FRANCE: IMMIGRATION FOR FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS

FRANCE: RESIDENCE PERMIT ADVANTAGES

By obtaining a French residency permit you may enjoy considerable advantages:

1. 1. 1. Visa-free entry to all members of Schengen agreement;
      2. Accelerated and simplified visa application for the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more;
      3. Access to French permanent residency and citizenship;
      4. Best health care system in the world, as acknowledged by World Health Organization;
      5. Access to an outstanding education system – it is virtually free to study in otherwise expensive fields such as medicine, law or engineering;
      6. A relatively low living cost, such as housing, daily expenses, and transportation, especially compared to many developed urban areas around the world;
      7. Modern infrastructure: France has a world-leading public transport system including the TGV bullet train, great road conditions, high-speed internet, and more;
      8. A welcoming culture: France is very tolerant of immigrants;
      9. A local’s perspective on the world-famous French wine, cheese, gastronomy, and the food scene;
      10. France’s comfortable weather: clear divisions of the four seasons and if you enjoy the sun, the south offers more than 300 days of yearly sunshine;
      11. Natural gifts: from Mediterranean beaches to snow-capped Alps, you will definitely find your calling in the French wilderness;
      12. The central geographical position of France means you can travel to the rest of Europe at affordable prices, and France has some of the lowest airfares to North America, Africa and Asia.

FRANCE: REQUIREMENTS

Your choice to settle permanently in France involves respecting the key values of French society and the Republic.
To facilitate your integration, you can access entitlements and services tailored to your personal situation as soon as you become a regular resident of France. To satisfy the conditions outlined by French immigration laws as a wealthy individual applicant, you must meet the following requirements:

1. 1. 1. Possess sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in France;
      2. Own or rent a property in France;
      3. Take an engagement to not be employed in France.

FRANCE: FAMILY MEMBERS

Your spouse and children under the age of 18 years old may be included in the application and will obtain the same immigration status and residence card.

FRANCE: CITIZENSHIP VIA NATURALIZATION

If you wish to obtain French citizenship through naturalization, Inimex Inc. will be able to assist you step by step in the process of obtaining it. There are several ways to obtain French citizenship. However, as a general rule concerning foreigner applicants, you may be eligible to apply for French citizenship if you have resided in the country for at least 5 years without interruption.

FRANCE: LAWS AND REGULATIONS

We strictly abide by French immigration laws to perform all our procedures. If you would like to know more about the specifics of the laws regulating the immigration of wealthy individuals, please refer to the following codes: Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile: articles L.313-6, R.313-6, L.315-1, Code civil : articles 21-14-1 à 21-25-1, Code civil : articles 21-26 à 21-27-1.

FRANCE: DOCUMENTS

If you apply for the French national immigration visa, you should present clear information about your profile and justify your situation. All documents in a foreign language must be translated into French by a certified translator. The translator will certify that the translation is accurate and compliant with the original document by applying his or her stamp and signature.

We provide you with a list of documents that is required to be presented to the French authorities:

1. 1. 1. Passport;
      2. ID card;
      3. Certificate of birth;
      4. Certificate of marriage and/or of divorce (if applicable);
      5. Diploma(s);
      6. Medical insurance covering all health risks on the territory of France;
      7. Documents that show sufficient financial resources to cover all expenses while staying in France, such as proof of professional or business income, proof of pension income, bank certificate, etc.;
      8. Vaccination book (for children under 18 years of age);
      9. School certificate (for children under 18 years of age);
      10. Registration of your child (under 18 years old) in a French school;
      11. Motivation letter;CV;
      12. Proof of accommodation during your stay in France;
      13. Declaration confirming that you will not pursue any type of work in France during your stay;
      14. Police certificate.

Please note, that the necessary documents may not be limited to these presented below, as we customise each client’s case based on the situation and demands.

FRANCE: PROCESS

Below is a generic process that you may go through. It begins with a long stay visa application up to your final acquisition of French citizenship. Please note, however, it is possible that the process may differ due to changes in local policy, law, family situation and other reasons. Therefore, this list is for your reference only:

1. We provide you with a comprehensive consultation regarding: the process of immigration to France, the procedures of obtaining a residence permit, questions related to education, insurance, integration, health care, administrative and other aspects associated with your move to France;
2. You will prepare and formalize all required documents and send to our office;
3. Our sworn translators translate all your documents into French;
4. You may have to travel to France in order to rent or acquire a property (or you can have us represent you by proxy);
5. We may assist you with the purchase a French medical insurance;
6. We prepare your immigration package and you may apply for a visa at the relevant French authorities;
7. The visa is delivered by a consular service a few weeks later;
8. You will have to travel to France and we apply your documents to the OFII of your city of residence (Office Française de l’immigration et de l’intégration) where you validate your long stay visa and may obtain a proof of your legal residence status in France;
9. You will be invited to pass a medical exam at the immigration office;
10. During the first year of your residency in France, you may be eligible to exchange of your foreign driver license and obtain a French one (under bilateral agreements and reciprocal practices driving license exchange);
11. Your five (5) first residence permits are valid for twelve (12) months, renewed annually;
11. After a total of consecutive five (5) years of living in France, you may be eligible to apply for a permanent residency card that is valid for ten (10) years;
12. Finally, you may be eligible to apply for French citizenship after you obtain a permanent residence status in France.

FRANCE: TESTIMONIAL

As a family of four living in Toronto, Canada, we are not the biggest fans of the frigid North American winter. Since both my husband and I work remotely online, there was no reason for us to subject ourselves to just one locale while working. We could pitch our sales anywhere with an internet connection, so why not let our children experience more of this world? So my husband and I would be overjoyed if we could move our roots to Europe. Another added bonus is that we would not have to worry about escaping the horrid winter in Ontario, ever!

First we aimed for Monaco, but it turned out to be rather difficult, as the country required a large sum of money for investment in order to obtain residency. Thus, we turned our attention to France. We met with specialists from Inimex in their office in Nice and they provided us exactly what we wanted: assurance and assistance for a quick and easy move to France.

They first managed to prepare us the complete package needed to obtain a French visa and we had it on our passports just 2 weeks from submitting all materials in the French consulate in Toronto. The family quickly mobilized and settled in the Côte d’Azur region, where Inimex helped us find a beautiful apartment within walking distance to the sea and a stone’s throw from imposing mountains full of skiing opportunities. Just 2 months after arriving in France, we were accompanied by Inimex professionals to go to the prefecture immigration office. To my surprise, we managed to finish the physical examination, conduct the interview, and obtain our residence stamp on our passports, all on the same day! What was more comforting is the fact that our two children got a 5 year card all in one go, while my husband and I simply needed to renew it every year. When we first renewed our residency with assistance from Inimex recently, we obtained the residence card with ease. Immigrating to France turned out to be much faster and simpler than I expected.

Now the family is doing better than ever in our new home. Not only had us kept our business connections in Canada, my husband and I also managed to expand our scopes into the European market thanks to our convenient location.

The neighbourhood is 90% local, so it was a great opportunity for both generations of the house to blend into the charming French culture. Crime is almost unheard of, and food is absolutely delicious. Weekends are scheduled with all kinds of activities ranging from beach picnics to ski lessons, and the occasional family trip to another new city in Europe.

The kids go to a prestigious private school, but its high quality comes with little cost: we pay just 200 Euros a month. Medical bills are also lower, and all other bills are set up by Inimex so we could focus more on our career. Without these local experts helping us transition into our new life, I believe our move to France would be as confusing as our attempt for Monaco. I can say, without a doubt, our lives have been drastically improved here in France, and everyone in the family is looking forward to an ever better future.

FRANCE: TESTIMONIAL

We lived in the bay area of California, USA. Both my wife and I were near the age of retirement, so we had been looking for a place of peace and quiet for a while. We have travelled extensively in Europe, which is my favorite continent in the world. Thanks to our good form, we are luckily still physically active, so we especially loved France. It not only offers scenic drives and a relaxing cityscape, but also provides us with a multitude of hiking, skiing and swimming opportunities in regions such as the Alps and Pyrenees. While my wife is deeply in love with the French gastronomy scene characterized by fresh local produce and innovated methods, I find French architecture equally intriguing. The culture behind such a marvellous country is what kept us coming back frequently. However, with our American passports, we were only allowed to stay in France and the European Union for 90 days every 6 months, which was a big inconvenience since we always found France hard to leave behind. Thus, coming to Europe every time became a math problem as we scrambled to calculate our time remaining.

It was too mentally taxing that I decided to look up options that can allow us to live in France long term, and that was when we found Inimex. Initially I was very under-informed about immigration to Europe, and had wasted countless hours on the internet looking for relevant information. However, there were a plethora of different explanations and contradicting policies, so I was still clueless. Inimex cleared all my confusions in a mere hour of private consultation with one of their France immigration experts. It was especially effective because I was not dealing with pages of cold, professional jargon but instead a knowledgeable human being who cared about my future. Now armed with all information needed, I gladly accepted to work with Inimex to prepare our documents necessary to apply for an immigrant visa. Thanks to their help, our visa arrived on my table surprisingly fast, only 10 days after my trip to the France consulate in San Francisco.

We were both ecstatic when we arrived at the south of France as a prospective immigrant, and quickly found a beautiful home suitable for retirement. We had been eyeing for the region for a while, since it has year-round sunshine and marvellous mountains that my wife adore. Inimex helped us contact the real estate agent and translated everything necessary, since neither of us speak or write sufficient French. The local team at France even helped us take care of the water and electricity bills, all free of charge! Most importantly, Inimex made sure that we were all set to go for the application of residence permit once we landed, and we got our French residency without any hiccup. I believe working with Inimex had taken a lot of weight off our shoulders, as their experts are local and experienced, which was exactly what we needed.

My wife and I are still in the phase of 1 year residency, but Inimex has been helping us renewing it every year. We have been travelling in Europe much more often than before, resting easy that our residency allowed us hassle-free travel whenever we want. Local airports have convenient connections to the rest of the continent, at a surprisingly affordable price. Honestly, I feel like we are already at home here in France. Living expenses are especially low compared to California, and the health care system was nothing short of amazing. While in the United States we paid thousands each year to cover our medical insurance, here it merely costs a few hundreds, and we could enjoy English service throughout Europe on our French program. I made numerous friends thanks to local programs that help foreigners learn French and appreciate French culture. Mere minutes from our house, we would be able to join the thrice-weekly farmers market selling local specialties held next to an impressive medieval castle. Vineyards, hiking trails, pristine lakes and adorable cafes are quickly turning into an inseparable part of our lives.

By the help of Inimex, we managed to turn our dream intro reality within half a year! We adapted into French life faster than we had ever imagined; we made more friends in the past few months than we ever did; we are enjoying a life higher in quality than before; and we now have unlimited freedom to savour our retired time. Retiring in France has become an invaluable investment for my family.