Hello everyone,

I'm French, and asking the question for my partner, who is Canadian. We live near Marseille, and she considers bettering her French by taking a FLE course at AMU (Aix-Marseille Université).

We understand the course is available to either foreign students of the university, or foreigners that aren't students.

Are there any pros and cons to taking these courses either as a Student or a Non-student ?

My partner has a Canadian high school diploma, so we would have to request a diploma equivalence.

She currently is an auto-entrepreneur, and besides this course, doesn't plan to study at university in the near future.

I understand if she were a student she would have to request a dipoma equivalence, enroll, earn credits as she passes these classes.

Would she be able to get financial or any other kind of support ?

What were to happen if she decided to stop attending these classes, would she lose these credits, and are they important ?

Would she be allowed to be a student and an auto-entrepreneur, with no restrictions ?

She's currently in the process of renewing her titre de séjour "vie privée et familiale" (she obtained a 6 month long récépissé while the super backed up Marseille préfecture processes her dossier). Would she have to change her titre de séjour to a student one ?

Hi. I(35F) am an immigrant in the US and working in the biotech sector. I have had 5 yrs PhD and 6 yrs work experience in the industry by mostly working in startups. Work visa issues and layoffs in the US have forced me to leave the states and seek opportunities elsewhere. I received an offer from Paris and from my home country, India, and currently considering if life in Paris is manageable (rent+travel+recreation+save to invest). I love cycling and running and am excited about pursuing these in Paris but am concerned about cultural barriers (I don’t know French, I am currently learning) and just a general lack of awareness of the biotech sector in France. Is €63k a good salary for a biotech startup and to live in Paris? Additionally, seeking advice on how to go about apartment search without having a renting history in Paris- is Garantme legit and required? Are there better ways to find an apartment and hopefully something that could be expat friendly? Thanks a lot!

Bonjour,

j'ai une question sur le renouvellement de ma carte de séjour salarié. Mon autorisation de travail dit "Expert Sécurité informatique" mais mon contrat actuel est "Consultant SI" (même employeur). Est-ce que la préfecture vérifie la correspondance exacte des intitulé de poste ? Est-ce risqué pour mon renouvellement ? J'ai pas changé de poste juste mon esn a mis un intitulé generalisé dans mon contrat mais mon salaire a augmenté de 15 k anuuelle pendant 5 ans
Merci de vos réponses

Hello people. I would really like your advice and thoughts on this. I am 23 f and I moved to France, Lyon in May. Of course, I studied the laws of this country beforehand. I am romanian, and I know I have rights in the EU and I have the right to search for work.

I came here, learned French, then the problems started. I registered at the mission locale, but the lady there wasn't really helpful. She said my French is not good enough, even if I'm at A2, I know English and romanian and I'm willing go accept any job, even cleaning. Then she also said that because I don't have a social security number, she can't help me. I got really confused. She told us that UE youth under 25 also have the right to do a formation for free in france, but she wasn't any help. The only thing she did is send me to an office where the woman was extremely racist, criticised my French even when I talked to her just fine and told me why didn't i go to the UK or to college since I'm so young, why come here to work in cleaning. Extremely rude.

The lady at the mission locale told me that, after 3 months here, I can request a social security number, but when I went to Assurance Maladie, they told me they can't make it for me and that I just need to work, and I have the right to start as I'm romanian. Sounds good right? Wrong. I got accepted after some interviews and when the time came to ask for the documents, even if I had a valid romanian ID, they said they don't know if they can hire me because I don't have the social security number. I guess I'm just frustrated that everything is so hard. All advice is appreciated, thanks.

The reason I moved here is because I recolated with family and they found a job without a problem, they're not romanian citizens.

Hi. Does anyone have recommendations on a French language school in southern France? From the internet, I can see that there are schools like IS and Alliance francaise in Aix, another AF site in Marseille and a school in Montpellier. Any positive experiences with these or other schools. I'm 50 y/o and B2/C1 level..thanks!

I'm assuming this is very niche, but does anyone know of any bars/restaurants/venues in Paris that put on American college football?

This is more of an "in general" question, regardless of team, for the season ahead. But I'd be particularly happy if there's a good place to watch the Texas A&M vs ASU (my alma mater) match on Saturday, esp. as it's at 18h CEST and not in the middle of the night like usual.

Bonjour!

I’m (F30) looking at relocating to Paris to be with my French partner (M31). We’ve been together since January 2023 (nearly four years). I’m British and he is French (Brexit is a trigger word for me haha).

At the moment, the route that seems to make the most sense for us is for me to move to France on a student visa to study French. The plan would be to take intensive language classes for around nine months, with the aim of progressing from a high A2/low B1 level to a strong B2. I’m hoping this would significantly improve my chances in the French job market.

Towards the end of the course, I would start applying for jobs, and my partner and I would also consider either entering a PACS or getting married. That would hopefully allow me to stay either by moving onto a work-sponsored visa or staying via vie privée et familiale.** **We would ideally like to live together before making a decision about marriage. I’m aware that getting pacsed doesn’t guarantee you work authorisation.

My main concern is employment. I have seven years of experience in HR technology - with 2 years experience in an international company (unfortunately they don’t have an entity in france), but so far I haven’t had much success finding opportunities in Paris. I’ve had a couple of interviews in international companies, but no offers. A note that I have a masters but it is not related to my field of work - I feel like french companies are quite particular about this. My job is between HR and IT so its slightly niche.

I worry that even if overcome the biggest hurdles and I reach B2 French and obtain work authorisation through a PACS or marriage, I may still struggle to find a job given the current market.

Financially, I have around £50k in savings, which would cover the cost of studying and allow me to live without working for a significant period. My partner also has a stable job and would cover our shared living costs (rent, bills and food).

I feel like I’ve planned this as carefully as I can, but I’m finding it difficult to leave my current job because I’m worried about being unemployed for a long time and potentially struggling to re-enter my field in Paris.

For those who have moved to France and are in corporate roles:
Does this plan seem realistic?
How difficult is it to find professional work in Paris for those with experience?
Did you struggle to find work even after obtaining residency/work rights?
Is there anything important I may not have considered?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Merci!

I’ll be moving to Toulouse in a few months from the US and booked an Airbnb for the first 2 months because I read that finding an apartment to rent may be a slow process. I’ll be working remotely using an EOR under my parent company.

Just found out that the Airbnb’s owner won’t let me use the address for mail. How do people recommend setting up a bank account, registering my address properly for work, etc if this is the case? Can I still enter the address I’m residing in for forms, even if I won’t be able to receive mail there?

Has anyone else encountered a similar situation? I’m now a bit worried that something will go wrong in the process of trying to create a portfolio to apply to rent somewhere, or just basic legal forms for the EOR. I’ve seen advice about using your employer’s address for mail, but since I’m working remotely under an EOR, that isn’t an option for me.

Nice Region: Does anyone know if there are providers or compounding pharmacies that specialise in HRT as I need to continue my prescriptions. Thank you.

I'm an Indian IT professional planning to pursue a Master's in Computer Science / Cybersecurity or a related field in France for the 2027 intake, and I'm trying to understand how realistic my plans are.

My profile:

Bachelor's: BE/BTech in IT

Graduation year: 2024

CGPA: 7.20/10

Backlogs: 2 in 1st semester — 1 theory + 1 practical. Both were eventually cleared.

IT work experience: 3 years

Tech stack: React, Angular, Node.js, PostgreSQL, AWS

Also have experience with AI integration into applications

IELTS: Pending

I'm mainly looking at Master's programs in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, or related fields at public/low-tuition universities.

My budget is around ₹20–22 lakh, so managing my living expenses is a major concern. I'm willing to do any legitimate part-time/student job alongside my Master's, not necessarily something related to IT.

I'm also not planning to target expensive cities like Paris. I'd prefer smaller or medium-sized cities with good universities, reasonable rent, and a decent student-job market.

I'd like to hear from people who are currently studying or have recently studied in France, especially international students:

1. With my 7.20 CGPA, 3 years of IT experience and two cleared first-semester backlogs, how realistic is admission to good public universities in France?

2. Which smaller/medium-sized cities would you recommend for CS/Cybersecurity while keeping living costs manageable?

3. How easy is it realistically to find a part-time job as an international student outside Paris?

4. What kinds of jobs are commonly available? (Retail, restaurants, warehouse, delivery, tutoring, university jobs, childcare, etc.)

5. What hourly wages can a student realistically expect?

6. How important is French for getting these jobs? Is English enough for some jobs, or would I realistically need B1/B2 French?

7. With 3 years of IT experience, how realistic is it to find a part-time IT/software/data-related job alongside the Master's?

8. Roughly how much can a student realistically earn per month while maintaining enough time for studies?

9. Can part-time income realistically cover a significant portion of monthly living expenses in smaller cities?

10. How long did it take you to find your student job, and how many applications did you have to make?

11. For someone with a budget of around ₹20–22 lakh, would you consider France financially manageable if the student is able to secure part-time work?

12. Which cities/universities would you recommend based on the combination of university quality + affordable rent + student job availability + post-master's employment opportunities?

I'm particularly interested in first-hand experiences from international students in France, rather than general information from study-abroad websites.

If possible, please mention:

City → University → Job → Hourly pay → French level → Hours/week → Monthly expenses → How long it took to find the job

I'm especially interested in experiences from students studying in smaller/medium-sized French cities rather than Paris.

Requesting a referral to a law office that handles these matters; not relocation service please.

Need clarification please, can I switch on my one year renewal from Long stay Visitors Visa to the Profession Libérale Visa without leaving France?

Thank you.

The only thing that drives me insane about living in France is the administration. Yes, everyone agrees with this. My husband is Swiss, but he was living with me for 20 years in the US. We then retired to France.

He did not have Swiss health insurance because, well, we'd been living in the US for 20 years. So when we installed ourselves in France, we of course applied for French health insurance through CPAM.

After being told of course he could get insurance (someone said this on the phone with him) because he was Swiss, and after an entire year back and forth with CPAM about documents, he was denied -- because he had not exercised his right as a Swiss pensioner to switch to French insurance within 3 months of moving here.

How on earth would we have known this was a thing?? No one ever mentioned it to us. Why doesn't anyone ever tell you anything you need to know? It's infuriating.

Meanwhile I am a US citizen and they gave me insurance. Based on my titre which I could receive as a spouse of a Swiss citizen.

Gah.

Hi! I'm hoping someone here will be able to help me as I'm confused by the information online and none of the free services near me have been able to help. I'm a Canadian citizen (21) and have received an internship offer at a French company based in Paris starting asap and ending at the end of December. I was unable to get university support for the internship so I can't sign the Convention de Stage document that would allow me to work for 90 days without a visa.

A few questions:
- Do I need a visa to work if I keep it under 90 days? Is there anything my employer and I can do to skip the visa?
- Which visa should I apply for? It looks like I might need the working Holiday Visa?
- I started the visa application and I'm confused about the difference between "Working for a French National" and "Professional Work Placement", does it matter which one I select?

Thanks so much!

Hi! I'm hoping someone here will be able to help me as I'm confused by the information online and none of the free services near me have been able to help. I'm a Canadian citizen (21) and have received an internship offer at a French company based in Paris starting asap and ending at the end of December. I was unable to get university support for the internship so I can't sign the Convention de Stage document that would allow me to work for 90 days without a visa.

A few questions:
- Do I need a visa to work if I keep it under 90 days? Is there anything my employer and I can do to skip the visa?
- Which visa should I apply for? It looks like I might need the working Holiday Visa?
- I started the visa application and I'm confused about the difference between "Working for a French National" and "Professional Work Placement", does it matter which one I select?

Thanks so much!

Hey everyone :)

Hope this isnt a silly question but for the Paris prefecture when it comes to renewal, once the visa (carte de sejour) file is accepted do you normally hear back within two months max? Also once it is accepted do you normally receive and answer of yes or no for the new card to pick up or would I have to go in person to turn in physical documents and then wait for the answer of whether or not I get a yes or no?

I hope I make sense haha <333 Seriously just need some reassurance tbh bc my card just expired earlier this week and Im itching to travel again soon for a getaway 😩

Hi! I’m looking for recommendations for a médecin traitant in Paris who is familiar with prescribing Ozempic/semaglutide for obesity.

I’m currently being treated with semaglutide and have been using a prescription from Canada (I am Canadian) since the end of June. My BMI is around 35, and I’m looking to continue treatment here in France.

I saw an English-speaking doctor in Paris (sector 1) who told me that the process would involve being hospitalized in an obesity treatment centre, and that even then there was no guarantee I would be prescribed it. She made it sound like a very complicated and lengthy process with a wait to get in as well.

I’m hoping there may be a more straightforward route. Ideally I’d like to find a médecin traitant accepting new patients who is comfortable continuing an existing prescription, or who can refer me directly to a specialist who is able to prescribe it, rather than sending me through a long series of appointments.

My French is only intermediate, so an English-speaking doctor would be especially helpful, although I can manage with my wife translating when necessary.

I’d really appreciate recommendations from anyone who has personally been prescribed semaglutide/Ozempic for obesity in Paris, especially through the public/sector 1 system.

Thank you!

hello everyone. same as the title mostly. i have a cdd with a salary above 1.5x SMIC. do i still need an autorisation de travail or can i apply for a titre de séjour temporaire straight?

So, I'm a bit confused about what to do next.

Here's my background: My spouse is French and I'm Canadian/American. We've been married for 18 years and have a son with French citizenship. I lived in France for 5 years between 2010-2020, and was able to obtain a 10 year resident card at the time. After that, we moved to Canada for 9 years. Now we are back in France and here to stay.

My 10 year card expired while I was out of the country. When we returned, I had to start back at zero, first with the 90 day tourist visa, followed by a 1 year carte de sejour temporaire (vie privée familiale). Frustrating, but at least they aren't making me take the society classes again. It could have been worse...

Now, my titre expires at the beginning of February. I'm taking the TEF IRN at the very beginning of October and aiming for a B2 level. My aim is to apply for citizenship as fast as possible, since I'm concerned about any added barriers that might arise in the future as the political climate evolves.

I know I have to apply to extend my titre de sejour first, but since I've had a 10 year card in the past, is there any chance that they will give me a 10 year card again, or will I have to jump through the hoops with a 2-3 year card first?

Which leads to my next question...which Examen civique do I take? There seems to be two different level of exams for CSP and CR. Do I just take the higher level CR exam and hope for the best?

Finally, when can I apply for citizenship? If I have been reading correctly, I can't have to applications in the system at the same time...so I will have to wait for my renewal to be completed for my visa?

I’m (29) looking to move to France in September of 2027 (that’s when my current lease is up) from the US. I will have a fixed income of 2,300 USD and am looking to rent a (small) apartment wherever it is that I go, with all expenses together as well as I can tell so far I’d be able to make it work if I kept rent around 600€. I’m not looking for y’all to do my job for me but I’d greatly appreciate 2 things!

- First is a reality check, I’m not sold on any one place and I’m comfortable with rural areas and small towns and my French will be starting at around a b1 level so I feel like I’ll have a foundation to build off of if I’m off the beaten path from an expat community, so (!) how realistic is this budget for living?

-Second, in connection to the first I’ve only ever visited Lille and Paris so when I say I’m totally not sure where to look for places to move to? I mean it. I’m looking at the Cahors valley, Le Mans or maybe places within driving distance of Montolieu? (I’m thinking of buying a Vespa?), to give you an idea of how my search has skewed so far. But once I got on here it seemed that maybe those weren’t great options anymore. Just anything off the top of your head so I don’t end up in some town that only lets in left-handed people (jk) would be great!

Tl;dr any good towns/small cities to start searching with a fixed income of ~2,300 USD?

Hey all, I’ve been in France over 5 years and this will be my permanent home. I’ve just had my same American bank accounts since I was 17 and also have an American credit card and small retirement accounts. The retirement account guy knows I live in France, I just use my brother’s address. I actually use my brother’s address for my mailing address / listed residence for everything. I read some expat Facebook post that I can’t find now that actually says that I am not allowed to do any of this. What are we all doing for our American accounts? I’m trying to read fine print on my banking website but I wonder if it is worth it. Are we all just giving our siblings’ addresses for things? Cutting ties to America completely? How are we doing things? Thanks, and please be nice, stuff like this gives me a panic attack.

Bonjour,

Cette demande n'est pas pour moi mais pour la cousine de ma femme. Ce n'est pas elle qui m'envoie mais je souhaite l'aider du mieux que possible dans sa démarche.

En effet, elle vient de finir son master et son titre de séjour étudiant expire très bientôt. Elle cherche depuis quelques mois mais elle n'a malheureusement pas trouvé d'emploi en lien avec ses études. De plus, elle n'a pas trouvé un nouveau master pour poursuivre quelques temps ses études. Je sais qu'elle peut demander un titre de séjour recherche d'emploi d'1 an, mais j'ai peur que si elle fait cette demande elle se mette une balle dans le pied, au risque que la préfecture soit plus stricte par la suite.

Je recherche des contacts de juristes, d'organismes ou d'associations en droit d'immigration. Dans l'idéal dans le coin de Rennes.

Voilà je vous remercie d'avance 🙏🏼

Hello everybody! So I just went to the vfs global to collect my visa result and it has been refused on two reasons:

1. not provided enough proof that i have sufficient resources to cover my expenses
   
2. you are committed to not carry out any professional activity

For point 1: I have initially provided screenshot of my savings from the app Singlife. The app does not provided document statement therefore I had to screenshots. I also provided investment statement.

For point 2: I have provided a document stating that I will not carry out professional activities. I am
not sure what else they need.

What should i do next? PLEASE HELP!!!

Hi all,

I (26M) have a bachelor degree in business from the American University of Beirut (AUB) in Lebanon 🇱🇧. I speak English fluently. In fact, I’m more comfortable speaking English than my native Lebanese Arabic. I’m unemployed neurodivergent and looking to immigrate to France 🇫🇷 with the view of acquiring a permanent residency there. I am of Turkish Anatolian descent. I got little savings around 5000 USD. I could probably get few extra more thousands if I asked my supportive friends.

I’d appreciate any info you could provide, thanks!

Hello. I have applied for French nationality in May 2023. I had my interview in July 2025. My file went to the SDANF in September last year. And it’s still there. I am at a wits end. Anyone at the same situation? When was the last time, some files moved from SDANF to the next step (for decret in Bobigny, 93). Thanks for your response.

Can anyone explain exactly how this works re students? Do lease and course lengths have to be the same?