Immigration to France for Australians

France has traditionally been a country with a fairly open border policy, and it continues to be an immigration haven for foreign persons with sufficient funds to reside, retire, start a business or independent professional’s activity. French immigration law however has become increasingly complex, followed by efforts to control family immigration and the immigration of unskilled workers, while incorporating very friendly provisions for entrepreneurs, executives, self-employed or self-sufficient persons. There has been a streamlining of procedures for entry of professionals and group-level transfers to France. Various categories of visas exist for employment in France for workers and various options exist for executives and workers of international groups.  Considerable discretionary power has been given to the French Consulates in their decisions to grant or deny visas, and it is important to be prepared when appearing at the Consulate of France in Sydney. What follows is merely a short primer on an increasingly complex area of French law. We shall briefly look at visa issues, both professional and family, and then look at French nationality and other questions relating to foreigners, as well as their rights of recourse in the event of refusals.