FRANCE: IMMIGRATION FOR INVESTORS

ADVANTAGES

The residence permit for investors has some benefits for the ones holding it:

1. 1. 1. Visa-free entry to all members of Schengen agreement;
      2. Accelerated and simplified scheme of obtaining the Visa to the United States, Canada, Australia or New Zealand;
      3. The WHO has recognized a new healthcare system of the France as the best healthcare in the world.
      4. France is very famous for its culture, art, fashion, food and wine. If you live in France you can enjoy French food and French wine.
      5. France has four seasons, and for those who enjoy warmer weather, the south of the country offers more than 300 days a year of sunshine.
      6. The beautiful beaches in southern France as well as the various stunning skiing spots,
      7. Party on, good French music, clubbing, theatre, car race, Tour de France, the cafe culture.
      8. Geographical position of France allows you to travel the rest of Europe at an affordable price.
      9. The lifestyle choice of France: work to live and not live to work. In France you legally work a 35-hour week but you get paid for 40-hour.
      10. France is a country of first-world infrastructure. Modern roads, a great public transport service, high-speed internet…
      11. France has affordable education system – you can study to become a lawyer, doctor or chemist for next to nothing. Even foreigners can benefit from this system.

ACTS AND REGULATION

Article L. 315-1 of the “Entry Code for the Entry and Stay of Foreigners and Right to Asylum”.

CONDITIONS

1. 1. 1. An employer in France who wants to hire a foreigner must obtain an authorization from the French Ministry of labor;
      2. You must have an employment agreement valid for at least 1 year and earn not less that 53.331 EUR per year;
      3. You must also hold a degree achieved after at least 3 years of higher education or you can prove your qualifications by providing evidence of five years of professional experience at an equivalent level.

DOCUMENTS

To obtain the investor’s residence permit, you must present a few documents listed below, all in french, all legalised, and some apostillled :

1. 1. 1. Completed application forms;
      2. Three recent photo ID, 25×45 mm;
      3. Passport and identity card (copies of all identification pages);
      4. Detailed curriculum vitae;
      5. No criminal record certificate;
      6. Documents certifying at least 5 years of comparable professional experience or diploma certifying at least 3 years of higher education study;
      7. An employment contract;
      8. An authorization from the French Ministry of labor;
      9. Birth certificate;
      10. Marriage certificate;
      11. Residence tenancy agreement (or purchase agreement) in France;
      12. Health insurance coverage for one (1) year in France.

PROCESS

1. 1. 1. We will provide you a consultation regarding: the process of immigration to France, the procedures of obtaining a residence permit, questions related to education, insurance, integration, healthcare, administrative and other aspects associated with your move to France;
      2. You have to prepare and legalize the required documents;
      3. We have a team of sworn translators who are responsible for translating all the documents into French;
      4. You must have an employment contract, valid for at least 1 year and showing a salary of at least 1.5 times the minimum annual wage as defined by Ministerial decree i.e. 53 331 EUR;
      5. An employer submits the application to the French Ministry of Labor and obtains an authorization;
      6. The employer must send an application to the department authority responsible for foreign workers (DIRECCTE – Direction régionales des entreprise, de la concurrence, de la consommation, du travail et de l’emploi));
      7. After getting a positive decision, your file will be sent to the OFII (Office français de l’immigration et de l’integration);
      8. Lease agreement in France;
      9. We apply for a Blue Card residence permit at the French consulate;
      10. If you reside legally in France with another residence permit or have an EU Blue card issued by another EU country where you have lived for at least 18 months we can directly apply for an EU Blue Card at the Prefecture;
      11. You will be asked for an interview at a French Consulate in your country and you will receive an entry visa (entry for France only);
      12. Upon arrival in France, you must go to the Prefecture at your place of residence to obtain the EU Blue Card;
      13. If the duration of the employment contract is for 1 or more and less than 3 years, your EU Blue Card is valid for a period of between 1 and 3 years;
      14. If your contract will run for more than three years, a 3 years residence permit will be issued;
      15. The residence permit will be renewal as long as you continue to meet the conditions for the French Blue Card;
      16. As the holder of an EU Blue Card, you can obtain an EU long-term residence permit after 5 years uninterrupted stay in the EU (during the required 5 years of continuous residence, a maximum absence of 12 consecutive months and 18 months in total is allowed)

INFORMATION

Your family member (spouse and children who entered France as minors) can get the “private and family life” residence permit, allowing them to come to France and work. The permit is renewable. You spouse and children can apply for an EU long-term residence permit if they reside 5 years in France.

CITIZENSHIP

There are a few ways to get French citizenship, and therefore get the French ID card and/or passport:

Naturalisation

A request for naturalisation is admissible after 5 years of legal residence in the country, with the exception of marriage. This duration may be shortened to 2 years for individuals who have a degree from an establishment of superior education or who have served France in an exceptional way. Any foreigner who has served in the French army is not obliged to satisfy the minimum residence requirement.

Furthermore, it is essential to prove that the applicant has successfully integrated into French society, i.e. has a suitable level of French and is aware of the rights and obligations of a French citizen. People over the age of 65 are not subject to this exemption, however, as they merely have to undergo an oral examination in French with a government official to prove that they are fit to conduct a day-to-day conversation.

Children under 18 can be added to the application and be granted French nationality (certain conditions may apply).

Right of blood

A child of which at least one parent is of French nationality may become a French citizen.

If the child was born in France

A child born in France during the mother’s brief visit as a tourist is not eligible for French nationality. Children born on French soil to foreign citizens can qualify for French nationality by descent on their 16th birthday and become French nationals at 18, so long as France has been their main residence for five (5) successive years since they were 11 years old.

A modification of French legislation in 2015 also enables children to gain French nationality at the age of 18 provided they have been living in France since the age of 6, have been enrolled in a French school and have a sibling who has obtained French nationality.

If you are the non-French parents of a child of at least 13 years old and has lived in France since the age of 8, you can ask for the nationality on their behalf before a magistrate.

Marriage

The union of a French citizen and a foreigner does not grant the foreign spouse French nationality.

Nevertheless, in order to become a French citizen, a non-national who has married a French national must fulfil one of the following conditions:

1. 1. 1. The couple has been residing in France, legally married, for at least 4 years. At the time of the request, cohabitation must be ongoing and the French partner must have maintained French nationality;
      2. The couple has been living together outside France, legally married, for at least 5 years. At the time of their claim, cohabitation must not have been interrupted and the French spouse must have kept his/her French nationality.

OUR SERVICES

1. 1. 1. Residence permit in France for investors;
      2. Residence permit in France for wealthy individuals;
      3. Residence permit for entrepreneurs;
      4. Visa for the spouse of a French person;
      5. France: Residence for highly qualified workers;
      6. Student visa in France;
      7. Set up a company, business and financial plans;
      8. Assistance in: bank account opening, medical insurance subscription, school registration for children, exchange of driver’s licence, etc.;
      9. Legal service in corporate, banking, immigration and administration law;
      10. Renting / buying a property in France;
      11. Application for French permanent residency;
      12. Application for French Citizenship.

Start your immigration procedure with us.