Xiaoli Pan

Review of Consulate General of France in...

as a foreign national living in the US, I had to a...

as a foreign national living in the US, I had to apply for a schengen visa for my trip to France, I am a permanent resident (have my green card) and have been living in the US for 20+ years, but that didn't change the fact that I pretty much had to provide my DNA to get my visa. Pro-tip, book your visa appointment before you book your tickets since the online appointments are always full at least 2 months in advance, your visa is valid for a month which will give you leeway in booking your flight. The wait was about 1-2 hours, which wasn't bad considering, however the employees at the windows were RUDE. I'm used to all government employees being brusque and uncaring (trust me I'm familiar with the DOT), but this was outright RUDE.

I literally got SCREAMED at and called a liar. When I would ask her a question she would either roll her eyes or tell me to stop talking because she hasn't addressed me yet. It was CRAZY...I really don't know how everyone else had pleasant experiences, perhaps they were American... again I am a foreign national living in the US so I don't have a US passport, perhaps the experience would've been different. I will say that the commissioner (Senegalese lady?) was really nice and polite. If this is your first time going, it will be a jarring experience, the only people who weren't appalled by it were the veteran visa applicants. I will also note that my situation was outside the norm, I am a student (don't work) and the trip was being paid for by my boyfriend (different last names) so I went through extra hell. Pro-tip: if you have a financial sponsor, there is a sponsor form you have to fill out and get notarized (on the website, it just says notarized letter).