A step-by-step programme to help you DIY your best sponsor-free visa request so that you can move to France and live the life of your dreams (no French skills needed!)

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Guiga Expat in France
French bakerie

Imagine… It is Sunday morning and you’re going down to the bakery to get your daily French bread. You’ll get some croissants today for you and your partner, plus one Pain au Chocolat for your little one.

A ray of sunlight illuminates the bakery’s window, La Fabrique de Justine, your new daily go-to preferred spot for French delicacies. Eclairs au Chocolat, financiers, canelés, brioche à la praline, pastries that a year ago were impossible to get or just completely unknown.

Now, every Sunday, you get to indulge yourself in at least a couple of new patisseries (even if it’s just a piece 😉 – you just love the French guilt-free small pleasures! You made it a Sunday tradition! You always thought the croissants were your favourite, but now, this abundance of delights makes you wonder…

…what a good problem to have!

You have been working hard to get here!

It’s been your dream to move to France for years and had been planning it for many months!

You’ve spent hours wondering how to get to France, find the right time to make the move, and save enough money to be comfortable!

You remember spending long evenings researching the web to try to understand the nonsense of the French bureaucracy and figure out which visa to request and how!

You were really feeling overwhelmed and lost. And you started searching for a solution as you were worried you could make the process all wrong.

As a Move to France coach and a global mobility expert for 12 years now, I see three scenarios.

Paris-terrace-cafe-christmas

Scenario #1

Rob and Tricia contacted me because they were having difficulties renewing their long-stay visa and they were unsure why the Prefecture was being so difficult.

They managed to request their long-stay visa on their own. Well, almost on their own… Rob spent endless evenings searching the web to understand the French visa request process… He wasn’t getting anywhere, therefore he realized he was going to need some help, so he browsed all the Expat groups and forums. He ended up meeting Nancy on an Expat Facebook group.

Nancy is an expat too, she’s been so nice and helpful. She arrived in France a year before them so she knew the drill. She helped Rob to fill in their online visa request and they got their visa granted! Rob was so grateful and relieved at the time!

This was 10 months ago… if only he knew that every single option he’d selected on the online visa request form could have such a heavy consequence… How could Nancy have known? Rob never blamed her for what happened next.

After almost a year of enjoying their new French life, they were finally living the French Art de Vivre every day of the year.

Then, came the time to renew their visa.

Again, he reached out to Nancy and the expat groups to get some tips to prepare their file. He had everything ready, exactly the way Nancy told him.

But, the online system was just not accepting their file! Rob first thought it was a technical glitch, then that the French system was being hacked or just not performing… He was stuck…

After asking them a few questions on HOW they originally requested their visa, it became clear that they had selected the wrong options and, they had requested a non-renewable visa…without being aware of it.

They had to return home because they were not authorised to renew their visa in France… at least not the way they requested it!

Damn French bureaucracy! Why do they have to make it so complicated?

Rob and Tricia were devastated!

They had to fly back home last minute and request a new visa from the French consulate, the right visa this time… if they wanted the French life they started building to continue!

They lost so much money: the French apartment security deposit, the move, the stress, the expensive last-minute flights, the Airbnb at home, the stress, the extra paperwork expenses, more stress, new flight tickets to return to France…

and a second visa request that could have been avoided if we’d done it the right way the first time…

Now Rob finally got it right! But he wished he’d done it differently from the first time.

Scenario #2

Some other people choose to pay for the services of an immigration lawyer, which will easily cost them at least hundreds of euros.

This can be a good option if you have a bigger budget.

But you also need to realise that the immigration lawyer will only give advice and review your file (with an extra fee).

You will still have to do most of the preparation and every time you reach out for a question you will be charged.

Also, the submission work can only be done by yourself.

And more importantly, no one, even a lawyer, can guarantee the visa will be granted.

The consulate is the only one with this ability and power.

When you know better, you do better - Maya Angelou

The famous phrase “knowledge is power” could never be more true when it comes to requesting a visa.

Getting free information nowadays is easy on the internet… but getting complete, sourced, comprehensible and up-to-date information remains a challenge!

And the French administration can be fearful!

There has been a total of 500,433 visa refusals in 2022 you don’t want to be a part of (Source: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs – DGEF – Sous-direction des Visas).

And if your visa is rejected, your visa fee (including the booking fees and mail fees) of about €150 per person will be lost!

And this is without counting all the other expenses you may have undertaken and the healthcare insurance cost you bought!

A visa refusal can cost you a lot of money (and sanity)!

To avoid being part of these 500,433 visas rejected, you need to have a plan and it doesn’t have to be overwhelmingly complicated!

The only reliable source when it comes to immigration is French law.

Scenario #3

For this reason, I have a third solution for you that will give you the straightforward step-by-step guide you need with verified legal information easy to understand:

I’d like to present you with a unique programme called

Dream to Reality programme

This programme will get you on the right track from the start and will allow you to prepare and submit your best visa application for one of the five long-stay sponsor-free visas:

The Entrepreneur / Liberal profession visa

(commonly called the freelance visa or micro-entrepreneur visa),

The Talent-Passport Business Creator

(often called the Talent-Passport Entrepreneur)

The Talent-passport Artistic profession

The long-stay Visitor visa

The French spouse visa

(Just so you know, the Digital Nomad visa doesn’t exist in France, so if you are a remote worker it will be one of the above – all the details are explained in the programme).

I WANT TO ENROL NOW!

I want to join the France Formula course

If you dream of living in a place surrounded by a large variety of landscapes a few kilometres away, rich culture and history, a temperate climate and a good work-life balance then this is the place for you.

Or perhaps you’d prefer the hustle and bustle of Paris or the big French cities… with their Renaissance and XIX century architecture and a never-ending programme of cultural events, music and festivals…

Or maybe you’d like to look out your window at the olive tree fields and the Mediterranean sea close by, and finally be able to have a Sunday snooze with the cradling sound of crickets and the lavender smell.

Whatever you want, this place has it all… and you can make it happen!

Paris-Eiffel-tower-red-flower

But you are not sure which visa you need and fear that the French bureaucracy is too overwhelming to complete successfully.

You have spent already too much time online only to find conflicting information.

It’s like you are turning in circles and it is not bringing you any closer to your dream to move to France.

There's nothing worse than spending endless hours researching the internet for reliable information - in English - without having the certainty it is accurate and applicable to you.

If you are:

Self-employed or an artist

A remote worker

A business owner

A married or PACsed spouse of a French citizen

A retiree or a long-term tourist

This is how you will gain the confidence and power you need to act now on your dream to move to France to finally make it a reality.

Here's What You'll Get...

Lay the foundations
of a good life in France

What you’ll learn:

This programme will get you on the right track from the start and will allow you to prepare and submit your best visa application for one of the five long-stay sponsor-free visas:

Get the certainty...

...you are choosing the best sponsor-free visa for you (and your family) with sourced information and without having to spend hours of research

Avoid the most common pitfalls...

...most expats make that will lead to visa refusal and guarantee you the best visa application possible to start your new life in France

How to deal with the French bureaucracy

even when you don’t speak French so that you can respond to their request

The 5 sponsor-free visa types

The essential pros and cons of each visa:

The Entrepreneur / Liberal Profession visa

(commonly called the freelance visa or micro-entrepreneur visa),

The Talent-Passport Business Creator visa

(often called the Talent-Passport Entrepreneur visa),

The Talent-Passport Artistic Profession visa

(often called the Artist visa),

The long-stay Visitor visa

The French Spouse visa

(including a comparison between the visa types) and how your visa choice can impact your long-term plans in France.)

Get organised to experience a swift & smooth visa request

What you’ll learn:

How to prepare your visa file with clear, understandable steps

so that you can have the confidence every single document is presented the way the French Consulate expects it

The timeline to follow to have a stress-free visa request experience...

...and the delays you should expect from the French consulate

How to submit your online visa application (on the France-visas platform)

with each visa type's specificities and family situations so that you can apply for the visa correctly to be able to renew it once in France

Nail your
French consulate interview

What you’ll learn:

How to present your paper file

...in a way that the consulate understands so that you avoid visa refusal due to “inconsistent information”

How to prepare for the visa application interview

...and know what to expect so that you answer easily their questions.

The extra documents you should bring to your interview that are not included in the official list

(these are the documents that could make the difference in getting your visa granted!)

And that’s not all you get when you join Dream to Reality…

5 easy-to-understand lists of visa documents

Stop wondering what the French administration meant. Get the requirements in plain & easy English!

Valued at €37

Your business plan template

* Special for Entrepreneur visas *

THE template that got my clients’ visas approved!

Valued at €197

Your visa checklist life-saver

Tick all your to-dos with the correct timeline!

Nice-to-have

Your change-of-status tool kit

If you are already in France under a long-stay visa, this will prevent you from going back home to request a new visa!

Valued at €97

Bonus 5

Your Guide To Being A Micro-Entrepreneur In France

* Special for Entrepreneur visas *

This information could save you a consultation with a chartered accountant!

Valued at €97

Guide to being a micro-entrepreneur in France
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You'll also get:

Step-by-Step Video Tutorials

I’ll share my screen with you and walk you through the process of submitting your visa request step by step.

Checklists & Templates

You’ll have your visa process checklist, your business plan & cover letter template, the list of documents required for the six sponsor-free visas.

helping hand

Monthly Q&A

You’ll have lifetime access to Q&A with me on the entry visa topic so that you can relocate to France. All the Q&A will be recorded and saved on our dedicated platform for you to access at any time.

locker

Lifetime Access

You’ll have lifetime access to these videos, so you can pause, repeat and watch them again whenever you need.

Get trusted & sourced legal information!

Having access to up-to-date legal information is key for a successful visa request application.

For this reason, I have worked with an immigration lawyer, Mr. Yannis Lantheaume, registered at the French Bar of Lyon.

He reviewed the full visa section as of the last legal updates in 2022.

Also, if you need to refer to the law, I also include in the course the legal French sources.

Is this programme right for me?

This programme is a good fit for you if:

You are self-employed/an artist, a remote worker, a business owner, a married or PACsed spouse of a French citizen, a retiree or a long-term visitor.

You don't want to spend hundreds of euros on lawyer consultations.

You don't want to spend endless hours on the web searching for the correct way to request a French visa.

You are serious about building a new life in France.

This programme isn't the best fit for you if:

You'd rather pay a lawyer to help you (& still make the submission work alone).

You don’t care about spending a lot of time trying to figure out the French process and how to make right it on your own.

You don’t mind if you get it wrong and can't renew your visa if you wish to.

This course does NOT apply to people coming to France with a French work contract (salaried employee) UNLESS you are married or PACsed to a French citizen (no other type of civil union/de facto relationship – whatever the duration).

Learn how to request your France Sponsor-Free visa today, so you're not wasting more time on inaccurate and incomplete information.

Here is what you get when you join:

Instant + lifetime access to the 3 modules of the Dream to Reality programme reviewed by a French immigration lawyer, so that you can start to prepare your French sponsor-free long-stay visa NOW (€299 value)

4 bonuses to nail the French bureaucracy (€316)

Lifetime access to a monthly Q&A with me on the entry visa request topic (€599)

Letter templates meeting the French consulate's expectations (€77)

TOTAL VALUE
€1 291

But you can join today for just:

Testimonials

Meet Guiga, your Move to France coach

I’m Guiga (my name is actually Guillemette, but very complicated for most people – even the French!).

I’m a French serial expat from Lyon. I have lived in 6 different countries so far: Ireland, Argentina, Luxembourg, the UK, Spain and Brazil. I have also helped 3,152 expats (still counting) from all over the world to move abroad during my 12 years as a Global Mobility professional. 

Now, I want to share my experience, my personal and professional experience, with adventurers like YOU who don’t get the golden expat package from large corporations! 

I will share with you all my knowledge about moving abroad and I’ll give you the real France, from a French women’s perspective who lived the expat ups and downs.

Mademoiselle Guiga
I want IN!

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I plan to move next year?

No problem.
Anticipation is actually recommended when it comes to planning an international move. Six months before is a good target, but it can be sooner. Four or five months before could do too but with the extra stress involved.

You will have plenty of time to plan your move as you have lifetime access to the course and the Q&A sessions on the entry visa topic.

The Q&A sessions do not cover processes in France such as residency, visa renewal/permit request...if you need assistance on these the France Formula programme might be a better option for you.

Is there a guarantee my visa will be approved with this course?

No one can give this guarantee, and I wouldn’t trust any professional that certifies a visa will be granted after a course or a lawyer consultation. Only the consulate has the power to approve or reject a request file and the reason is sometimes out of our control.

However, the visa request section has been fully reviewed by Mr Lantheaume, immigration lawyer at the Lyon's Bar and includes the latest immigration updates as of January 2022.

This course is for educational purposes and will give you the tools and reassurance for you to prepare the best visa application file according to your situation.

I’m a non-EU retiree, does the course apply to me?

YES! If you are receiving a pension from another country than France and you are relocating to France for more than 3 months, then yes, this course applies to you.

People that have worked in France in the past under a French work contract and therefore have contributed to the French system will need to request another visa that is not part of this course yet.

I will be working for a company in France, does the programme apply to my situation?

NO. The Dream to Reality programme only applies to sponsor-free visas:
1 - The Profession Libérale / Entrepreneur visa​,
2 - The Talent-Passport Entrepreneur visa,
3 - The Talent-Passport Artistic Profession visa,
4 - The Visitor visa,
5 - The French spouse visa.

Therefore, if you are a salaried employee of a France-based company, your employer will need to sponsor your visa and you will need to request the applicable sponsored work visa which is not included in this course.

What nationality is the course for?

This course is for all nationalities and was more specifically prepared for non-EU nationals (including British citizens).

However, it is important to take into account that a few countries have bilateral agreements with France that will have specific visa requirements and/or quotas. Before purchasing this course, be aware that the specificities of the bilateral agreement ARE NOT detailed in the course.
Bilateral agreements apply to nationals of the Maghreb states and some sub-Saharan African states.

Does the course apply to EU citizens?

Yes, this course can apply to European nationals. All the essential processes you will have to undertake once arrived are covered.

Two of the seven modules won't be needed for you since they are about the visa request and the visa renewal. However, all the rest applies.

Is business advice included in the course?

I'm not a business consultant nor an accountant.
I will give general information about the micro-entrepreneur status and other company structures with the applicable social contribution levels.

However, as a business owner or a self-employed, it is essential that you get specific advice regarding your French structure set-up.

I’m a non-EU national in a Civil union with my French partner, can I request a French spouse visa?

The French spouse visa (Visa Vie Privée et Familiale - conjoint de français) only applies to married spouses of a French national or PACSed (French civil union).

A non-French civil union or long-term de-facto relationship are not sufficient grounds to request a French spouse visa under French law.

It is recommended to get married or request another visa depending other reason you are moving to France for (work, studies...).

Disclaimer

All information posted on Expat in France websites, as well as the answers on the Facebook group or during the masterclasses and this course, is merely for educational and informational purposes. This information does not engage Expat in France or its owner’s responsibility. Also, it cannot be considered as legal consultation or legal advice, which the Client expressly accepts. 

 

WHEN PURCHASING THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE YOU FULLY AGREE AND UNDERSTAND THAT EXPAT IN FRANCE, AND OTHER CONSULTANTS OR EXPERTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR SUCCESS OR FAILURE AND MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER THAT OUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES WILL PRODUCE ANY PARTICULAR RESULT FOR YOU.

Expat in France – Guillemette RONY – EI
29 rue de France, 69100 Villeurbanne – France
Registered at the Lyon RCS
under the nº900 601 113