Immigration (Copy)
OFFI
The Immigration Process
When I arrived in Paris in 1992 my husband and I actually missed our appointment to pick up my Carte de Sejour (resident card). We were meant to be there the day before and somehow we got it wrong. We were in a room filled with immigrants from all over the world. The woman at the desk asked for my passport. When she saw that I was American, she excused our mistake and whisked us into a room where they very quickly handed me my carte du sejour, wished me a wonderful life in France and offered “Bonne chance” with the rest. Boy, were we lucky! Flash forward 30 years and it is not quite the same story. I am back to France after 25 years and this is what’s happening today. There is no room for error.
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I have just completed my 4th and final day of immigration training. This is now obligatory for anyone wishing to stay in France and wanting to obtain a Carte de Sejour (resident card). At first, I was a bit annoyed by this as I not only lived in France for 8 years (albeit 25 years ago) but I have been dipping in and out of the country for over 30 years and am married to a French man. What could they possibly teach me that I didn’t already know?!
When I arrived on my first day at the office in Marseille I was put into a classroom with a bunch of other people who appeared to be starting the process. I was, without a doubt, the oldest person in the room. There was an instructor that was speaking very slowly, in French, and explaining to us that we were going to take a language test and not to worry. Do your best! We were handed 3 sheets of paper and were asked to complete the multiple choice answers to the questions. I was finished in about 3 minutes. The guy took my paper and looked up in surprise. I shrugged my shoulders and said “it has been 34 years”. He laughed and complimented me on my perfect score. From there, I was invited to have an interview where I talked about my life and my reasons for wanting to live in France. I suppose this is a good way to determine whether or not they should be considering your residence application. Fair enough.
After that day, I was told that I didn’t need language courses and that I could begin the OFFI classes a.s.a.p. This is a series of 4 days of classroom instruction which covers just about everything one would need to know about living in France. I didn’t really know what to expect and I was told that if I didn’t attend that I would not be issued a carte du sejour. So, when I received my letter with a date and time asking for me to appear for my Day 2 training I put it immediately in the diary. There was only one problem. I hadn’t done Day 1 yet. When I arrived, they made an exception, as it was an error on their part, not mine. I was very lucky because they are quite strict about these things. I think that the teacher that day took pity on me and could see that I was not a complete novice to France. So, I started with Day 2. We were taught many things that day and I learned a lot about our rights when it came to work, housing, medical care, etc. It was very informative and I found it amazing how many services they provide for people coming into the country. On that day I met refugees, wives/husbands of French citizens and people like myself that had been in France for awhile but needed to complete the course. It was fascinating during lunch to talk with some of the other people. I met a young girl from Tibet. She told me, in perfect English, how she had escaped. She was in her early 20’s, took a chance and risked her life to walk to Nepal. There, she was met by someone who would fly her to safety. She had no idea where she was going. USA? France? She said it didn’t matter, she just wanted out. When I asked her why she wanted to leave Tibet, she told me that as a woman she had no right to an education or any future, other than being married off and raising children. She was the sweetest girl and she was so happy to have landed in Marseille. She told me that she was very happy to be here, learning about her new home, learning French and looking forward to a bright future. She had never been to school and was speaking to me in English and was busy learning French. She was the happiest person there. Meeting people like this is a reminder of how lucky we are to be born into a privileged situation. Often, we don’t know it and don’t even take advantage of what we have. When I meet someone like this (which is rare) it makes me re-think all of the criticism that refugees face. They are people, just like us. They have escaped a situation where they felt threatened. How can we judge them? They are going to do their best to make a good life for themselves. What they have been through to get here is unimaginable to me and probably everyone I know. I wish this young lady all the success that life can bring her. I know she’ll work hard for it. Imagine being happy with only a roof over your head and food on the table? The rest is easy when you know that your life is not in danger. A true eye opener.
On Day 3 we had a history lesson. We spent the morning learning about The French Revolution, Napoleon, Le Marseillais (national anthem) and just about everything else we should know about France and its history. We talked about different festivals and national days. Why they are important, etc. I must say, that most of it I knew but it was very interesting to hear a very passionate French teacher explaining the important historical events in France that has brought us to where we are today. She connected it all very well and it was interesting to hear the explanations about the freedoms that we have in France. She emphasized to the class that women have a lot of rights. She made it very clear what was accepted and not accepted in this country. She did it in a very educational and discreet way but it was her way of making sure that the men in the room, who may have come from another ideology, were clear about the the rules here. It was also her way of making sure that the women understood their rights and privileges. The lesson was very well done and I enjoyed witnessing the process of integrating newcomers to this society.
On Day 4, which is the final day, we had a choice. We could have help looking for a job, help with documentation, or spend a day learning about french culture. I, of course, chose culture. I was hoping for a museum tour or some sort of walk around Marseille. It turned out to be a bit of everything French. I must admit that in the morning I wasn't sure that I’d make it through the whole day. We spent the morning talking about Carmen, the opera. The teacher gave us an in depth description and we watched a couple of videos. She explained the story and made sure that we understood that Carmen was a free and modern woman. Emphasizing, once again that France is a modern society. She was very passionate and made it all very interesting. I had seen this opera at La Scala in Milan (which I didn’t share with the class) so at some point I was asking myself what the heck I was doing there?! Once she’d fully explained the opera, we slowly made our way through the origins of ballet (which I didn’t know began in Italy). Next, we watched clips from french films and learned about the origins of filmmaking. She started with a couple of silent films and little by little took us through the ages until we arrived in present day. This allowed everyone to discover some of the classics and to get to know some of the famous actors here. Last but not least, we learned about music. We had fun playing “name that tune” as we were introduced to the likes of Serge Gainsbourg, Edit Piaf, etc. In fairness, most of the people in the room had never heard of any of the movies, people and music that she was talking about so it was very informative for them. For me, not so much, but I played along and offered suggestions which made it more fun.
After lunch we were given a choice of a walk outside to visit a bit of Marseille or to remain in the classroom to learn more about French culture. I was happy when the majority wanted to go outside. It was a chilly day so a few people weren’t so pleased but it turned out to be a great decision. Our teacher became a guide and we were now on a walking tour of Marseille. She walked us down to a beautiful monument which is called Palais Longchamp. She explained how this structure was built to bring water into Marseille following a cholera epidemic. It is truly a beautiful site to see and it has given me the bug to discover all of the monuments that are scattered throughout this city. We finished our day with a walk through the park that is all part of this site. I was very pleased with the afternoon and was glad that I was able to be part of this cultural day.
I would say that going to these 4 days is, at times, a bit difficult and sometime feels unnecessary, but at the same time, it was very informative and it does make you appreciate the advantages of living in France. If you need to do this, go and enjoy. It is an interesting experience.