Visa options

[yasmapaz]

Hi everyone! I am new here in the forum, have been reading some helpful post.
I have some questions concerning my options to obtain a Visa is there is any
My situation
I am an American citizen living in Germany with my boyfriend for almost 2 years. My boyfriend( Ukrainian citizen) got a contract with an University in France as researcher for a year. We would like to move together to France.

What are my options if some one has an idea? My visa in Germany is until 1st September, is it possible to go to France and stay 3 months as a tourist? Or do I need to go back to the States and ask for a Visa from there? Is possible to obtain a Visa where my boyfriend would me my sponsor like here in Germany?

We will be going to the Consulate soon but I will like to have some idea what are the possibilities.

I am a bit lost, everything has been so quick

Thanks everyone for your help

[Bevdeforges]

It may be both an advantage and a disadvantage, but the visa procedures are in the process of changing. (See the thread here about "New rules for some categories demanding carte de séjour")

What they seem to be trying to do is to "force" non-EU nationals to apply for a visa from their home country. The fact that you are currently legally resident in Germany should mean that you can apply from the French consulate in Germany, but you may get some resistance to this from the consulate, especially until the new rules are fully developed and understood.

Technically, you probably have no standing to request a visa unless you can find a job in France where the employer is willing to sponsor you. France doesn't recognize "life partners" unless they are formally married, or PACS'd according to French law.

Practically speaking, it might be possible for you to get PACS'd after your boyfriend gets his residence established in France - but the rules are kind of fuzzy on that option, and they could insist that you go back home to apply for the visa before coming to France to get PACS'd. (If your boyfriend were French, you could get PACS'd at the French consulate in Germany, which would simplify things considerably, I think.)

See what they tell you at the consulate. (Though I warn you, it was the French consulate in Germany that gave me a really bum steer when I first came to France.) Nothing in France is entirely impossible - but you definitely want to try and avoid going at it the hard way if there is an easier way available.
Cheers,
Bev