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Reduction in Validity of Certain Visas Issued to French Citizens

15 Nov

The U.S. Embassy in Paris, France announced on November 13, 2019 that the U.S. Department of State would immediately adjust the validity of nonimmigrant visas issued on or after November 12, 2019 for French citizens to better reflect reciprocity with the validity periods of visas issued by France to U.S. citizens. 

This means a reduction in the validity periods of certain visas issued to French citizens, requiring French citizens to renew their visas sooner. 

Of specific note, compared to validity periods of 60 months, or 5 years, before these changes: 

  1. F-1 Student visas will now only be issued valid for a period of 20 months; 
  2. E-1 Treaty Trader and E-2 Treaty Investor visas will now only be issued valid for a period of 25 months; and 
  3. L-1 Intracompany Transferee visas will now only be issued valid for a period of 17 months.

The full U.S. visa reciprocity schedule for France may be found here

These changes will have a significant impact on travel and visa renewal considerations for French citizens, the effects of which should be discussed with your attorney. Foster LLP will continue to monitor changes to U.S. visa reciprocity and will provide further updates as necessary. If you have questions, please reach out to Foster LLP to schedule a consult.