make sure you won't be a burden on the system! Good luck!