Meet the Experts: Tips for Easier French Immigration with Lexidy

Expats know that France has a reputation for having a difficult immigration process. While French bureaucracy is demanding, Head of Lexidy France and immigration lawyer, Eléonore Tavares de Pinho, breaks down the multiple, achievable options available to US citizens and shows the true value of having an expert in your corner. 

In this episode, we dive into all the various ways US citizens can move to France, including a path so easy it requires no translation services and features a relatively low monthly income requirement.

Lexidy has kindly extended a discount offer to our listeners. Save 10% when you contact Lexidy at Lexidy.com and mention the code ABROAD10.  

Learn more about how The Living Abroad Academy informs and accelerates moves to Europe for Americans: www.livingabroadacademy.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:51 Meet Eléonore Tavares de Pinho, Head of Lexidy France
• 1:54 Are the Rumors True? Is Immigration to France Difficult for Americans?
• 2:46 The French Visa Process Compared to Other European Countries
• 5:17 Visitor Visa and Long-Stay Visa Details, And How Digital Nomads Make It Work
• 8:19 Employee, Entrepreneur, and Talent Visa Categories
• 11:14 Options for Academics and Researchers
• 12:34 Income Requirements for the Visitor Visa
• 13:37 The Process for Purchasing a Home
• 16:22 Taxation and Healthcare for Expats in France
• 19:04 Are Americans Choosing to Stay Long-Term in France?
• 20:53 Integrating As An American and Language Skills
• 24:22 Lexidy's Services for Expats
• 26:06 Getting a French Driver’s License
• 28:23 Outro

Transcript

0:00  

[Music]

Jeffrey Jones  0:09  

Welcome to the Experts and Expats Podcast. I'm Jeffrey Jones

Michelle Hippler  0:13  

and I'm Michelle Hippler. We're co-founders of the Living Abroad Academy. We focus on the information Americans need to plan a move to Europe on a faster timeline than the one we experienced.

Jeffrey Jones  0:23  

We cover all the best visas to explore, along with financial and social considerations that will help you determine what country

Michelle Hippler  0:29  

or countries

Jeffrey Jones  0:30  

Right, or countries- might be the right fit for you and your circumstances.

Michelle Hippler  0:34  

Absolutely, a country might look great on paper, but not turn out to be what you expected. So we talk to expats about their experiences and experts about their particular expertise in their country.

Jeffrey Jones  0:46  

All with a goal to get you as much information as possible to make an informed decision. Today, we're addressing a very popular topic, American immigration to France, and more specifically, the perception that it is not easy. Americans even joke, you hear this, "the French don't want us," but France is one of the countries that a lot of Americans dream of moving to, and we hear about it a lot as a first choice to help us with this topic. Today, we are so pleased to have a French immigration expert with us. Eléonore Tavares de Pinho is with the Lexidy Group in their Paris office, where she functions as an immigration lawyer and as the Head of Lexidy France. Her team is focused not only on French immigration law, but every legal need for relocating to and living in France. Welcome to Experts and Expats. Eléonore.

Eléonore  1:29  

Thank you, Jeffrey, it's a pleasure to be here.

Michelle Hippler  1:32  

One of the things that caught our attention at the Living Abroad Academy is the number of countries that Lexidy offers expertise in. They have offices in key cities across Europe, including Eléonore's Paris office, and you often find that legal groups and other expat services, they usually focus on only one country. So to clarify, today, we are discussing the legal side of immigration to France.

Jeffrey Jones  1:54  

So Eléonore, time for the big question: is it difficult for Americans to move to or legally immigrate to France like the stories we hear?

Eléonore  2:02  

I would say no. Most of my clients are American, and honestly, when I compare to other nationalities, it's really not that difficult for Americans to get a French visa. What can be a bit scary, I guess, for people that didn't try or don't know how it works, is the paperwork, because in France, we love paper, we like files,we love forms. So, there's a little- a lot of little things that you need to be aware of, where to take the case or not to take the case. So, maybe that's why people think that it's difficult. But honestly, as long as you meet all the requirements and that you follow the rules, there shouldn't be any issues, especially for Americans.

Jeffrey Jones  2:44  

Well, that's good to hear. Do you feel that France is a good option for Americans, considering multiple European options, and obviously it's a wonderful country, right? But just considering the advantages of the process, is it a good option comparing to other countries processes?

Eléonore  3:00  

Definitely yes. And I have to say- well, as we mentioned previously, we do have several offices in different European countries, but I have to say that I am stealing a lot of my colleagues clients in the other jurisdictions, because in France, we do have some facilities with the visa application. I said that we are very administrative, but apparently when we compare it with Spain, with Portugal, or with Italy, France is okay. So, yeah, it's definitely a good option for American people.

Jeffrey Jones  3:30  

So, I went through the Spanish process, and there was a lot of paperwork. I really didn't think it was bad. There were a lot of meetings, a lot of things to do, but you're saying that France is potentially simpler than Spain?

Eléonore  3:40  

Yes, to give you an idea, well, the best selling product that we have is the Visitor visa. It's a one-year visa that people can renew on a yearly basis. And basically you have three main conditions and that's all. It's quite easy to meet the requirements. No documents need to be translated. That's something that people always think, like, I just had a meeting with a potential client just before, and they were saying: "okay, can you give me the name of a translator?" They were American, both of them, it's a couple. And I answered: "no, no, you do not need to translate anything for the visa application in itself." And if we stick to this visitor visa, I would say that for an American person in one month, we can have everything settled from the moment when we start working together to the moment they have the visa in their hands. Of course, it can vary a little bit, depending on the period and things like that, but it's simpler than what it looks like.

Jeffrey Jones  4:36  

Can I ask also the cost? Just sort of a ballpark to go through the process- I mean, there's different visas, right? So that's, that's- yes.

Eléonore  4:43  

Well, there is a government fee of about 99 euros. And now in the US, the company that is managing the visa application just changed. Well, actually it will be next week, from the 15th of April, and the prices will increase a little bit for American people. That want to book their visa appointments. But yeah, that's those are the the the administrative government costs.

Jeffrey Jones  5:07  

That's really not bad. Of course, your team has your fees too, that people can discuss with you, but yes.

Eléonore  5:12  

Yes, and we work with lump sum, so it's a fixed rate. It's fully transparent.

Jeffrey Jones  5:16  

Very nice.

Michelle Hippler  5:17  

So, around this visitor visa, Eléonore, I was wondering- is this the one where you can renew it for five years and then get the permanent resident visa?

Eléonore  5:29  

Yes, that's the one. That's, just for you to know, with any type of residency permits or long stay visa that you renew for five years, you can apply for the 10 year residency card, and France has no such thing as a permanent residency. The maximum you can get is ten year, and then you renew it every ten year. It's not that much difficult.

Michelle Hippler  5:51  

Oh okay. And so then after is there any path to dual citizenship with France?

Eléonore  5:57  

Yes, well, I imagine that what's interesting for you is the citizenship through residency, although we do have other kinds of citizenship, for people that were born in France, that have French parents, that are married with French people. But through residency, yes. After five years of living in France, you can apply for citizenship through residency, which is called naturalization. And yeah, well, there are other conditions other than residency, but yes, this is open.

Michelle Hippler  6:24  

So, it sounds like it would be really easy to do the one-year, right, without having to do a lot of paperwork or translation for five years, and then after that, five years of being a visitor, right? You could go for the citizenship. Is that accurate?

Eléonore  6:41  

Yes, it's accurate. As long as you meet the requirements for the citizenship application, that's definitely possible.

Michelle Hippler  6:47  

Just a follow up, with the Visitor visa, does that stipulate that you cannot work in France, or can you come over and be a digital nomad and just go for that visa?

Eléonore  6:58  

That's a very good question that everyone asks Michelle. Well, one of the conditions of the visitor visa is that you are not going to be working in France. So, you will have to sign a document saying that you are not going to work in France, but if you do not have any links with the French Labour Law market, you could apply for the visitor visa. I've submitted many times, in the American consulates, payslips of American companies -so that are not based in France- and it was accepted for Visitor visas. So, there is some flexibility here, but of course, every situation is particular, so it's really important to get some sound advice before moving.

Michelle Hippler  7:45  

So, did I hear correctly, then that you could come over as a digital nomad because you have work for an American company or a contract with an American company- did I hear that right?

Eléonore  7:55  

What is important is not having links with the French labour law market. But then- yeah, we have to see more in detail each situation.

Jeffrey Jones  8:04  

Eléonore is the Visitor visa and the Long-Stay visa- is that the same thing? Are those different?

Eléonore  8:09  

The Long-Stay visa is a big family,

Jeffrey Jones  8:11  

Okay

Eléonore  8:11  

and inside of this big family you have different visas like the employee, the entrepreneur and the visit.

Jeffrey Jones  8:17  

Got it. Okay. Got it.

Michelle Hippler  8:19  

So, we know that there are a lot of different options- visa options for people. I'd like to focus a little bit now on people who are still working, not retired. We know a lot of people like to retire to France. We'll get into that a little bit later, but right now, like especially in the current climate, France is reaching out and actively trying to recruit scientific researchers and other academics to come to them. Now, that kind of a visa would be sponsored by those organizations. What I'd like to talk about are the people who want to do it themselves. They have a job, they're remote workers, they're digital nomads, or they have a business. Can you talk a little bit about those options, or those types of people?

Eléonore  9:00  

Yes, of course. So, I would break down all these different visas, because we have many, many, many different options depending on what type of job you do, how much you are paid, where is your employer located, etc, etc. But I'll try to simplify it for you so we can break them down to the Employee visa category and the Entrepreneur visa category. For the Employee, what you need is, of course, being an employee, having a working contract, and your employer, usually also, depending on what type of visa you apply for, needs to apply for a working authorization for you. We can help with this authorization as well, but this is the first step. And in order to have this authorization, you need to give a little bit of information regarding what type of contract will it be, how much the person will be paid, etc, etc. And once we have this, then they can apply for one of the employee visas. Then, depending on the income that they will have in France, they can have a pluriannuel residency permit or a one-year renewable This is also possible. And then for the Entrepreneur, again, we have two options, either what I call the normal entrepreneur, which has a different name in French. It's called Entrepreneur profession libérale but I hate it, because I find it very confusing. And for this visa, you need to explain a little bit, what is your project, submit a business plan, how much you think you will invoice, what kind of clients you will have, etc, etc. This project will be submitted to a special French administration for their opinion on the project. And once we have the opinion, then the person can apply for the visa and travel to France. And there is another option for the Entrepreneur, which is the Talent visa. So, it's for company owners that are willing to invest 30k- 30,000 euros in their business in France. And with this visa, can have, more quickly, a pluriannuel residency permit. Usually we get a four-year for our clients that apply for this specific company owner visa, and the applicants can bring their family more easily with them. So, it's an interesting visa as well. Just a little tip, the Talent visa is a big family, and inside of this family, you have different options. You were mentioning people that are scientists or that work for universities, we have a special talent visa for researchers. We have special talent visas for highly qualified professionals, for company owners, and all of them have this advantages of being pluriannuel and giving some facilities to bring the applicant's family.

Michelle Hippler  11:41  

Nice. With those academics or researchers, does it have to be that they are sponsored by some university, or can they just come over and start looking for a job?

Eléonore  11:51  

No, they should be sponsored, in theory. But I mean, every situation is particular, so if something arises, I would advise the- the person to come to me so we can discuss a little bit their are options, because, as I mentioned, we have a lot of different possibilities, a lot of different visa and residency permits. So, I'm pretty confident that we can find one or the other that can fit the same situation.

Michelle Hippler  12:16  

Right.

Eléonore  12:17  

But, one last thing that I wanted to say is that you are never stuck with one visa or another. You can come with the Visitor, look for a job, you find an employer that sponsors you, and then we can change it to the Employee or to the Entrepreneur visa, or maybe to other kind of visas.

Michelle Hippler  12:34  

Wow, that's cool. So, what are the income requirements for the Visitor visa, for any of the Entrepreneur or business owner visas?

Eléonore  12:44  

So, for the Visitor, it's the French minimum wage. So, either you can show that you have savings for monthly income, that is, it needs to be at least the French minimum wage, which changes all the time. But I think that today, we are around 1007 or 800 euros, something like that, per month. And for the Entrepreneur, for the visa application, you do not need to show any income. But then, after one year in France, when you renew your visa, the administration likes to see that you have at least the French minimum wage again.

Michelle Hippler  13:19  

Awesome. So, let's talk about the retirees, or the- passive income would be included in the visitor but is there a special visa for retirees then?

Eléonore  13:28  

It's the visitor visa.

Michelle Hippler  13:29  

Oh, okay.

Eléonore  13:30  

[It's the} best option for retirees.

Michelle Hippler  13:32  

Okay, great.

Eléonore  13:34  

And they don't work. So, that's easy.

Jeffrey Jones  13:36  

Nice.

Michelle Hippler  13:36  

 Right.

Jeffrey Jones  13:37  

We all know Americans like to buy things, right? And of course, many Americans, they're going to want to come to France and buy a home. So, our question for you is, and assuming they're going to go through a visa process, how complex is the home purchase process? And then, possibly related to the 30,000 euro investment, is there some sort of Golden visa option as well if you buy a home?

Eléonore  13:57  

Well, so how complex is it? It is- well, in France, we have the notary, which is a public representative of the state that helps- well, he handles the whole process of selling and buying houses. It's mandatory to have a notary. I have a very good one that speaks English to recommend, by the way. And they check everything, like all- all the contracts and see if they- everything is on track, because they are responsible and liable in front of the state, if any mistake is made. Then, in terms of buying, well, you need to show that you have the funds. Which, yeah, which is normal, but other difficulties, I don't really see it. Except, well, the language barrier. So, it's important to find English speakers. That's why a notary that speaks English is a very precious thing, because in France, a lot of people speak French and not other foreign languages. So, that's important to have by your side, as well as some real estate agents maybe that can speak your languages. That's definitely a plus. And secondly, in terms of Golden visa, we do not have this in France. We do not have residency permit options by investing in real estate, but we do have other things. And as I mentioned, the Visitor visa is one of those. And a lot of people that wanted to go to Spain initially find that the process of the Golden visa is- was quite difficult. So, in the end, they opt for a very simple and easy Visitor visa, where you don't have to make such an investment and buy in real estate.

Jeffrey Jones  15:36  

Interesting. So, is it the same- I guess a couple of questions. Is it the same process for someone that isn't a resident as it is for someone that is a visa resident, the home purchasing process?

Eléonore  15:45  

Yes.

Jeffrey Jones  15:46  

And the banks, the banks, often treat like a non-resident a little bit differently, and that tends to be like larger down payments, or at least that's the Spanish experience, right? And it may be same in France.

Eléonore  15:57  

I assume that's that it might be a little bit the same. And actually, I'm working with a firm that is a broker that is specialized in- with expats that are buying in real estate. And I think that he has a lot of American clients, because also he can be the intermediary, of course, between them and the buyers and make sure that they don't have any issues with the bank account openings and all of this.

Jeffrey Jones  16:22  

Taxes are often a concern for Americans when they're moving to another country. In fact, there's some people that are obsessed. They might not even consider France, right? They they don't like Spain either, but our question for you: what can Americans expect in France as far as taxes? And related, what services do they get for those taxes and- and in what time-frame do they get the services?

Eléonore  16:42  

Yeah, the- well, in terms of taxes, after one year of living in France, you need to declare your taxes in France. Actually, it's when you live six months in a year in France, it's mandatory to declare them. This does not mean necessarily that you will need to pay anything, but you will have to declare it, even if your earnings are earned in another country. And in terms of taxation, there is a treaty between the United States and France to avoid double taxation. So, that's a good thing to know. So, declaring the taxes does not mean necessarily paying them, and every situation is very specific and very different. So, that's why we do have in-house tax attorney that can help with all of our immigration clients. We really work together. So, I do the visa consultations, and Tanya, our tax attorney, does the tax simulation, so you know well in advance where you go and what you will have to pay or not to the French authorities.

Jeffrey Jones  17:38  

Very nice. What kind of rate can Americans expect? Like a ballpark percentage? Is that easy to determine? No?

Eléonore  17:45  

Really depends on the person's situation and how much they earn and if they fall within the treaty or not, and what kind of assets they have. It really depends on a lot of factors.

Jeffrey Jones  17:58  

So, as far as accessing, for instance, public health care and services like that, does that happen immediately after a visa resident? Or is there a waiting period?

Eléonore  18:06  

After three months of living in France. So, under a Long-Stay Visitor visa- well, Long-Stay visa, any of those, you can apply for the fren- to register in the French health care system. It takes time, so be prepared. It's a journey. It takes months to get answers from them, but eventually you will get there. And yes, that's definitely something that I recommend our clients to do once they arrive in France.

18:32  

[Music]

Jeffrey Jones  18:36  

Hey, there just a reminder that you can learn more about moving to Europe at livingabroadacademy.com

Michelle Hippler  18:42  

Sign up for our newsletter and stay up to date on our latest podcasts, events and more.

Jeffrey Jones  18:48  

You can also submit questions and ideas for future podcasts on the website.

Michelle Hippler  18:52  

We appreciate you being a part of our community. Thanks again for joining us.

Jeffrey Jones  18:56  

 And now back to the show.

19:04  

[Music]

Michelle Hippler  19:04  

So, going back to the visas again and like say that people have stayed for five years, or have done the 10 year and then they want to apply. Do you find that Americans who have spent time in the country and qualify to either get the permanent or the citizenship, the dual citizenship. Do you know that they're really doing this? The follow up question, then is, if so, like, what percentage you know, and maybe it's specifically, who- do you work with anyone who's doing this? Can you tell just by what work you're getting?

Eléonore  19:38  

Yes, I do have a few cases like this. In terms of percentage, it's really difficult to say, because everyone does not wish to apply for French citizenship. Some do, but other are very happy with their residency permits. So, I struggle to give you a percentage, but I see that many American people apply for French naturalization. It's very interesting, because you have access to the Schengen area, as opposed to having a residency permit that is linked to one specific European country. So, it gives a lot of vantages for sure, what is important to know is that you need to meet all the requirements, among which, apart from the five years of living in France, you need to show that you speak French, that you have at least the b1 level. So, that's not that much, but still, you need to be able to have a conversation, and you need to know French culture, the French values and all of this. And something that the administration likes to see is that all your center of interests are based in France, which includes paying taxes in France, or at least declaring your revenue. They like to see that your family have have ties with France as well, things like that.

Michelle Hippler  20:53  

So the mood is really changing in politics worldwide right now, it's really a little bit, well, I'm going to say it is chaotic. So, and you know, it's been precipitated by our country. So, you know, we've always heard that, at least in Paris, they're- they're a little bit anti American the rest of the country, maybe not so much. Have you noticed a shift in that, like a sort of a mindset, against the Americans? Or is it more against the government, which we should keep separate maybe.

Eléonore  21:22  

Yeah, I don't think that there is an anti-American spirit in France, at least I've never seen that. I think that people can make the difference between, yes, the political decisions that come from America and American people, especially if they are in Europe and in France. Maybe, sometimes, because of the cultural difference, people can get puzzled when they are in front of a French person, because, for instance, French people really like that the other person speak French and sometimes this is difficult with Americans. They will struggle to learn the language. So, sometimes you can have this type of comments that I heard that it's difficult to interact with them, but apart from that, no. I think that's there is no anti-American positions, no.

Jeffrey Jones  22:08  

Excellent. A lot of people ask about this. How much is French language fluency a part of the immigration process requirements? And then also, you mentioned something earlier, are the documents and communications only in French?

Eléonore  22:21  

So the French language fluency- well, for a visa application, we are not expecting you to speak French, so you do not have to prove any type of level in French in order to get here. Then, for certain visa categories, when you want to have a pluriannuel residency permit, they will ask you to pass a very simple French test, but it's not b1 it's much less than that. But that's really for certain categories, for instance, when I mentioned earlier, the Talent visa, you can get a four-year residency permit without having to pass any type of French classes. Then when it comes to citizenship, of course, it's very important to show that you- you are part of France, so that you speak French. So, this is very important as well. When you apply for the ten-year residency cards, you need to show as well that you are able to run a conversation in French. So, and yes, all the documents and communications are in French. I mentioned that French people really- they are very proud of their language and their culture, and they don't often speak other languages. So, everything is in French, and French people have a tendency to expect that everyone else will speak French. So, sometimes this is a struggle for foreigners.

Jeffrey Jones  23:39  

So, what would be your recommendation for an expat, a non-French expat, wanting to join French society. Your recommendations on language, and I think you already answered this, but-

Eléonore  23:47  

Yeah, that's- really the first step is to speak French, to be able to have a conversation with the other person. This really will make a difference if you try to integrate the French society and the French culture. This will be a plus. French people are very proud of their language, their culture, so you have to try to blend in as much as possible.

Jeffrey Jones  24:11  

And we think for any country, it's only courteous to have basic language skills, right? To communicate with people, I mean, you're in a different culture, and French is a wonderful language too.

Michelle Hippler  24:19  

Yeah, it's a beautiful language.  

Jeffrey Jones  24:21  

Yes.

Michelle Hippler  24:22  

All right, so, we've reached the section of the podcast now when we want to hand it over to you, Eléonore, to tell us about what Lexidy offers expats, maybe starting in particular with France first. What are the services for France? But then go into like all the other countries that you actually work with too.

Eléonore  24:41  

Yes, of course. So we are a legal tech law firm, and we are specialized mainly in immigration and relocation. So, we try to provide a comprehensive support on your relocation journey. Trying to be as much as possible, a one stop shop and help from the visa applications, to tax consultation before your move to France, and then, of course, the healthcare registration, why not company formation, or even exchanging your foreign driver license to a French one. And then later in time, for naturalization. So, nationality through residency. Another service that we offer in France, and that is very requested is the French citizenship through descent. We have also a lot of Americans that have a French ancestor, and they try to retrieve their French nationality. So, this is another thing that we do a lot. And regarding the other countries, so, we are present in Portugal, in Spain, in Greece, in Italy, in Mexico as well and- well, immigration is always our main activity, everything that is related to relocation and immigrating into one of those countries, but we also have corporate department, tax departments, real estate departments in Greece, in Italy and in Portugal, and in Spain. And even we can also help with global mobility and labor.

Michelle Hippler  26:06  

I have one question. You mentioned driver's license. I know that some countries are just much more difficult than others to get the driver's license. I know in the Netherlands, it's almost like impossible, and in Italy too, because they require language and it's- it's a very difficult test, and in the Netherlands it's very expensive also. So, what is it like in France to get a driver's license?

Eléonore  26:29  

Well, there is no language test, but something super important to know is that you need to apply for the exchange within your first year in France. I always have clients that have been in France for more than a year and ask me, "okay, can I change my driver license?" And that's too late, so you have to pass the French tests- well, written and the practice. So, that's really a difficult thing to run through, especially if you don't know the language. But if you do have- well, if you exchange it during this one year window that's feasible, but then be careful, because not all of the US driving license can be converted into a French one. It depends on the states that issues the driving license, because we have agreements with some states, but not with all of them. So, yes, that's something to keep in mind.

Michelle Hippler  27:20  

That is very good information.

Eléonore  27:22  

I know.

Jeffrey Jones  27:23  

And to confirm the tests all, of course, I think you said this, it's all in French?

Eléonore  27:27  

Well, for the- if you don't exchange it, yes.

Jeffrey Jones  27:31  

Okay, oh. So, that's a different process, just an exchange, okay.

Eléonore  27:34  

The exchange is just an administrative process that, for instance, we can do for you, but you do not need to do any test or nothing, and you do not need to speak French. But if you have to pass the normal French driving license like everyone else, yes, it's in French.

Jeffrey Jones  27:50  

Okay, in Spain, I do have an English option. I just learned that, but I don't have that exchange option you talked about. That's- that's very nice instead to do the whole thing, so. So, thank you, Eléonore. It's been a- been a wonderful chat. I know I've learned things. Hopefully everyone did. A lot of great information. We wanted to add,Lexidy has kindly extended a special offer to all of our listeners. You will save 10% when you contact Lexidy and mention the code abroad10. Check out this episode's text description for more details about that, and also go to lexidy.com to get started.

Michelle Hippler  28:23  

And Eléonore, thank you again for sharing your expertise and information about Lexidy with us today. We really appreciate the time, and the information was great.

Eléonore  28:33  

Thank you, Michelle and Jeffrey, for the opportunity of being here. It was very nice to speak with you, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Jeffrey Jones  28:41  

Thank you so much.

Michelle Hippler  28:42  

Thank you, Eléonore.

28:42  

[Music]