Reddit Is Your Friend

Hi! Here’s some ideas coming with the disclaimer that I have dual citizenship but one of those is American, everyone’s situation is different! Also, it is worth it to explore dual citizenship (through ancestry, investment, etc.) if that is something that is an option for whoever is reading this.

I have two pathways I like talking about.

One: VLS or VLS-T France Visa. I worked for a fully remote US based company and went down this route. I received a non-renewable year long visa that allowed me to keep my job and live in France. They made some slight updates last year and depending on your situation it might be worth speaking to a French immigration lawyer. I used Reddit threads and had a friend over there provide an attestation d'hébergement for me to make things a little easier. The whole process took about 2-3 months to navigate.

Two: DAFT visa. US passport holders have the ability to create a business plan/business, deposit €4,500 into a dutch bank, and received a two year visa that is renewable. Lots of resources online that provide more information and families are able to join you. I had a friend go this route.

My biggest takeaways from my experience: be open to learning the language! and be ok with ambiguity! Language learning can be a pathway to visa’s but also your surrounding’s open up to you when you’re connecting on that level. And, I met other immigrants who were in the country under different circumstances and there’s always going to be a level of uncertainty of being somewhere when you’re not a citizen. It’s a lot of work but it’s worth if you really want it.