+1Actually, I think this would make him a frog.I, for one, would welcome our new toady overlord.
So...I want to move to France
- Thread starter Squiggy
- Start date
Living in a foreign country is VERY different to going there on holiday, especially a honeymoon trip. I suggest spending more time actually living in France before making a permanent move there on a relative whim. Try living there for the max time allowed without the need for a special visa (probably somewhere around 3 months). Rent an apartment, actually live in the country on a normal-ish day-to-day basis and see whether you can put up with all the little things that are different.
Sure, you'll need to save up a bit before being able to do this, but it's a lot cheaper than making an actual move and potentially not liking it and then having to move back again.
If after that, you still like the idea, line up a senior enough job with an international company first and they'll typically manage the visa/permit process for you. IIRC, France, like many countries, has quite protectionist policies in place around justifying the hiring of foreign (non-EU) citizens to allow the permit to be issued, so it will have to be fairly senior/special-skills position (or with a large company used to helping employees with permit applications) for it to be a formality.
All the above is a combination of what I've heard on grapevine and a little common sense, rather than direct experience of hte process, so take it with however many pinches of salt you like.
Sure, you'll need to save up a bit before being able to do this, but it's a lot cheaper than making an actual move and potentially not liking it and then having to move back again.
If after that, you still like the idea, line up a senior enough job with an international company first and they'll typically manage the visa/permit process for you. IIRC, France, like many countries, has quite protectionist policies in place around justifying the hiring of foreign (non-EU) citizens to allow the permit to be issued, so it will have to be fairly senior/special-skills position (or with a large company used to helping employees with permit applications) for it to be a formality.
All the above is a combination of what I've heard on grapevine and a little common sense, rather than direct experience of hte process, so take it with however many pinches of salt you like.
Getting a work visa ANYWHERE in the EU can be a real bitch for a non-EU citizen.
I got my graduate degree in the UK and did not want to come back to the US. It is unbelievebly hard to do.
First your potential employer has to prove that not only are your skills necessary for a job but no EU citizen could do it.
What many Americans are able to do is simply get some form of retroactive citizenship based on heredity. (I.E. your grandparents immigrated to the US from Ireland, Germany etc thus if you're not too far removed from the immigrants you might be eligible for citizenship). In the UK there are also special provisions for people from the Commonwealth to live and work there.
Things get progressively harder from there.
It can, in someways be easier for an asylum seeker from a developing nation to relocate to EU countries than it is for an American (even if their path is less desireable).
Also, FYI, the French have really intense language requirements for anyone seeking residency.
I got my graduate degree in the UK and did not want to come back to the US. It is unbelievebly hard to do.
First your potential employer has to prove that not only are your skills necessary for a job but no EU citizen could do it.
What many Americans are able to do is simply get some form of retroactive citizenship based on heredity. (I.E. your grandparents immigrated to the US from Ireland, Germany etc thus if you're not too far removed from the immigrants you might be eligible for citizenship). In the UK there are also special provisions for people from the Commonwealth to live and work there.
Things get progressively harder from there.
It can, in someways be easier for an asylum seeker from a developing nation to relocate to EU countries than it is for an American (even if their path is less desireable).
Also, FYI, the French have really intense language requirements for anyone seeking residency.
That's for the Carte de Résidence indeed. But applicants are provided with learning lessons.
I think one of the best ways to get relocated to France is to work for an international company with a strong presence in Paris, and aim for a position to start in the USA that has a reasonable opportunity to get transferred overseas down the line. A friend of mine worked for L'Oreal and got transferred to Paris for 2 years, which happened after she'd been there for a year in the NYC office. She loved it there. 
Of course, this method takes some time and a great deal of luck. There may be international companies in the USA who can actually facilitate a direct hire to a European office. This would especially be the case if the open position requires certain skills that haven't been met locally. If the company is desperate enough, they might hire a US citizen and relocate them for that job.
Of course, this method takes some time and a great deal of luck. There may be international companies in the USA who can actually facilitate a direct hire to a European office. This would especially be the case if the open position requires certain skills that haven't been met locally. If the company is desperate enough, they might hire a US citizen and relocate them for that job.
Similar threads
