Visa application process

@Matt Emery I did last year or are you looking for more recent.

@sharoncook2004

hi Sharon, if you did your application since the UK left the EU I’m sure you’ll be able to assist 🤞

Hi Matt I certainly did. We came over last September. What would you like to know?

I don't personally but all of our clients did so let me know what you'd like to know and I may have an answer or feedback for you ;-)

@sharoncook2004  sorry to jump in on this! But how long did it take from you filling the forms out to getting the visa? Thanks Lisa 😁

@lisam2. Hi Lisa, I believe it was about 2 months in total BUT that was still in COVID and the London office had a huge backlog of people waiting for appointments. It also took us 3 visits , so three appointments and one of them was cancelled as the office had to close due to a COVID outbreak. Once we had all the correct paperwork submitted the visa was ready for collection in approximately 1 week.

I won't lie, the process was very frustrating with little info available. But as I said above, once all the paperwork was gathered and submitted, the visa was ready very quickly. Hope this helps.

@Matt Emery Hi, we've gone through the process very recently - applied for long stay visitor visas / VLS-TS / 'economically inactive' ie retired - happy to help if we can. What would you like to know?

@cleoUK hi we are nearing our retirement and have look c at the application. We failed to work out what option to choice as reason for visa, couldn’t find the correct one on drop down bar. Would you be able to assist please👍👍

@digby1654  It depends, are you applying from the UK and will you be coming to France to work or not? As early retirees - we will not be working in France - we selected the 'Visitor' and 'more than 1 year' options. Are those the options you mentioned?

@cleoUK  hi, thanks for the reply.

The bit I was struggling with is Your Plans’

i was trying to put in ´Family or private settlement’  but then under ´Main purpose of stay’ there is nothing suitable.

I have now  put visitor.

Now my problem is Your Contacts.

We haven’t sorted accommodation out yet as we are planning on renting somewhere temporary until we find somewhere to buy.

How do I get around this issue?

@mattjemery Hi Matt I think the family option only applies if you have French family, so I believe visitor is the correct option.

One - of the many - things they're very hot on is that you have proof of accomodation as part of your visa application. It needs to cover you from the exact date you put as the start date for your visa. This can be a hotel, Air B&B, even a campsite I believe.

In our case, we've come over to buy a house so we (a) have rented a gite for 8 months and could show our rental agreement documentation - essential it's a winter let, rather than an 'official' French rental property if that makes sense (b) explained in an accompanying letter that we plan to buy a property asap, (c) showed proof of funds for that purchase. Our application was accepted but this is no guarantee. Even though we applied to be here for more than a year, our initial 8 month rental was sufficient.

I hope that answers your question, but let me know if not / if you have any others.

Hi if you do select the visitor option does this allow you to work at all?

My family are renting first and have sorted rental accommodation while we are searching but we are buying a property with the ability to rent out the gite.

How would we go about doing that??

Thanks 👍

No. You have to promise not to work. If you want to work you have to apply for a work visa.

Hiya so which visa would people recommend for myself and my family.

I will not be working as soon as I get there but

I'm going to be working a few months after getting to France after we have purchased our house in France with gite for rental

We need to find this once we are out there.

We can show funds for this house purchase. Plus we have a monthly income we can show coming in from my husband's pension.

I have proof of rental to show from the day that we arrive too

I am in contact with the Marie and am in the process of registering both children in the local schools so they can start as soon as we arrive in September.

Thanks for your help

Lisa

I am sure that adrie14 is right. You should apply for a work visa.  If you only have income from a gite, the situation may be different (does this count as work?) but you would have to check. My feeling, however, is that, in French eyes, this is also work.