The important question I ask my clients when we begin their visa application.

When people apply for French visas independently, one thing that’s often missing from their project is the very thing that can set you (and your business) apart from other applicants: What does France get out of the deal when they give you a visa?

The main thing I like to focus on when working with clients on their visa applications is not just explaining what they want to do in France, but also how their presence (and their project) can benefit France or Franco-American relations in concrete ways. For our clients who are starting businesses, not only does it help to explain how you’ll be developing your unique skills in France to benefit French and European clients in the way only you can, but it also strengthens your application to identify why it makes sense for you to be in France in the first place.

As much as I enjoy joking with clients that they should put in their cover letters that they plan to retire so they can eat baguettes with camembert and drink Bordeaux, it’s important to remember that France has plenty of visa applicants, and you’ll want to set yourself apart to make approving your application the obvious choice.

When you’re preparing your move, you want to think about not only how you’ll contribute to the French economy – with your tax euros and purchases – but what it means to move there. What are you looking forward to about being in France? How do you plan to contribute to your new community? What parts of French culture and language are you looking forward to learning more about?

And if you’re starting a business, how can you create a bridge from your previous career to your new business in France in a way that benefits your clients from anywhere, and your French clients particularly?

In my coaching sessions with our business clients, this is our main focus: in moving your business to (or creating your business in France), how can we leverage your skills and your experience as an international professional to provide a unique service (or product) in a global market?

You have important gifts to share, and the more you follow your dreams, the more you can create your positive impact on the world, so let’s talk about bringing your dream to life, in France.

Here are this week’s announcements: