Hi Reddit. I’m an American with a full time remote job that allows me to work from anywhere. My boyfriend is French and we would like to live together in France, however I have some visa concerns. It appears that the French government does not allow you to work remotely from another country. We plan on getting married within the next couple of years but would like to settle down before then, so residency through marriage is not ideal right now. Has anyone been in a similar situation? I would love you input/advice, I am feeling very confused with all of the contradicting information I find online.
I looked into the Long Stay Visa in France exhaustively when I had a remote job with an American employer. I read blog posts online from other people who had done it, I spoke to a lawyer who said it was possible, etc. I asked Reddit about it and people attacked me, yelling at me for trying to be an evil digital nomad who breaks the rules of the country I’m interested in; the reaction was ferocious. They said the stipulation that you can’t have a FRENCH job also means you can’t have any job whatsoever. It made me think I was not getting correct information elsewhere so I panicked and gave up. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine with a remote job successfully got the Long Stay Visa. So apparently it actually IS doable.
Some people on here have a stick up their butt…not sure why. Thank you for the information. :) I realize I qualify for one of the talent visas if I switch from full time to contract at my company so I will try my luck at that.