How I got my long stay visa for France

Summary

In her first YouTube vlog, Anna, a Filipino mother of three, shares her personal journey of moving to France with her family. She details the steps and challenges she faced while applying for a French visa, including issues with insurance, missed deadlines, and the added stress of a pandemic. Despite the complications, she navigates the visa process, eventually receiving a visitor visa before realizing she should have applied for a familial visa due to her French children. Anna reflects on the emotional and financial toll of visa applications and encourages others to be patient and persistent in their own journeys.

Takeaways

• 🎥 Anna introduces herself as a Filipino and welcomes viewers to her first YouTube vlog.
• 🇫🇷 The video’s main topic is about how Anna obtained her visa to move to France.
• 🧳 She decided to move to France with her three children, two of whom are French citizens.
• 📅 Anna applied for a familial visa through VFS Manila, initially scheduled for December 3, 2019, but rescheduled to December 5 due to a storm.
• 🩺 The French Embassy requested additional documents such as medical insurance, her children’s father’s financial records, and proof of residence.
• 💳 Anna struggled to find the correct medical insurance and lost her credit card during the process but eventually submitted all documents within 48 hours.
• 📩 She received her visa approval on January 11, 2020, and was granted a 12-month multiple-entry visitor visa instead of a familial visa.
• ✈️ She and her family flew to France on February 7, 2020, switching from China Eastern Airlines to Emirates due to COVID-19 concerns.
• 💶 Upon arrival, she validated her visa online, paid a €200 tax, and later underwent a medical examination required by the French immigration office.
• 🏥 Due to missing vaccination records, she had blood tests and received necessary vaccines to complete her medical clearance.
• 🏛️ The French prefecture later informed her that the Manila Embassy issued the wrong visa type, and she should have received a familial visa instead.
• 🙏 Anna hopes to convert her visitor visa to a familial visa during renewal so she can legally work in France.
• 💬 She ends the video by thanking viewers, encouraging them to subscribe, like, and comment on her vlog.

Q & A

What motivated Anna to move from the Philippines to France?

Anna was motivated by a desire to start a new life in France with her three children, two of whom are French citizens. She and her family decided to move in early 2020, although the timing coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.

What type of visa did Anna apply for to move to France?

Anna applied for a familial visa because she has two French children. However, due to some complications, she was initially granted a visitor visa instead of the familial visa she had intended to receive.

What challenges did Anna face during the visa application process?

Anna faced multiple challenges, including dealing with a canceled visa appointment due to a storm, confusion over the required medical insurance, and difficulties in providing additional documents like her children’s father's income tax and bank statements. She also had to quickly find a new insurance provider within 48 hours.

What mistake did the French embassy in Manila make during Anna’s visa application?

The French embassy in Manila mistakenly issued Anna a visitor visa instead of the familial visa she had applied for, despite her having two French children. This error was discovered when she went to the prefecture in France to validate her visa.

How long did Anna have to wait for a response after submitting her visa application?

Anna had to wait over a month before receiving her passport back with the visa approval. The process was delayed due to various complications, including the pandemic.

What type of visa did Anna receive after her application was processed?

Anna received a visitor visa valid for 12 months with multiple entries, which was supposed to serve as a resident permit in France. However, this visa did not allow her to work in France.

What additional step did Anna have to take after arriving in France?

After arriving in France, Anna had to validate her visa online, pay a tax of 200 euros, and schedule a medical examination, which was delayed until July 2020 due to the COVID-19 quarantine restrictions.

What issue did Anna encounter with her vaccination records?

Anna encountered a problem because she did not have her vaccination records from childhood, as her parents had not kept them. She had to undergo blood tests to determine what vaccinations she had received and get the missing ones.

How did Anna handle the situation when her insurance turned out to be incorrect?

After being informed that her insurance was not valid, Anna scrambled to find the correct type of medical insurance within 48 hours. She successfully secured a new insurance policy after extensive research, but it was a stressful process.

What does Anna hope to achieve with her visa in the future?

Anna hopes to eventually receive the familial visa that she initially applied for, as the visitor visa does not allow her to work in France. She plans to renew her visa in two months and update her followers on the outcome.