Under the terms of the recent France-US visa agreement, French nationals can extend their visa to the US by two times.
A new reciprocal agreement allows French nationals to seek for a four-year US visa of their choice.
The goal of the bilateral agreement is to assist investors and their families who wish to move between the two nations.
It comes after talks that got underway during President Macron’s December 2022 state visit to the US, where he pledged to improve commercial and investment ties between the two countries.
For American investors, it expedites the application and renewal process for French visas and increases the validity of US resident permits from 25 to 48 months for French investors.
France’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, and French Nationals Abroad, Olivier Becht, tweeted on November 21 that “it’s done!” “A longer visa will be available to French entrepreneurs, while a streamlined process will be available to American entrepreneurs.” I’m glad to formally acknowledge this development in our business partnership.
The agreement, which went into effect on November 16, covers citizens who are relocating to France in order to establish a business or make investments. It doesn’t apply to people who are just buying a house.
Under the current four-year “passeport talent” residency visa, the process for American investors relocating to France will be expedited and streamlined.
Investors who make personal investments in companies in which they acquire a lasting stake or at least 10% of capital, or who invest through a business in which they hold at least 30% of, are eligible to apply for this permit.
In accordance with the French talent passport, the agreement extends the duration of E visas, or Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas, for French nationals traveling to the US to four years. Applicants must be traveling to the US to engage in “substantial trade,” including in services or technology, in qualifying activities; they must also either develop and direct the enterprise in which they invest, fill an executive or supervisory role in it, or provide skills essential to its operations. An E-2 visa does not have a set investment amount; instead, the investment must be deemed “significant.”