Moving to Paris from U.S.

[aurore_rien]

i am looking for information on how to move to paris.  my wife and i have liked this idea for some time now and i just need to know how i start this process. 

getting a job, renting an apartment, moving all of my things, logistics, etc.

where do i start?

thanks,

aurore

[Sprogster]

The key question is you or your wife a European Union citizen, or entitled to an EU passport, as an American citizen can only spend up to six months a year in France and is prohibited from work.

If not, you will require a visa to live and work in France and for US citizens this increasingly difficult to obtain, unless you are being transferred by an existing employer, marry an EU citizen or are highly skilled to the extent that a prospective employer in France can demonstrate that they could not find a European Union citizen with equivalent qulifications and experience.

As I am sure you know since 9/11 the USA has cracked down enormously on immigration to the extent that it has become extremely difficult for a EU citizen to emigrate to the America, unless they have close family there, marry a US citizen or have highly specialised job skills, for which there is a proven shortage in the US. In fact immigration rules in the USA are now so draconian that as a tourist you are finger printed on arrival and if you overstay even by a couple of days you cannot return for ten years!

Why this might be relavent to you is that as a result European countries such as France have by way of reciprocation have made it more difficult for US citizens applying for permanent residency visas. The government attitude being if a French national finds it next to impossible to live and work in America, why should an American find it easier to come and live and work in France.

Bon chance.