Hi there. I went through my OFII interview in Nancy earlier this year. Maybe I can shed some light on all this for you. What Bev stated is dead on. Bev knows best! At the OFII appointment, you will watch a brief film on life in France. It is in French but they give you translation sheets to guide you. After the film, you will be called in to meet directly with the interviewer. You should bring all the documentation you can to prove your level of French and any university degrees you have, your Marriage documents and everything else they say you need and even stuff you think you will need. Remember to bring your passport and if they require that you pay any fees, take care of that as well (Timbres possibly).
I needed the language classes. I was actually looking forward to them. The OFII lady told me that I would receive a letter on where to report for classes. OFII no longer gives the exams to determine how much instruction a person is required to take. They leave it up to the vendor, which in my opinion is not only a huge mistake but a huge waste of French tax money. I was assigned by the school to 240 hours of classes. Then the school kept cutting down the hours until they eventually got to 180 hours. I have completed 105 hours so far and must return next month to finish it. The lessons were a total joke. One teacher, more than likely on her first job as a teacher was so over worked by the company. The company was ALAJI. I began with two days a week, six hours a day. ALAJI then bumped it up to seven hours on paper but nothing changed. The teacher taught 30-40 students in a class from all over the world, cramped into this small room. She taught three levels of French and there were many of us who were lost. When the class ended in June, I was given a certification of the 105 hours I attended and she said I was qualified and knowledgable to take the first two DELF exams. I couldn't even count to 20 in French, had no real basic conversational abilities as my wife is French as are my step children and in the 35 years my wife and I have known each other, we always spoke English. Now I am much further along but my own experience with this vendor, their educational practices and the way they teach, is a huge injustice to the taxpayer. OFII did not stamp my passport nor did they put anything in my passport.
They will then send you off for your medicals that same day. Your OFII letter will state all this. Two places at the other end of Nancy so I strongly urge you to drive there or ask your husband to drive you there. Firstly, they send you to the hospital for the chest X-ray. It is a process that at most is 30 minutes. You will leave with your X-ray. I was in and out in less than 20 minutes. Then there is a very long walk to the afternoon appointment with the doctor and the nurse. If you can manage time to grab a bite to eat in between, I strongly urge you to grab a fast bite.
You review all important medical information with the clerk and they hand you papers to hand to the nurse. She will take your weight, height, administer an eye exam (read line x from the chart)...Pretty easy peasy as they say. The nurse was an older woman who was very friendly to me as an American but had a bee in her bonnet with a couple who arrived late and at first refused to accept them or the appointment. Eventually she did accept them but they really had to wait.
The doctor just went through the motions reviewing your medical history, took your blood pressure, reviewed prescriptions and did a basic physical. No blood or urine was given. I have read other posts where this was required but I wasn't. bring along your prescriptions for the doctor to see. the doctor spoke no English. Twenty minutes with the doctor, he stamped and signed a form that we left with. It is with the OFII form and the medical certificate that you then go to the Prefecture and submit that to them for your process to continue. The lady at the Prefecture actually said to me "we've been waiting for this" so it was "easy" from then on.
Now I must say that my stay in France was handled as an exception by the Prefecture so your visa situation might be different than mine. My wife is a French government employee and my stay in France was overseen directly by the Prefecture herself and with the exception of three months that DSK was a hot issue between the US and France, I was allowed to remain here with an extension to what amounted to a tourist visa for over two years. Once we were married, the visa issue was sorted out until I was issued my CDS. The visa I was issued three months before we were married authorized me to work, as does my CDS. Speaking French to work in France is another thing.
OFII requires that you take two classes. Each is a full day. The classes with an English translator were in Metz. It is a two hour drive in each direction for us. The Life In France course was hugely educational and informative. You will be given a day with others who require the specific language translator. The translator was pretty good. It is a PowerPoint presentation. They do break for lunch, which is offered at no charge at a local cafeteria. They give you coupons for specific dishes (entree, vegetable and either a dessert or cheese). At the end of the class you will be issued a certificate of attendance. You must bring your passport and any Visas you might have. They require proof of identity which is checked and noted on their documents both in the morning and the end of the day. The class is full so be there on time. Many people were sitting up against each other.
The same exact thing went for the Civics class. Same exact procedure and many of the same faces from the prior class. The Civics class reviewed some of the same information as the prior class but went into deep detail about laws and honestly, was also very informative as well. Make sure you bring paper and a pencil or pen to take notes from each class. Both classes were one week apart.
At your OFII appointment, ask questions! If you have a drivers license, see if it can be converted to a French one. Please don't be afraid to ask questions. This is the time for it. They will have you sign your Contract of Integration but I did not leave with my copy. It was sent about three to four weeks later. They say a week or two but it is not the case.
All in all, the OFII appointment was not as stressful as we thought it would be. It is a very long day though. Just relax and do what you must and what they ask of you. I wish you the very best of luck and send you warm regards.
