New rules for some categories demanding "le titre de sejour"

[frenchie]

So if I am following this right, OFII (Office Francais de l'immigration et de l'integration) was just created and the rules are all changed.
A long term visa for the spouse of a French citizen used to be free, now it costs 300 euros. The procedures are changed too. This is getting confusing.

Here is the site
Does anybody has gone through this recent process? I just never heard of it till I stumbled upon it.

Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

[Bevdeforges]

Ooh, Frenchie, thank you for this link! I only just stumbled onto the fact of this "change in the rules" a couple days ago - and on the Service Public site, they only directed you to the text of the new law and the arreté (both of which are impossible to understand).

As with most changes to the procedures here in France, it is going to take a while to filter this information out to the various branches of government and to the world. When they changed the process so that the prefectures no longer issue a titre de séjour to EU nationals, banks and even some mairies continued to ask people for their cartes de séjour, and acted skeptical when told that the préfecture wasn't issuing them any more.

It's even possible that some of the consulates won't be up to date with the new procedures for a few months (certainly not until after the summer vacations).
Cheers,
Bev

[frenchie]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Ooh, Frenchie, thank you for this link! I only just stumbled onto the fact of this "change in the rules" a couple days ago - and on the Service Public site, they only directed you to the text of the new law and the arreté (both of which are impossible to understand).

As with most changes to the procedures here in France, it is going to take a while to filter this information out to the various branches of government and to the world. When they changed the process so that the prefectures no longer issue a titre de séjour to EU nationals, banks and even some mairies continued to ask people for their cartes de séjour, and acted skeptical when told that the préfecture wasn't issuing them any more.

It's even possible that some of the consulates won't be up to date with the new procedures for a few months (certainly not until after the summer vacations).
Cheers,
Bev

You are welcome! Bah, things are changing quickly. Few years ago, only two years of marriage were required before the spouse of a french citizen could made a naturalization demand. Now, it is up to 4 years.

The road of having hubby naturalized as soon as he is eligible is looking more and more like the best option! (I love all the new smileys by the way!)

You are correct about not all consulates being aware of the changes. The French Consulate in San Francisco makes no mention of the new rules.

I am still confused about that 300 euros fee. So you get this "stamp" in your visa valid for a year and if you need to reside in France for more than a year, you make a "demande de carte de sejour"? Is this going to be an additional 300 euros? And if you are following your french spouse, odds are that are you going to be there for a period longer than a year. Is this to refrain people from getting married, obtaining their cds and then divorcing right away? Speculation...

ETA: Here is another link that provides a bit more detail on the process.

[Bevdeforges]

Wow, you are a treasure trove of information! Thanks again.

It looks to me like they are trying to reduce the work load for the fonctionnaires (quel surprise!) for those folks who are only in France for a year or less. Used to be quite a bother to send short term folks to the préfecture for their cartes de séjour when they were only going to be staying six months. Half the time, they moved on before the cards were ready.

It also sounds like they've kind of gotten tired of this "contrat d'accueil et d'integration" stuff, too. More and more of the folks coming through say they were never asked to sign anything, and that they would actually like to get the free French lessons.

Guess we'll have to wait until Service-public updates their information on the website (I'm betting it won't be until after La Rentrée) to see what the details are. But the fees for the carte de séjour are pretty steep, last I heard. (I decided that, rather than renew my carte de residente, I was just going to take French nationality - much cheaper in the long run!)

But I will definitely be sending folks toward this thread to take advantage of the very useful links you've provided!
Cheers,
Bev

PS, I've also made this thread "sticky" - at least for a little while so it will catch people's attention when they are looking for information.

[frenchie]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Wow, you are a treasure trove of information! Thanks again.

It looks to me like they are trying to reduce the work load for the fonctionnaires (quel surprise!) for those folks who are only in France for a year or less. Used to be quite a bother to send short term folks to the préfecture for their cartes de séjour when they were only going to be staying six months. Half the time, they moved on before the cards were ready.

It also sounds like they've kind of gotten tired of this "contrat d'accueil et d'integration" stuff, too. More and more of the folks coming through say they were never asked to sign anything, and that they would actually like to get the free French lessons.

Guess we'll have to wait until Service-public updates their information on the website (I'm betting it won't be until after La Rentrée) to see what the details are. But the fees for the carte de séjour are pretty steep, last I heard. (I decided that, rather than renew my carte de residente, I was just going to take French nationality - much cheaper in the long run!)

But I will definitely be sending folks toward this thread to take advantage of the very useful links you've provided!
Cheers,
Bev

PS, I've also made this thread "sticky" - at least for a little while so it will catch people's attention when they are looking for information.

I am glad I can be of some help. If I found any more interesting facts in my net browsing , I'll make sure to make a notion.

For anyone moving to France with their French spouse, be aware that naturalization is an option if you have been married long enough. There is no requirement to live on French soil if your French spouse is registered with the local consulate for the 4 years. If the spouse wasn't registered, the eligibility is moved up to 5 years. Most people are not aware of that, not even people working for the honorary Consul. It is an option and like Bev said, it is a way cheaper option in the long run. I recommend working on your french though, it is always a bonus point at the interview to show that yes you want to be French! If you need more info, I can always point you to the right direction.

Sorry for the tangent!

[Californiagirl]

Any idea how this will affect our, married to a frenchman, ability to work? I wonder if this means that I will not be allowed to work for the first year. Ack, they are making it more expenisve and more difficult.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Californiagirl

Any idea how this will affect our, married to a frenchman, ability to work? I wonder if this means that I will not be allowed to work for the first year. Ack, they are making it more expenisve and more difficult.

Actually, from what I saw on the various sites, it looks like they are actually making it easier for the non-EU spouse to work after marriage. (Dare I say it? Non-EU spouses of French citizens may actually be eligible to work on terms similar to those extended to non-EU spouses of EU citizens living in France.)

I can't be absolutely sure, but that's sure what everything seems to be pointing toward...
Cheers,
Bev

[frenchie]

Originally Posted by Californiagirl

Any idea how this will affect our, married to a frenchman, ability to work? I wonder if this means that I will not be allowed to work for the first year. Ack, they are making it more expenisve and more difficult.

The stamps in your passport are the same as having a "carte de sejour" meaning you can work. But it is true that only having a year at first might make some employers running away (especially if they are not aware of the rules!).

[Coton90]

Originally Posted by frenchie

So if I am following this right, OFII (Office Francais de l'immigration et de l'integration) was just created and the rules are all changed.
A long term visa for the spouse of a French citizen used to be free, now it costs 300 euros. The procedures are changed too. This is getting confusing.

Here is the site
Does anybody has gone through this recent process? I just never heard of it till I stumbled upon it.

Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

Hello,

I just applied for a long term VISA at the consulate in Washington DC and there was no mention of any charge. The staff was very courteous and helpful. We brought our original Livret de Famille but were unaware they wanted a copy. They waived the requirement. Also, they didn't ask for a deed or lease to our house in France, as listed in the required documents on their web page. We waited only 15 minutes past our appointment time so all and all it was a good experience.

[Californiagirl]

That's good news! Did they give you the visa right away or did you have to wait? They are saying that the wait is now 2-3 weeks and I was just wondering if that is the case?