[albuteau]

Hello this is my first post and i am desperate for an answer to my sticky situation. I guess, I should start from the beginning. I'm Canadian, currently living in Canada and he is French and in France. We met in February 2013 on our respective vacations. I went to France to see him for 2 weeks and went back to France from June- December 1st 2013 however I went on a 90day visit, (just my passport) which means I over stayed by about 3months.... With so many visas to choose from we decided the long stay would be best (we want to wait before we decide to get married.) Now in the list of requirements, they ask for a bank statement showing enough funds for the time of my stay totaling a minimum of $1500\month. I want to to stay for the full year of the visa but I dont just have $18,000 laying around. So my question is, can he attest to my accommodations and expenses with a letter of invitation or something?

Thanks so much for any and all info

Oh and I'd like to leave in june . Actually I already bought a ticket, maybe a little hastily. :/

 

[95995]

Simple answer is yes, most likely, but I'm sure Bev (or others) will be along shortly to properly answer your question.

 

[Bevdeforges]

I assume what you're going for is a long-stay visitor visa (where you will not have the right to work). Normally, you can get a statement from your "host" that he will be responsible for your expenses, and I believe they'll want to see his bank statements to back that up.

That said, however, you need to be aware of a couple of "caveats." First of all, if they have a record of your overstay, that may count against you. And secondly, the fact of having a "boyfriend" hosting your stay without any mention of using the visitor visa as a "fiancé" visa may also cause them to question your intentions.

Is the ticket you bought already one-way or round trip? Because that could also come back to bite you if they have any doubts about your application.

If you decide to go the "fiancé" visa route, you would need to get married within the first six months of your stay. When you renew your titre de séjour, you'll need to go through the OFII classes and be able to show at least six months of cohabitation (your name on the lease, if you're living in rented premises) in order to change status to that of spouse.

If you aren't ready for the fiancé route, you will need to have some "reason" for wanting to go to France for a year - preferably one that includes motivation to return back home at the end of your scheduled time. Otherwise they may assume you're looking to stay permanently and/or find work under the table - and if they suspect that, they'll turn down your application. Unfortunately, the overstay from last year doesn't help your situation - though it may not come up. You just never know.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[albuteau]

Thank you for all the détails. The only reason we don't want to go for the fiancé route is cause we're not 100% we want to take that step. We've only been together a little over a year. Thats what this year would be for, to see if we make it or break it. The 6 months we already spent together, was more of a honeymoon period. That said, we both feel that it would be fraudulent to apply for a fiancé visa if we aren't sure of jumping the broom with in the 90day limit.

That's the whole truth couldn't I just explain that to the visa agent?

Yes its a one way but I'll but a return ticket before I go.

 

[95995]

You probably don't need to use a visa agent, just the French consulate (provided you don't hit problems with the previous overstay - but you did leave and are now applying for a long stay visa and will have a return ticket and that will likely work in your favour). I don't think you need to explain to anyone why you're not going the 'fiancé' route. Just the long stay visa using the statement from your host as explained by Bev. Just be sure to not overstay this time or to get an extension within the timeframes.

 

[Bevdeforges]

That's the whole truth couldn't I just explain that to the visa agent?

Yes its a one way but I'll but a return ticket before I go.

It really depends on the consulate you're going through and the people who process your application. On the negative side, you've got a "record" of overstaying a visa, which may be considered. Also kind of on the negative side, having a boyfriend declaring himself responsible for you financially may tend to look like you're looking to get around the rules. Explaining it to the consulate staff may work, or it may mean that they'll deny your visa.

The one way ticket is also a potential "issue." If you buy a separate return ticket, it's fairly common knowledge that those are refundable in full and it might "look funny." (Technically, if you try to cash in a round trip ticket for the return part only, they are supposed to hit you for the full price of a one-way ticket rather than just half of the round trip. Not sure that they ever actually do that, but a one way ticket often costs more than a round trip on the same route.)

Whatever you decide to do, you probably should let the consulate know that you're aware that you cannot work while over there, and that, whether or not you ultimately decide to tie the knot during that year in France, you're aware that you will have to return back home to apply for a new visa when and if you get married.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[Tippyyy]

Hello this is my first post and i am desperate for an answer to my sticky situation. I guess, I should start from the beginning. I'm Canadian, currently living in Canada and he is French and in France. We met in February 2013 on our respective vacations. I went to France to see him for 2 weeks and went back to France from June- December 1st 2013 however I went on a 90day visit, (just my passport) which means I over stayed by about 3months.... With so many visas to choose from we decided the long stay would be best (we want to wait before we decide to get married.) Now in the list of requirements, they ask for a bank statement showing enough funds for the time of my stay totaling a minimum of $1500\month. I want to to stay for the full year of the visa but I dont just have $18,000 laying around. So my question is, can he attest to my accommodations and expenses with a letter of invitation or something?

Thanks so much for any and all info

Oh and I'd like to leave in june . Actually I already bought a ticket, maybe a little hastily. :/

Do you have immediate family members that could help you? When I applied for my visa, I used my mom's bank statements and had her write a notarized letter saying she would send me money every month. I didn't have her do that of course but it helped me get my visa.