Our French Visa Was Denied: What We Did Wrong and How We Will Reapply

Our French visa was denied, and now we are trying again. In this video, we share exactly what happened, why the consulate said no, and what our new plan is to reapply. If you are applying for a French visa yourself, we hope this helps you avoid some of the mistakes we think we made.

We are Jake and Marijune. We have been married more than 30 years, have four kids and two toy poodles, and we recently retired in our early 50s. Our dream is to spend a year in France, learn French, and see what life looks like on the other side of normal.

In this episode, we talk about:

• the moment we opened our passports and saw that our French visa applications were denied
• the official reason for the refusal letter, and why it confused us
• how your comments and stories helped us decide not to contest but to reapply
• what we think went wrong in our first French visa application, especially how we presented our finances
• our new game plan, including working with a French immigration lawyer, adding savings information, and reapplying
If you have had a French visa refusal or any visa denial and then reapplied, we would really love to hear your story and any advice in the comments.

Link to the Immigration Attorney we are using: https://www.danieltostado.com/

We will share what happens at our next appointment and everything we learn along the way. If you want to follow our retirement and our journey to France, please subscribe and like this video so more people who are on a similar path can find it.

Moving to France, retiring in France, Americans living in France, expat life in France, early retirement, and learning French in midlife, that is what Wander Forward is all about.