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!)
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.
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 €500 and sometimes more depending on the country where they are.
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.
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 -
Maria 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
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 Profession Libérale / Entrepreneur visa
(commonly called the freelance visa or micro-entrepreneur visa),
- The Talent-Passport Entrepreneur visa,
- The Talent-Passport Artistic Profession visa,
- The 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).
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!
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/an artist
- a remote worker
- a business owner
- a married or PACsed spouse of a French citizen
- a retiree or a long-term visitor
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:
- 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
- The essential pros and cons of the 5 sponsor-free visa types:
- The Profession Libérale / Entrepreneur visa
(commonly called the freelance visa or micro-entrepreneur visa),
- The Talent-Passport Entrepreneur visa,
- The Talent-Passport Artistic Profession visa,
- The 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.
- 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
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!
Valued at €17
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
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.
Monthly Q&A
You'll have 24-month access to Q&A with me so that you get all your doubts answered. All the Q&A will be recorded and saved on our dedicated platform for you to access at any time.
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
Lifetime Access
You'll have lifetime access to these videos, so you can pause, repeat and watch them again whenever you need.
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 a lawyer consultation
- 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 (€297 value)
- 4 bonuses to nail the French bureaucracy (€348)
- 24-month access to a monthly Q&A with me (€667) on the visa request topic
- Letter templates meeting the French consulate's expectations (€77)
TOTAL VALUE €1 389
But you can join today for just:
€149
FAQ
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.
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 on the other reason you are moving to France.
What if I plan to move next year?
No problem.
Anticipation is actually recommended when it comes to planning an international move.
Depending on the visa type, 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.
The Visitor visa and the French spouse visa request could be submitted 6 weeks before, but I always prefer to anticipate to avoid bad surprises with the French bureaucracy.
You will have plenty of time to plan your move as you have lifetime access to the course.
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.
What is the difference between the France Formula course & this course: Dream to Reality?
France Formula online course is a much more complete course on the full international relocation process to France:
- pre-departure including the visa request
- the process on arrival (immigration, housing, school, healthcare, banking...) and your French integration tool kit
- and of course your visa renewal & long-term plans in France).
Dream to Reality focuses on the visa request only and it includes the five sponsor-free visas detailed above.
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 French-based company, your employer will sponsor your visa and you will need to request the applicable sponsored work visa which is not included in this course.
I want to run my current business in France, does this course apply to me?
YES. All the entrepreneur visa allows one to run a non-French business in/from France.
This course will give you the relevant visa request process.
However, it will not replace the need for the services of a chartered accountant to set up your business in a way to be compliant in France.
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 and Mrs Pochard, immigration lawyers at Lyon's Bar and includes the latest immigration updates as of January 2023.
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.
Meet 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 & a global mobility pro.
I teach expats (to be) how to move to France the right way so that they can save time, money (and sanity) and finally enjoy their new French life.
Through my easy-to-implement trainings, you'll learn how to request your French visa to build a strong foundation for a good life in France.
Select the correct Sponsor-Free visa. Prepare your best visa application file. Nail the visa process. Get ready for your Consulate interview, starting today.
Refund Policy
As per article L221-28 of the French Commercial Code, refunds are not required for digital products and services when the consumer receives full access to the products immediately.
When purchasing Dream to Reality, you agree to waive the legal 14-day withdrawal period and get full immediate access to the digital course. As a consequence, no refund will be possible.
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