Family belongs together. If you or your spouse is building a life in France, French law gives you real routes to reunite whether you’re joining a French citizen or a family member already settled there.
Being apart from your husband, wife, or children is hard especially when one of you is building a future in France. The good news is that France has clear, established routes to bring your family together. But which route you use, and the conditions you must meet, depend on one key question: is the person in France a French citizen, or a foreign national settled there? Getting this right from the start is everything.
In this guide, we’ll explain both routes clearly, who you can bring, the important income, housing, and language rules, the full step by step process, and the mistakes that get families rejected so you can reunite with confidence. Let’s bring your family together.
Who is this guide for?
Pakistani families where one spouse (or parent) is in France whether as a French citizen or a settled foreign national and wants to bring their spouse and children to join them.
Family reunification is the legal process that lets close family members join a person living in France. The initial visa is a long stay visa (VLS TS), valid for one year, which then converts into a residence card for family life (vie privée et familiale).
This is the most important distinction in the whole process. There are two different routes, with very different conditions:
This distinction changes everything:
The route you fall under decides your conditions, your process, and your timeline. Applying under the wrong understanding is a common, costly mistake. If you’re unsure which applies to you, this is exactly where a quick expert check saves you time and stress.
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| Your spouse | A husband or wife aged 18 or over, in a genuine, legally recognised marriage. | |
| Minor children | Children under 18 are documented through the family file and enter France with the parent. | |
| Dependent parents | In certain cases, dependent parents may qualify, subject to specific conditions. |
Children turning 18:
A child included as a minor later applies for their own “private and family life” card when they turn 18, allowing them to continue their life in France independently.
The exact conditions depend on your route, but in general:
Genuine relationship is central:
Whichever route you use, the authorities must be satisfied your relationship is real and stable. A marriage of less than three years may attract closer scrutiny so strong, consistent evidence of your genuine married life matters.
For the regroupement familial route, two pillars decide most applications: stable income and adequate housing. Both are checked before approval.
Good news for French citizen spouses:
If you’re the spouse of a French citizen, these strict income and housing thresholds are generally not applied in the same way. Your focus is proving a genuine, stable relationship instead.
France now expects spouses joining through family routes to show a basic level of French. Since recent reforms, a basic French language certificate is generally required as part of the process, and spouses attend a language and civic integration course after arrival.
Don’t leave this to the last minute:
The language requirement can catch families off guard. Start preparing early a basic level is achievable with some study, and it also helps your family settle far more easily once in France.
The exact list depends on your route, but a typical family file includes:
Translate and authenticate early:
Marriage and birth certificates usually need official translation (and sometimes legalisation). This takes time start it well ahead of your application.
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Here’s how the regroupement familial route generally works (the French citizen spouse route is more direct the spouse applies for the visa at the consulate):
Timeline:
From filing with OFII to your family arriving, the whole process often takes around 6 to 12 months, depending on the prefecture, consulate, and how complete your file is. Starting with a clean, complete dossier speeds everything up.
Arriving in France is a beginning, not the end of the process. Here’s what happens next:
Take the integration course seriously:
Attending the CIR and language classes isn’t just a formality failing to attend can affect your residence permit renewal. It’s also the quickest way for your family to feel at home in France.
| Visa type | Long stay VLS TS → “private & family life” card |
| Who can join | Spouse (18+), minor children, some dependent parents |
| Sponsor residence (regroupement) | Around 18 months legal residence |
| French citizen spouse route | No residence wait, no income/housing thresholds |
| Income (regroupement) | Stable resources vs SMIC, scaled to family |
| Housing | Adequate for family size, verified locally |
| Language | Basic French certificate + integration course |
| Prefect decision | Within 6 months (silence = rejection) |
| Validate (ANEF) | Within 3 months of arrival |
| Right to work | Yes |
| Total timeline | Often 6 to 12 months |
Most family visa rejections come from avoidable issues. Fix these before you apply:
| Doubts about a genuine relationship | If the authorities aren’t convinced your marriage is real and stable, they reject, especially for recent marriages. | Fix it first: Provide strong, consistent evidence your history together, photos, communication, joint documents, and a clear relationship timeline. |
| Insufficient income (regroupement) | Not meeting the resource requirement, or irregular income, is a leading rejection reason. | Fix it first: Show stable, documented income over 12 months (payslips) that clearly meets the threshold for your family size. |
| Inadequate housing | Accommodation that’s too small or unsuitable for the family fails the housing check. | Fix it first: Secure accommodation that meets the minimum size and comfort standards for your family before applying. |
| Missing language certificate | Not meeting the French language requirement can hold up or block the application. | Fix it first: Complete the required basic French certificate early it’s achievable with some preparation. |
| Incomplete or untranslated documents | Missing certificates, or documents without proper translation/legalisation, cause delays and rejections. | Fix it first: Use a complete checklist, translate and legalise certificates properly, and verify every document before submitting. |
| Using the wrong route | Confusing the French citizen route with regroupement familial leads to wrong documents and rejection. | Fix it first: Confirm your exact route from the start, so you meet the right conditions and submit the right file. |
Here’s the honest truth: no one can “promise” a family visa the decision always rests with the French authorities. But family reunification is detailed and route sensitive, so expert guidance makes a real difference. And that’s exactly where we come in.
At Westside Visa, our consultants in DHA Lahore help Pakistani families reunite in France with strong, credible applications. We help you:
And if you’ve already been rejected, don’t lose hope we’re expert at reading a rejection, fixing the real issue (often housing, income, or relationship evidence), and rebuilding a stronger application or guiding an appeal. Many of our happiest success stories are families reunited at last. Think of us as your teammate honest, experienced, and fully on your side.
Planning your family’s move to France? We’ve got you covered:
Bringing your loved ones to France is one of the most meaningful journeys there is. Westside Visa guides you through every step, with honest, expert advice you can trust.
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Yes. The family reunification VLS TS grants the right to work in France, and the “private and family life” residence card that follows carries the same right. Your spouse can work without needing a separate permit.
For the regroupement familial route, the prefect has up to 6 months from receiving a complete file to decide. In practice, the full timeline from filing with OFII to your family arriving is often around 6 to 12 months, depending on the prefecture, consulate, and how complete your dossier is.
No. The formal regroupement familial income and housing thresholds apply to foreign nationals bringing family. A non EU spouse of a French citizen applies for a “private and family life” long stay visa on a distinct route, without the same income and housing thresholds, but the relationship must be genuine and stable.
A basic French level is generally required for spouses joining through family routes, and there’s a language and civic integration course after arrival (part of the CIR). Preparing early makes both the application and settling in much smoother.
Silence after 6 months counts as an implicit rejection. You can challenge it through an informal appeal to the prefect, an appeal to the Minister of the Interior, or before the administrative court, generally within 2 months. Acting quickly and correctly is important.
Minor children are documented through the family file and receive a long stay visa as part of the procedure, entering France with the parent. When a child turns 18, they apply for their own “private and family life” card to continue their life in France.
Yes from confirming your route and meeting income, housing, and language conditions to building your document file and proving a genuine relationship. We can’t promise a visa (no honest consultant can), but we make sure your application is as strong as possible. Contact us to get started.
Westside Visa News brings the week’s official changes for Pakistani students and families, in plain language, every Monday.
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This guide is general information from Westside Visa Consultants, not legal advice. Visa rules change often, so always confirm the latest position on the official government website before you apply.
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