Carte de Sejour & Working - What does all this mean?

[Carolyn66]

I've been reading about this and I'm sooo confused... I'm American, my husband is Italian (EU passport) but has been living in USA for 26 years. We want to move to France (he has a brother, cousins, aunts & uncles there). I speak French fluently and so does he. What is the first step we need to do to obtain work & health insurance legally? Our kids, one in high school the other attends college - how do we get them enrolled & the cost? They are "registered" with the Italian govt so I imagine that would get them dual nationalities but I haven't looked into this yet.

Can someone please clarify?

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and re-bonjour (as they say here in France). I remember seeing your posts a little earlier on the forum.

Don't let the complicated situations of some of our posters get you all frazzled. Your situation is relatively straightforward (though relatively is the important word here, French administration being what it is).

The fact that your husband is an EU national simplifies matters tremendously for you and your family. You need to check with the Italian consulate to see if your children already have Italian nationality, because if you can get them Italian passports, that will further simplify things. However, as an EU citizen, your husband has the right to settle in France and to bring his family along. The one tricky bit might be your eldest - if he or she is already in college, it means he or she is probably over age 18 and legally an adult in Europe. You may want to take a look at this page from the Service Public site: Installer sa famille en France : citoyens de l'UE (hors Bulgarie et Roumanie), de l'EEE et Suisses - Service-public.fr

First step in your case toward moving to France is simply to find jobs. (Easier said than done these days - but that's the case just about anywhere.) Technically you don't need a visa to enter France with your husband - but when you do come over, you might want to ask the guy at the booth to stamp your passport with your date of entry. (That's where I had problems many years ago. The rules have changed - but it never hurts to have a little "extra" documentation.) Then, within the first two months that you're there, go apply for a "titre de séjour" at the local préfecture.

For school, it will depend on how you want to do it. Public school is free, and the universities in France have "administrative fees" but they are nothing next to US university tuition. The university system here is quite a bit different, though, and it might be better to let your eldest finish the degree program they have started.

There are some English speaking lycées run by the public school system, but admission is competitive and native speakers aren't guaranteed a place in the program (though they usually are fairly high priority). If you want to keep them in an "anglo-saxon" type school, there are private schools available (which cost much less than private schools in the US). Check the AAWE publication on schools AAWE Publications for more information on what's available.
Cheers,
Bev

[Carolyn66]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Hi and re-bonjour (as they say here in France). I remember seeing your posts a little earlier on the forum.

Don't let the complicated situations of some of our posters get you all frazzled. Your situation is relatively straightforward (though relatively is the important word here, French administration being what it is).

The fact that your husband is an EU national simplifies matters tremendously for you and your family. You need to check with the Italian consulate to see if your children already have Italian nationality, because if you can get them Italian passports, that will further simplify things. However, as an EU citizen, your husband has the right to settle in France and to bring his family along. The one tricky bit might be your eldest - if he or she is already in college, it means he or she is probably over age 18 and legally an adult in Europe. You may want to take a look at this page from the Service Public site: Installer sa famille en France : citoyens de l'UE (hors Bulgarie et Roumanie), de l'EEE et Suisses - Service-public.fr

First step in your case toward moving to France is simply to find jobs. (Easier said than done these days - but that's the case just about anywhere.) Technically you don't need a visa to enter France with your husband - but when you do come over, you might want to ask the guy at the booth to stamp your passport with your date of entry. (That's where I had problems many years ago. The rules have changed - but it never hurts to have a little "extra" documentation.) Then, within the first two months that you're there, go apply for a "titre de séjour" at the local préfecture.

For school, it will depend on how you want to do it. Public school is free, and the universities in France have "administrative fees" but they are nothing next to US university tuition. The university system here is quite a bit different, though, and it might be better to let your eldest finish the degree program they have started.

There are some English speaking lycées run by the public school system, but admission is competitive and native speakers aren't guaranteed a place in the program (though they usually are fairly high priority). If you want to keep them in an "anglo-saxon" type school, there are private schools available (which cost much less than private schools in the US). Check the AAWE publication on schools AAWE Publications for more information on what's available.
Cheers,
Bev

Bonjour Bev et merci encore pour votre information. My son just started college (still in 1st semester) and he'll be 19 next month. What about health insurance? Shall I presume that once I apply for the "titre de sejour" and have a job, I am eligible for health benefits (if they aren't provided by my employer)? Would our family be eligible for health benefits if only one of us was able to obtain employment (ie. myself or my husband)?

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Carolyn66

What about health insurance? Shall I presume that once I apply for the "titre de sejour" and have a job, I am eligible for health benefits (if they aren't provided by my employer)? Would our family be eligible for health benefits if only one of us was able to obtain employment (ie. myself or my husband)?

Ah, that's the great joy of a "socialist health system"!!! If only your husband (for example) has a job, then all of you are covered under his national health plan "contribution". (Even before you get your titre de séjour.)

The national plan here only covers a portion (something like 60 - 70%) of routine things like doctors' visits. But most employers offer a mutuelle - for which you pay by the number of persons covered - and the employer shares the cost of that. If you both have jobs, then you put the children on your sécu coverage (and any employer's mutuelle) however you want - one on each parent's coverage, or both on Dad's if you prefer.

Your 19 year old could be a problem. Technically, as a full time student, he can probably be covered under a parent's coverage, but it may depend on where he's doing his studies and some other factors. I'm not entirely sure how all that works in the French universities - and if he stays in the States to finish school, French insurance won't do him much good.
Cheers,
Bev

[Carolyn66]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Ah, that's the great joy of a "socialist health system"!!! If only your husband (for example) has a job, then all of you are covered under his national health plan "contribution". (Even before you get your titre de séjour.)

The national plan here only covers a portion (something like 60 - 70%) of routine things like doctors' visits. But most employers offer a mutuelle - for which you pay by the number of persons covered - and the employer shares the cost of that. If you both have jobs, then you put the children on your sécu coverage (and any employer's mutuelle) however you want - one on each parent's coverage, or both on Dad's if you prefer.

Your 19 year old could be a problem. Technically, as a full time student, he can probably be covered under a parent's coverage, but it may depend on where he's doing his studies and some other factors. I'm not entirely sure how all that works in the French universities - and if he stays in the States to finish school, French insurance won't do him much good.
Cheers,
Bev

Thank you! Is there a specific time I would have to be residing in France prior to my eligibility to receive health benefits? Also, would my son be better off as a full time or part time student, living at home, in order to qualify for residency and health benefits. Sorry to keep harping on this subject, but if you've lived in America for any length of time you know what I mean about the importance of health insurance as well its rising costs...

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Carolyn66

Thank you! Is there a specific time I would have to be residing in France prior to my eligibility to receive health benefits? Also, would my son be better off as a full time or part time student, living at home, in order to qualify for residency and health benefits. Sorry to keep harping on this subject, but if you've lived in America for any length of time you know what I mean about the importance of health insurance as well its rising costs...

I'm getting a little out of my depth here. (What I know of the health care system is what I've experienced over the last 14 or so years.) AFAIK, it's simply a matter of someone having a job and getting their carte vitale sorted out. But health care costs are much much lower in France than in the US. Figure a visit to a GP runs 22€, so you're ahead even if you aren't reimbursed - at least for the smaller stuff.

I don't think there's the option for your son to be a part-time university student. Most university students live at home anyhow in France. (When you see what passes for "student housing" you'll realize why.) What I'm not sure of is the admission process for someone coming from the US. I'm told that over here they figure someone with 1 year of university in the US is considered equivalent to a student just passing the bac.
Cheers,
Bev