It won't take that long, it's just an absolute maximum if everything goes haywire, and it won't!
Photo this time please Carol! Thank you! xx
They told the avocat they were not required to provide a reason for denial. She has appealed to some board who has two months to respond. If we don't hear from them by the beginning of August, she says we can go to a tribunal. All of this is quite overwhelming to me as well. I really don't want to go home, but I feel like I am running out of options.
Donna, my sympathies. May I ask if they gave a reason for denying his visa? This has suddenly become very interesting to me. OFII, Office of Justice and American Embassy all expressed surprise when I told them the consulate had refused a visa. At least they did it in person. How terrible to hear nothing. And the avocat could not help?
Shauna,
Yes, someone should have warned you that there are court-approved translators. They charge about 40 euros per page. I learned that a little over a year ago when we were getting married. The Marie gave us a list of approved translators. I'm sorry you weren't told; but I'm not surprised.
And yes, I also spent some time waiting in the Prefecture last week. I did not mention earlier that in addition to dealing with my son's VISA issue, I am also: a) renewing my carte de sejour--all that paper work all over again; b) getting my driving permit changed--yet another dossier; and c) before I can do either of those I have to get a new passport b/c the Prefecture said OFII made a mistake last year and used the name on my passport, rather than my name "jaune fille." And so now my passport needs to match my carte de sejour, but I can't renew the carte de sejour until AFTER I get the new passport.
OMG, I'm sure you all have been through this mound of tape before. I hate to whine. Can you tell I just got overwhelmed with it all this week? It's a full time job trying to establish residency and build a life here!
So sorry to hear this, I would be devastated as well. I wanted to give you the heads up if you choose to go to the prefecture. I just received my French visa and spent 4 hours at the prefecture and was told my information was not translated by the proper people, which meant re translating and another 4 hours standing in line again. Also if you didn’t arrive by 9:30 am they shut the line down…this was in Bordeaux, I don’t know if you will have the same service or lack of where you are.
Toni, I feel your pain. My husband and I applied for our Visas at the same time in May of 2011. Mine was granted on 30-June and no response on his. We applied at the Boston consulate. After many queries, all of which were ignored (they won't receive a phone call), we hired an Avocat who contacted them and was told his Visa was denied - after a year of waiting and no notification. He has been without a home and country for a year now and we have to wait until January as well to apply for repatriation. It hardly seems fair, but what can you do?
Just wonder what you mean by non-Schengen. My understanding is that UK is not part of the Schengen accord which therefore means my country could not join.
FYI for the UK my non Schengen wife had to produce:
Her passport and Carte de Sejour (originals and copies)
Our marriage certificate (original and copy)
Bank statements for her and me (originals and copies)
Employment details for her
Income forecast for us (I am retired so gave details of my pensions etc)
Utility bills for us (originals and copies)
Tax returns for us (originals and copies)
Taxes habitation et Fonciere (originals and copies)
Original wedding invitation (plus copy)
Letter from my British son inviting us (original and copy)
Passport copies me (British) and our British daughter (both in fact were issued by the British Consulate Paris)
Detailed itinerary day by day where we would be in UK with addresses phone numbers etc
Covering letter from me stating purpose of visit etc
Photographs in approved format (had to be retaken by their official photographer etc at Paris along with fingerprints)
I think that there may have been others. You need to pay for an expensive courier service to deliver anything, including a refusal back to your house.
Apparently the UK is trying to encourage tourism. Please forgive my humour. We will not be holidaying in the UK en famille for the forseeable future.
We were unsuccessful with the first application, but successful with the second. We had to travel to Paris twice and stay once overnight. It's about 12 hour round trip from here. Total cost about 1000 euros for a one week visit to the UK. We were also warned to take ALL the original papers to the border post but they were not asked for. With the Brits now it's like a rather demeaning obstacle course and if you happen to be arriving by air you could have a two or even three hour wait at the frontier point anyway. By comparison at Washington DC in March we were through in 5 minutes with great courtesy.
Anybody if needing to get yourself or anybody non Schengen into the UK you need a barrow load of paper, even if your spouse and children are British,
Bonne Courage!
In a strange way, that's comforting to know. I'm in the middle of trying to figure out why RSI are asking me for certain documents that no other AE (as far as I know) has been asked for. If anyone can help, here's the link to the discussion I started yesterday: http://www.survivefrance.com/group/auto-entrepreneurs/forum/topics/help-please?xg_source=activity
And I am not trying to twist anything. The OFII, the proper agency who makes decisions about who can stay in France, are the one's who told me to get a Student Visa, then bring him into OFII once he gets here. The consulate said the opposite.
Do you understand the frustration here? One agency contradicts another.
A few months more would be reasonable. I was told it could take up to a year.
My son is coming to live with me. He misses his mother, and his mother misses him. Normal. Of course, he will continue his studies here; but that is not the reason for his coming. It was simply suggested by the OFII that I get him a student visa until I qualify for regroupement famille. (But this was turned down because I live in France. Don't get that logic. They will give student visa to someone coming to live with a stranger, but not a parent. OK.)
And yes, his father is in complete agreement. He was the one who took him to the Consulate in Washington, DC and gathered some of his paperwork from that end. He even had a notarized statement saying that he gave consent for him to live with me. We even have french translations of the family judgement that say we have equal custody, and he may live with either of us.
The NO to the Visa is not what frustrates me as much as, they said there is no solution. How can there be no solution?
No, contacting politicians doesn't help, unless you know one personally. Even then, they often refuse to intercede. Things should go pretty fast and in any case, he wouldn't be able to leave the country before the end of October when school holidays start. All the documents should be done by then.
There is , as with all Visa matters , a twisted logic here ....
As he has not been accepted for a Student Visa, wait the required number of months, and ask for the Regroupement Famiale .. He shouldl automaticly be given a permanent right to be here, and not the , tempory, Student Visa.
Student Visas are looked at badly as a huge % of them have been abused ...
The Time lag for regroupement is, obviously, a protection against scam marriages , as, unfortunately , there have been many, so with a little patience , youwill get all you require !
Not as bad as it must seem !
Which means that you can't take your own kids with you if you marry a french national???? That's impossible. Most of the rules on OFII are just indications, I was there recently and not much of what is on the site applies in fact the procedure is much easier, faster and more humane than what they indicate.
My sister in law was denied a visa into France just to visit us for a few weeks. A friend's brother was denied a visa to enter France to attend her wedding. My wife was denied a visa to enter the UK for my son's wedding, but we eventually got it after two attempts, two vists to Paris and 1000 euros later. I had to write to my MP (who did reply) and to several other politicians who did not. Ploiticians have become scared about immigration and as a result visas are becoming very difficult indeed in Europe. By comparison my wife got a 10 year visa into the USA easily and with politeness. Expect unpleasantness and cost in Europe. I even looked up the facebook of one officer who refused my wife a visa and she proudly boasted that she loves her job. What does she do in her spare time? I dread to think. Seriously you will have to try and try again and don't be put off. I used a lawyer for one matter (cost another 1000 euros) but he's in Brittany. It's becoming an industry.
I don't think you need a lawyer or any legal help, you just need to apply to the appropriate agency, which happens to be OFII.
Go here http://www.ofii.fr/faire_venir_son_epoux_se_ses_enfants_en_france_49/index.html?sub_menu=4, you'll have all the information you need to get started in French as well as in English
A lawyer will kick up a storm, generate problems, and cost you a fortune for nothing at all.
Hi - you must be American. I have a very good lawyer in Florida who is French and has contacts and deals with these types of issues. If you would like his email I will provide it. I am so sorry this has happened but there must be a way around it as you will not be the first mother to want your child with you.