News Digest: What Happens Now With France’s New Immigration Bill & New US-France Visa Announced

Many regions in northern and western France experienced their first frosts last weekend as temperatures plummeted across the country. But it appears that the cold snap is far from over, as further temperature drops are expected from today onwards. Eastern France and the Alps are set to experience some of their highest snowfall of the season this week, with some 30cm of snow predicted in high-altitude areas before the weekend.

Snow is expected in lower altitude regions, too, with up to 5cm predicted in the Grand Est region and possible light snowfall in some parts of northern and central France later in the week. Along the west coast, it’s unlikely to snow, but you can still expect temperatures to fall below freezing in some areas, so morning frosts are likely.

France’s much-talked-about new immigration bill, which was approved by the French Senate on November 14th, has now passed to the next stage. So, what happens now?

From yesterday (November 27th) through December 3rd, the bill will be assessed by the Assemblée Nationale’s Commission des Lois, which will determine whether the bill abides by French law. Most important will be to determine whether the many amendments put forward by French senators, along with the equally numerous counter-amendments and amendment deletions proposed by MPs in the Assemblée Nationale, have legal premise.

Following this, the bill will be debated by the Assemblée Nationale from December 11^th– 22^nd, although an extension into January is also possible if MPs can’t come to an agreement. It’s set to be a heated debate, and there’s no certainty that Macron’s government, who no longer have a majority in parliament, will be successful in garnering enough support to vote the bill through. If they do succeed or if they choose to force the bill through by evoking Article 49.3, the bill would likely come into law in the summer of 2024.

We’ll take a more detailed look at the proposed immigration bill once we have confirmation of the amendments that make it into the final legalisation. In particular, we’ll be watching for news on a possible easing of the rules around visas for British second-home owners, the introduction of a French language test for carte de séjour permanent residency cards, the rules around expulsion of French permanent residents, and the introduction of temporary residency cards and work permits for certain in-need sectors.

In a bid to lift some of the red tape surrounding visas for American investors, France and the US announced a new bilateral agreement regarding French visas last week. The two countries came to the new agreement during President Macron’s visit to the US back in December 2022, but it was made official this week in an announcement by France’s Delegate Minister of Commerce, Olivier Becht.

The deal itself doesn’t actually concern a new visa – instead, it’s an extension of the current Talent Passport visa, which grants recipients a four-year residency card with the right to work or set up a business and bring their family with them to France. Under the deal, US investors and entrepreneurs looking to move to France will enjoy a simplified visa application and renewal process.

French investors wanting to move to the US will also be able to apply for a similar four-year visa – the Treaty Trader (E-1) and Treaty Investor (E-2) visas, which you can read more about here.

There’s more good news for our American readers this week, as you can also sign up for our free December webinar – our last one of the year! – which will be held on Thursday, 14^th December, at 12pm Eastern Time. I’ll be joined by a panel of experts from bilingual estate agents Leggett, global financial and wealth management advisors Chase Buchanon, and currency exchange specialists Moneycorp to discuss buying property and moving to France for Americans.

Sign up now for the free webinar here or by clicking the button below. You can also send in your questions for our experts in advance at: [email protected]