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French employment visa and previous history

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QR0228
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French employment visa and previous history

Post by QR0228 » Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:53 pm

Hi everyone,

I am very sorry for the mini essay here but I need to explain the context before I ask my question.

I am from a non-EU country whose citizens require a visa to travel to the EU/EEA. I went to France on a D-visa as a university student in 2006 and applied for a carte de séjour a few months after my arrival there. That card expired sometime in September 2007. I was facing several personal problems and was stupid enough to miss booking an appointment for the card's renewal well in advance. I ended up staying there until December 2007 and then decided to leave France to return to my country since I wasn't in the right state of mind to continue my education or fulfil the card's renewal requirements. The officer at the airport desk remarked on my expired carte de séjour but I apologised and explained that I'd had problems continuing there and was going back for good (I speak fairly good French). He didn't say anything else and let me go without any fine or any stamp on my passport or even further reprimand. I eventually resumed university studies in my home country.

I received a full scholarship to a top British university for my master's degree in 2013. I filled the Tier 4 form with all my travel history and received my student visa without any problem. I finished that degree, came back to my country in December 2014 well before my visa expiry date, and then I had to renew my passport in 2015, which meant I received a new passport with a different number.

In 2016, I received a job offer from a Schengen zone Nordic country and their consulate in my home country took photocopies of previous visas (UK and France) from my old passport as well. I was granted a year-long residence permit for this country within a few days, which was later renewed for 4 more years since I continued to work there.

Between 2016 and 2018, I also received:
- another 6-month UK visa (where I also mentioned my previous travel history) for a business trip and again, I returned back from London immediately after the week-long trip and didn't use the visa again
- a B1/B2 US visa with a 10-year validity and travelled to the US for about two weeks for work

In 2018, I also studied in another Schengen zone EU country for a second master's degree and received a year-long student residence permit. As part of this degree, I applied for a <90 day short-term French visa in 2019 since I had to do a paid traineeship in Paris. I received that visa quickly and finished my studies and traineeship. I had taken my old passport (the one with the 20006 student visa) along for this visa interview but they didn't look at it at all.

I received a job offer in Paris and the contract has already been approved by their labour authority (DIRECCTE). Now, all I need to do is apply for the long-term French visa for salaried employees. There's a column on the visa form which asks whether I have stayed previously in France for longer than 3 months, so I will mention my sojourn from 2006 there and write the entry and exit month and year. Of course, I assume that I will also have to provide photocopies from my old passport with the French and UK visas.

Here is my question after all this rambling: Will the previous indiscretion related to the carte de séjour come up in this instance? It has been more than 12 years, and my passport has no mention of my fine or reprimand, let alone any problematic "overstayed" stamp.

What do you guys think? I've read that once the work contract is approved by labour authority in France and if the applican't other paperwork (accommodation, insurance etc.) is in order, then the consulate simply grants the work visa without any fuss. Will they do so in my case too given that my travel history so far has been safe since 2007?

TL;DR --> Overstayed for 3ish months on a French carte de séjour back in 2007; the border agent remarked on it but handed me no penalties or stamps and I was allowed to leave without any problem; got a new passport but the old passport is still examined in some embassies; extensive US, UK and Schengen travel history along with EU residence permits since that indiscretion; approved French work permit; will I now be able to get a French long stay visa?

I hope someone can shed some light. Many thanks!

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Zerubbabel
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Re: French employment visa and previous history

Post by Zerubbabel » Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:58 am

Hello

Immigration enforcement is not the same in France as in the UK.

When I use to live in France, I have seen undocumented migrant workers demonstrating when their work contracts in hand demanding residence cards for all.

The guy at the airport probably let you go because if he wanted to follow the procedure, it would mean 3 days worth of paperwork for him. Friends of min have been arrested then released immediately without any record or anything just because the police there is overwhelmed by the situation.

As that incident has been ignored for many years, I don't see them bringing it forward today.

ibwe
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Re: French employment visa and previous history

Post by ibwe » Mon Mar 02, 2020 12:57 pm

Zerubbabel wrote:
Fri Feb 28, 2020 11:58 am
Hello

Immigration enforcement is not the same in France as in the UK.

When I use to live in France, I have seen undocumented migrant workers demonstrating when their work contracts in hand demanding residence cards for all.

The guy at the airport probably let you go because if he wanted to follow the procedure, it would mean 3 days worth of paperwork for him. Friends of min have been arrested then released immediately without any record or anything just because the police there is overwhelmed by the situation.

As that incident has been ignored for many years, I don't see them bringing it forward today.
I agree with you 100%. Anecdotally, France is lenient when it comes to cases like these. Moreover, due to your travel history, living/studying/working in EU/EEA and subsequent French visa, it is highly improbable that you will face issues with your application.

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