Yes, the French immigration process is quite a bureaucratic process that required me to jump through a number of hurdles. I started the process in mid-July and just finished today. I am now able to legally live and work in France for a period of one year...nice!!
The process started in Washington DC with a visit to the French Embassy where I applied for a visa de long sejour that would give me the ability to enter France under the presumption that I plan to stay longer than the 90 day limit of a tourist visa. The first step was relatively easy...filled out a form, handed over my passport, and two weeks later I had the visa glued in my passport.
Next, I moved to France where I went to the French immigration office (OFII) filled out some more forms, dished out a few hundred euros, had my lungs x-rayed (checking for tuberculosis), and was then required to sit through four all-day training sessions. The training sessions were interesting as they were designed to orient immigrates to the French way of life, government, employment, and language. For example, we learned that France consists of 27 regions (equivalent to US states) , has a population of 65 million people, over 900 members of Parliament, and state sponsored health care that pays from between 70-90 % of doctor bills.
I have my long term residence permit, but there are still a few more boxes that I need to check. I need to get a French diver's license and sign up for the state sponsored health care plan. More on those topics in my ensuing posts.
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