What is it?
The Skills and Talents visa is a way of attracting those who can contribute something special to France and his or her home country, be it in terms of business, culture, science, sports, humanitarianism, etc. The card is valid for three years, renewable once.
What do I need to do?
You need to come up with an interesting project that fits in with the guidelines above. The French Interior ministry has a special commission that determines more specfic criteria of what they are looking for each year.
The prefecture or consulate will look at your project and take into account the yearly criteria from the ministry, where in France you would like to carry out your plans, the sector your project is in, and your qualifications for the project (level of studies, professional experience, etc.)
What happens once I get my visa?
You can come to France! The visa gives you the right to work, so if need be you can take up employment. Your family will also get a Family and Private life visa so they can move to France with you. Your spouse should also have the right to work as well.
Any other advice?
Have a look at Timi’s blog – she’s originally from the Philippines and is in France on the Skills and Talents visa. You can see her post on the formalities she went through to get the visa. Leave her a comment!
As I talked about at some length in my article yesterday, housing in Paris is expensive due to a long-running housing shortage and high demand. Today I’ll give you a rundown on housing in Paris’s neighbourhood, and try to give you an idea of where you might be able to get the most for your money.
Central Paris
The first four arrondissements are smack in the center of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. It covers areas around the Louvre, the Paris Stock Exchange, Les Halles, and the Marais. You probably won’t find too many apartments in the first two arrondissements as buildings are mostly for commercial use and tourism. Rents can be slightly cheaper here than in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, which collectively are known as the Marais. The Marais was considered to be a rather run down area until about ten or fifteen years ago, when the neighbourhood gentrified considerably thanks to places such as the Centre Pompidou and the arrival of artists and a great nightlife. If you’re looking for a decent value here, try looking towards the northern part of the districts, around the Porte Saint-Denis and towards République.
The Left Bank
The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh arrondissements are amongst the most expensive (particularly the Fifth, which is the most expensive Paris district and where rents increased by 10% in 2008). This part of Paris includes the famous Latin Quarter, where the Sorbonne university is location, and the Eiffel Tower, along with several government ministries.
If you’re looking to live here, I’d suggest you try around the Boulevard Saint Germain, in the sixth. But even there, prepare to pay for the privilege.
West Paris
The eighth and sixteenth arrondissements are quite similar in a way, but also very different from one another. The Eighth includes the Champs Elysées and the Parc Monceau. It’s known for expensive hotels and chic chain boutiques. Again, it’s another district where there’s a lot of business, but there are also some apartment s to be had. Try looking along the border with the seventeenth arrondissement.
The sixteenth arrondissement is known as being residential and staid, although there are some people who swear by it. It tends to go for wealthy families, but studios are easier to come by in this area. Nightlife and transport are somewhat lacking, however.
Batignolles and Montmartre
The 17th and 18th districts lie on the northern outskirts of Paris. The 17th is quite divided – there’s a relatively wealthy area towards the south and west, and a gentrifying area to the north and east. The 18th includes the famous Montmartre, but also cheaper areas around Pigalle (think of the Moulin Rouge), Barbès and La Chapelle. In either of these areas you can expect to pay on average 21,7€ per month per square meter, and it’s quite popular with both students and young professionals.
The East
The large swath of land from the 19th down to the 12th via the 20th is probably amongst the cheaper areas of Paris. It’s also quite residential, but an entirely different type of population than the 16th. It’s mostly working-class type of people. In these areas you can find La Villette where the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie is found, and Belleville.
The South
You can also find some great deals on apartments in the 13th, 14th, and 15th districts along the southern fringe of Paris, although for slightly more expensive than in the eastern parts. It’s primarily residential, and commute times can en up being quite long. The 15th is known as being more family oriented, while the 13th is more young professional, artistic, and with a strong Chinese quarter.
Do you have any questions? Are you looking for somewhere to live in Paris, and need some advice? Ask me in the questions!
Paris is a great city to live in, there’s no doubt about it. However the fact that it draws so many people to it leads to its major drawbacks.
Housing in Paris is expensive
Paris is an expensive place to live. Apartments don’t come cheap, and the few houses that exist (yes there are some!) are even more expensive. Paris, even more so than the rest of France, suffers from a lack of housing. This has two repercussions: a) rents are expensive and b) landlords are picky.
In Paris you can expect to pay at least 20€ per square meter per month in rent, and the smallest studios are 9 square meters large, the minimum space for housing by law. So in your head, you calculate 180€ per month for such a studio. In fact, the rents are much higher than this. The lowest you’ll probably find is around 350€, and don’t expect the studio to be of high quality.
Studios are the most sought-after type of housing in Paris. Counting the number of people that come to study here, plus the number of young professionals just starting their career, and the demand for studios is very high while the offer is pretty low. So if you’re thinking in terms of value for money in your housing, a studio isn’t necessarily the best deal, but it may be all you can afford. Larger studios can go for up to around 700€ depending on the size and neighborhood, but if you can scrap together even 800€, you may be able to find yourself a one bedroom apartment.
Life in Paris is busy
In France we have a saying for a typical Parisian lifestyle: métro-boulot-dodo, which translates as subway-work-sleep. If you’re living in the Paris area, it’s not uncommon to spend an hour getting to work in the morning, and the same to get home. Urban planning in the region has been centred around major pools of housing being to the east and north, while the work is to the west and south of the city. This has led to some long commutes, although it is possible to find work near your flat, or vice-versa.
With this kind of commuter lifestyle, it’s no wonder that people can be frazzled, particularly on days when the metro and/or trains have problems. In addition to this, Paris has a large number of young single professionals who like to go out after work. Depending on your social network, you could find yourself juggling a lot of invitations. Which kind of leads me to my next point.
Paris can be isolating
Parisians are busy. Like New Yorker and Londoners, Parisians have a lot on their plates – staying late at work, movies, theatres, visits to art galleries, seeing friends, etc. If you only see your Parisian friend once a month, it’s not that they don’t like you. They do, it’s just that they have so much going on.
OK this is a huge generalisation, but it can be true of some people. There is so much going on in Paris and that you may have friends in the same city that you only see once every month or two. This can lead to a feeling of social isolation in a way, but if you want to get to know someone, take the initiative, call them up and ask when you can get together. It may not be right away, but if they’re your friend, you will get an appointment.
What are your gripes about living in Paris? Tell us in the comments!
All this week, I’ll be exploring life in Paris from a practical point of view. We all know Paris as a city of bakers and hairdressers, a city of museums where history seeps from every stone. But what is it like to really live here?
Paris, a city of diverse work opportunities
As a major tourist centre, Paris offers any number of opportunities for English speakers to work in related trades: as guides in museums, in hotels and bars. As the capital of France, the city contains all of the ministries of government that offers plenty of work for bureaucrats – and with the number of foreigners attracted to the city, translation and interpretation services are in great demand. Also Paris is a major economic centre for Europe and houses many of the world’s largest corporate headquarters. With all of these opportunities it’s no wonder that Paris has one of the highest GDP per capita in the world.
Culture on every corner
As we all know, Paris is a city of museums. But it is also brimming with art galleries offering everything from established artists to unknown students waiting to be discovered. The city also offers a number of theatres and concert halls that makes it almost mandatory for any artist doing a world tour. But in addition to the famous playhouses like the Folies Bergères and the Théatre du Châtelet and concert halls such as Bercy, l’Olympia, and the Bataclan, Paris has innumerable small underground theatres and bars that welcome small productions and singer-songwriters. With this amount of choice you could easily see a play or concert every night if you wanted to.
Great transport links
Paris is a great city to leave (ask any Parisian, and they’ll tell you the same). As wonderful as it is, sometimes you do just need to get away. As the capital of France, all roads lead here. Paris has great highways that radiate out to France’s major cities. You don’t need a car, however, as the trains and the famous TGV high-speed railways can take you away just as easily (oftentimes easier) than the highways. The city also has two major airports – Roissy (aka Charles de Gaulle) and Orly – that gives the city unrivalled links to the rest of the world.
All of these things unite to make Paris a major attraction for people all over France and the world. However, there are some major drawbacks, and I’ll discuss these tomorrow. To keep up with the series on Paris and learn more about life in France, sign up for free to my RSS feed!
What is it you like about Paris? Share with us below in the comments!
In order to become completely fluent, you need to start thinking in French and using common expressions that the French use every day. So what did I do?
I started talking to myself
If you don’t have a French friend with whom to practice what you’ve learned in your lessons, do what a five-year-old would do: invent one! No, you don’t have to start blathering to yourself in French while you’re on the subway or in the park, but if you’re at home alone, who’s going to notice?
I imagined there was a five-year-old French kid following me around, asking me questions. What are you doing? Why are you doing it? What colour is it? Where are you going? Ask yourself these questions out loud or in your head, and respond to yourself. Do this every day for fifteen minutes or so, and you’ll start to see that your French becomes more naturally.
I read the news online
France has many famous newspapers, both local and national. I’m a big news junkie, so chances are I already knew the story. This helped me to recognise words that are similar to English or figure out phrases that I may not have been able to make out if I didn’t already have a context.
Start with newspapers like Le Monde or Le Figaro, or for a more local flavour try Le Parisian or Ouest-France.
I joined forums and chatrooms
Back in the days before Facebook and Myspace I’d spend some time writing in forums or chatting online on MSN with native French people. It’s important to find one that’s related to something you’re interested in. Do a quick search on Google for “forum” followed by the French word for one of your interests, and have a look. After a while, start replying and starting threads. You’ll be surprised by the new words and expressions you’ll learn!
I listened to the radio and podcasts
France has plenty of radio stations that stream online – and you can listen to it live by going to their website. For intermediate learners, try the ‘Journal en français facile’ from RFI.
I also subscribed to several podcasts so I could listen to them on my iPod. You can do a quick search on iTunes for French lessons you can download, or if your French is more advanced, change your iTunes from your home country to France, and have a look through the podcast directory.
I joined a club
Once I was at university, I joined the university French club. It gave me the opportunity to explore French cinema and culture, and luckily we had many French students at the uni who were very active in the club, which gave me the opportunity to practice with native speakers. Check with your uni to see if there’s a French club you can join. If you’ve already graduated, try asking at your local Alliance Française to see if they have social events that you can attend to meet French speakers.
What do you do to practice your French? Share your tips in the comments!
If you find work in France, you will need to sign up to the French system. If you are coming for a shorter period of time, for studies, or to look for work, you will need certification from the Department for Work and Pensions in the UK that you are entitled to health benefits there. You’ll need to ask for the right E-forms from them before you come to France. You can find a list of the various E-forms on this website. If you are still unsure, check with the DWP.
Once in France if you need medical treatment or whilst you are waiting for your French Social Security benefits to be assigned, show the E-Form to your GP. This is your proof that you have health insurance and are covered for treatment.
Take this advice as an indication, and not as legal advice. Please please please contact your local consulate, prefecture, or French immigration lawyer before making plans. 
Student Visa (Visa Etudiant)
First and foremost, you can come to France to study. To do this, you need to have been accepted onto a programme recognized by the government. Students coming from certain countries need to go through Campus France in order to apply. For most French universities, you will need to apply before January of the year you wish to begin studying.
During your studies, you are allowed to work part-time, limited to 964 hours in the year, or around 24 weeks of full-time work, perfect if you want to work during your summer holidays. After your studies you can change the visa into a working visa.
Business Visa (Visa Commerçant, Industriels et Artisans)
If entrepreneurialism is your thing, you can come to France to start up your own business. You will need a convincing application. The rules for this aren’t clear, as the project needs to be ‘economically viable’. Generally, you need to ensure that you have the capital necessary to start trading and also ensure that you will quickly earn the minimum wage (1321.02€ per month before taxes).
You will also need to show that you meet the same requirements that would be asked of native French people. Depending on the type of activity, you may be asked to show qualifications that are recognised in France.
Private & Family Life Visa (Visa Vie Privée et Familiale)
If you’ve married a Frenchman/woman, this is the visa for you. It covers a lot of cases, but basically you’ll need to prove close family ties with a French person, such as minors with parents in France, young adults who have gone to school in France, those married or partnered with a French person, those injured on the job in France, or the ill who cannot be treated in their home country.
Tourist Visa (Visa visiteur)
If you’ve enough money to support yourself without working, you can come on a long tourist visa. These last for up to one year and are renewable. You cannot change this into a work visa once in France.
If you’re part of the visa waiver programme, you can also come in as a tourist, but you’re limited to six months in France in a year, and you can only spend up to three months at a time. If you don’t want this limit, you’ll need a longer tourist visa.
Skills and Talents Visa (Visa compétences et talents)
This visa isn’t given out very often. You need to have a project in line with your skills and talents that helps France and your home country with economic development or cultural, scientific, intellectual, humanitarian or sports development. You can stay for as long as you like if France has signed a codevelopment agreement with your home country. Otherwise you are limited to six years.
Have any of you come to France with one of these visas? What are your stories of bootstrapping your way into the country? Let us know in the comments!
You love food. A lot.
France has a very rich culinary tradition – and no it’s not just fancy creations served in small portions on large plates. French food can be very rich, served in very large portions, and over several courses. There’s a reason the French spend longer on meals than anywhere else in Europe.
French cuisine can also vary by region, and even by town. It’s not uncommon for French students to take time to learn what the local specialty in towns throughout the country. In Paris you can find pretty much any type of cuisine you want, but in other areas you may want to look into what type of food the locals eat.
You love wine.
The French love their wines. It seems as if every town has a chateau that produces a local vintage. Wine is cheaper in France than it is in many other countries, and can often be even cheaper than beer.
If you’re stuck on your local wine, however, you’ll be hard pressed to find it: French stores are brimming with French wines, but the market for foreign varieties is smaller and less developed, although it is beginning to grow.
You like people.
The French are a social lot, and social interactions are coded a bit differently than in English speaking countries (at least differently than I was used to). The French love to invite people to their homes, and in return they fully expect to be invited to yours. Getting together at the local bar isn’t done to the extent that it is in England, for example.
French young people are particularly fond of the “apéro” or apéritif, a small get together to have a drink or two before dinner. It is not unusual for the apéro to cover dinner as well. When you’re invited to an apéro, you should always ask what you should bring. You may be asked just to bring something to drink, or you may also be asked to bring something to eat. If so, assume you’ll be staying for dinner and bring something filling.
You like a social safety net – and you’re willing to fight for it.
France is also world renowned for looking after its citizens (albeit in a distant and cold way). Unemployment insurance generally covers 60% of your former income for up to two years time.
However, getting a job in France can be difficult. Unemployment is high, particularly amongst foreigners. Also, French employers love degrees and qualifications, and these are generally expected to be in the same field that you want to work in.
You love the language, and you’re willing to make an effort
The French love their language, and will expect you to make an effort to speak it. It’s part of the immigration requirements to renew your carte de séjour, but it’s also common sense.
Also, no matter how well you think you speak the language, the French will correct you. Don’t take it the wrong way, it’s part of French schooling. They spend oodles of time learning grammar and vocabulary and spelling, and it just becomes natural for them to correct others’ faults.
These are just a few of the reasons you may like France enough to want to make it your home. What about you? Why did you come to France, or why are you considering it? Share it with us in the comments!