Q & A

Subject: My boyfriend is considering taking a position in Paris, France for two years.

Question: I have a question for you. My boyfriend is considering taking a position in Paris, France for two years. I would be quitting my job here in the US and moving with him. We are not married, I would be there with him for the two years. I do plan to go back and visit my family in the US for this time period. My questions are, am I able to get a job and work, the whole visa thing (two years) and health insurance. Am I able to get health insurance, is it possible to buy it???? Sorry so many questions, but this is all information I need to know before I can make a decision to go.

Answer:

Yours is a situation I am not to sure about, being that you are not married. I don't believe you could get a work permit. In fact I am not sure if you could get a visa for two years. I would suggest you contact the nearest French consulate and ask.

As for the question of health insurance I am not sure if you would fall under your boyfriends plan. You could always buy insurance, it should not be too expensive, France is not the US, health insurance is more a right than a privilege here.

A wildcard for you might be the new PACS law. It is meant for Gays but I have heard straight couples could use it. As I understand it, the just of the law is that two people living together can have the same rights as a marred couple, i.e. joint health coverage. I don't know how you would go about finding out if you would fall under the PACS law. I could find nothing on the web in English.

One last solution would be for your boyfriends company to arrange on their own your healthcare costs and visa.