I'm thinking about moving to France next year how should I get started?

Question

I'll have my AA degree from college and be fluent in French. I never been across seas but I have my my passport. Other then that I have no idea what I'm doing. Please don't tell me not to because thats not the answer I'm looking for. Thanks

Answer 1

You do not state which country you come from, nor which nationality you have, and that does make a h**l of a difference.

If you are European, living in an EU member state you can just travel to France, and register, start looking for a job and if it does not work out, travel home again.

But if you are from the rest of the world (most countries that is) you will have to apply for visa, work permit and things like that.

That is a lengthy process, can cost you a lot of money, and unlikely to be successful.

To get visa for most European countries you must have a profession that is needed, most of those are high level of education and with experience.

And it is not just the country you are applying for, as most Europeans are able to settle wherever they want within the Union, the people from outside will only be allowed in if nobody in Europe can fill the position.

There are a few exceptions, like being an Au Pair, (think long hours of work, little money and no privacy) or being a student.

Or bringing a lot of money. If you have an independent source of income like a trust fund paying you a nice monthly amount you will be welcome.

That is all negative, but if you are still sure you want to do it, start with using Google or something like that for info about immigrating into France.

The website of the consulate or embassy for your part of the world is mostly a good start.

If you do not go on with it you will regret it the rest of your life, so read, try to find expat site and read in the resolved questions on this site, there is a lot of info here.