French long stay visa

Last activity 30 June 2022 by earld

632 Views

18 replies

Post new topic

dvvnNew member06 April 2022 19:39:33

Hi, I am a US citizen from New York, I applied for a long-stay visa to stay in France for one year helping out senior parents (who now live there and both have one year visas). I received my visa in the mail after a tedious process but see that it's only for 4 months (may - september, one month more than a 3 month visa-less stay). it almost defeated the purpose of going through the whole process for only an extra month. Just wondering if anyone knows how I can extend my visa for 1 year? I plan to be in france by mid may. should I wait until I am in france to extend my visa? or is there any way to reach out the consulate in washington from within the US before I leave? any recommendations? who can I reach out to? every phone number I reach out to just takes me back to the VFS office help line that tells me they only submit applications and can't do anything more once visas are processed.

any help from anyone is appreciated

sophiechoiceMember08 April 2022 09:13:36

Hi Dvvn,

Stupid question but not so stupid sometimes!

You noticed that the date in French and in American are reversed I suppose?

So for example 09/03 USA is 03/09 in French or European countries so he could be why you read 4 months? Because a similar story happened to me with my USA vaccine card!

hapyml2004Active member08 April 2022 09:42:15

DVVN-

Did you try contacting the French consulate in New York (upper east side)?

dvvnNew member20 April 2022 19:20:14

@sophiechoice I wish that were the case! my date is 09/09, can't mix that up.. but I appreciate the reply

dvvnNew member20 April 2022 19:23:03

@hapyml2004 yes though unfortunately, the only number they have listed takes me right back to VFS, who just tell me they only submit applications but can't do anything with the consulate once a decision is made. out of the many times I tried calling VFS, I got an email address out of one of them for the french consulate in washington dc, but heard no response back from that. it seems that getting a visa at all is a one way street, unless I plan to lawyer up and "fight city hall"

hapyml2004Active member20 April 2022 22:52:08

I used a lawyer to do all the prep and the visa was approved in four days.

sophiechoiceMember21 April 2022 11:52:03

@dvvn

LOL!!!

sophiechoiceMember21 April 2022 11:57:31

@hapyml2004

Hi,

Please give me the contact info of your Lawyer. Was he/she French?

mmoncheeNew member16 May 2022 15:47:39

@dvvn what kind of long stay visa did you apply for? There are a few types, student, work permit, and the regular long stay where you are not permitted to work/look for work.

SplattyNew member21 June 2022 17:00:17

#10

@hapyml2004 I'd love to know the lawyer as well - and as soon as possible!

fabienffiActive member21 June 2022 17:15:20

#11

Hi everyone, don't know about lawyers but I know that the guys from French connections HCB have marvellous feedback so probably worth having a look at. All the customers we have that used them have had their application accepted straight away (first attempt).

ZeeTee75Member24 June 2022 14:16:15

#12

@hapyml2004

Hi good morning, would you be able to forward the contact info of your lawyer. I would prefer to head that route directly to avoid any frustration

ZeeTee75Member24 June 2022 14:17:26

#13

@fabienffi

Hi, forgive me for my silly question but who is HCB? How do I access this info…?

boatman1940Contributor24 June 2022 15:05:12

#14

107

@ZeeTee75

hcbgroup.com HCB Solicitors I just Googled it but know nothing about them

John

fabienffiActive member24 June 2022 15:57:39

#15

HCB is a French hand holding company, just type French Connections HCB in google and you'll get their details.

fabienffiActive member24 June 2022 15:58:08

#16

@boatman1940 that's not them ;-) The people I've worked with are called French Connections HCB

jhw108New member30 June 2022 11:12:01

#17

Is this the firm:

[link moderated]/

Is it worth it to engage them for a visa?

fabienffiActive member30 June 2022 13:44:40

#18

@jhw108 Hi, posting link isn't always accepted and in your post it's currently written "link under review" but if you type "French connections HCB" in Google the first non commercial link is indeed the company I've mentioned ;-)

earldMember30 June 2022 14:01:00

#19

we are probably the rare exception, but we prepared the long term visa app ourselves. we made a notebook of all the required info for each of us and went to VFS in Atlanta for the appointment. we were met by very nice and helpful clerks who helped us add or correct anything needed. it seems as though their function is to get our app in order to be approved and forward it to the consultate. we received the visas the next week.

don't want to mislead, but i know how apprehensive we were about the process but it turned out to be very straightforward and the clerk helped my wife prepare a statement that would be needed there on the spot..

Articles to help you in your expat project in France

Working Holiday Visa in France for Australians
A true love affair has developed between Australians and France. The reasons for this are numerous but often ...
Working Holiday Visa in France for Japanese nationals
Are you Japanese, and have you always dreamed of exploring the length and breadth of France for several months ...
Working Holiday Visa in France for New Zealanders
France can certainly be considered the pearl of Europe with its rich centuries-long history, fabulous and ...
Work visas for France
Citizens from the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries enjoy streamlined access to ...
Working Holiday Visa in France for Argentines
The working holiday agreement between Argentina and France, signed in February 2011 in Paris, allows Argentine ...
Visas for France
Foreign citizens typically require a visa to visit France, whether for relocation or a short-term stay, unless ...
Working Holiday Visa in France for Canadians
What makes France truly special and magical is certainly its fabulous cultural and tourist heritage. Its ...
Working Holiday Visa in France for South Koreans
Thanks to the agreement signed between France and South Korea in October 2008 and officially in force since ...