How to Navigate the TAPIF Visa Process
Though Jalen and I really enjoyed participating in the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), getting our work visas before we arrived was quite an ordeal. After dealing with our first TAPIF roadblock, we had a second – and somewhat-related – problem over the summer that caused us quite a bit of stress. This article will explain how we managed the difficulties we faced and give TAPIF participants advice based on our experience.
Note: This article does not detail the application process for work visas. Rather, it outlines how Jalen and I handled specific issues we had related to obtaining our visas. If you’re participating in TAPIF, the program will provide you with step-by-step instructions that clarify how to apply for your visa. This information is accurate as of January 8th, 2020.
TAPIF Visas Explained
Participating in TAPIF as an American requires a visa type D (visa de long séjour, mention travailleur temporaire). As an American, you cannot work in France without a visa, and you must apply for the visa in your country of origin. The visa application process was externalized in 2018 through a company called VFS Global.
Perhaps the most important document required when applying for a TAPIF visa is the arrêté de nomination, or work contract. This document, which lists an assistant’s school placement(s), is proof of employment in France. Without a copy of your work contract complete with a validation stamp from the DIRECCTE (Les Directions régionales des entreprises, de la concurrence, de la consommation, du travail et de l’emploi), you will not be granted your visa.
Receiving my work contract + The externalization of the visa process
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The main sources of our problems over the summer!
Visa Debacle
In the summer months before the program begins, TAPIF participants receive their work contracts in the mail as a hard copy or by email as a PDF. Oftentimes, an unofficial, unstamped version of the work contract is sent prior to the official, stamped version. The unstamped version serves only to inform participants of their placement and cannot be used to apply for a visa. All applicants must submit their stamped work contract during their visa appointment with VFS Global.
Because we didn’t foresee the problem with our school placements that we discussed in our previous blog post, we got an early start on creating our VFS Global accounts. On July 4th, 2019, we created our accounts expecting to receive our stamped contracts sometime in July or August. On July 5th, we decided to book our visa appointments, fearing there wouldn’t be enough available appointments at the nearest VFS Global location if we waited any longer. We gave ourselves what we thought would be plenty of time to receive our contracts and selected an appointment date in mid-August. In the process, we quickly learned that the VFS Global website was slow, glitchy, and not user-friendly. This resulted in the website charging us the $28.45 visa appointment fee without actually booking us an appointment.
We immediately reached out to the VFS Global Customer Service team and received automated responses that instructed us to wait for a customer service representative to contact us in the following 48 hours. After three days, we received emails with unique “ticket numbers” to identify our inquiries. The emails instructed us to check our bank statements to ensure that the payment was “charged” and not “only retained” on our accounts. The customer service team also said that after 5-10 days, if an appointment was not successfully booked via the website, the charge would be removed automatically from our bank statement. They instructed us to book the appointments again, wait for the first charges to be removed, and to attach our bank statements showing the double charges along with our appointment letters to an email if the charges remained after 10 days.
We attempted to book the appointments again, this time using computers with Ethernet cords in our university library, and were successful. Unfortunately, after the 10-day threshold had passed, we still saw the original charges on our bank statements. Jalen and I then sent another email that included our bank statements and appointment letters as instructed and waited to hear back. When we didn’t receive a response, we sent another email on July 21st and the customer service team confirmed the following day that our information had been escalated to the proper team.
In the meantime, we were busy trying to solve our placement problem, and all but forgot about the refund. I received my original, unvalidated work contract on July 12th, and wasn’t sure when, or if, I would eventually receive an updated work contract with new placements. When it became clear that I wouldn’t receive a new work contract in time for the appointment on August 8th, we decided to proactively reschedule the appointment to August 19th. We read on a VFS Global website that appointments could be rescheduled twice without penalty, so we weren’t worried and decided that we would just push the appointment forward if I still didn’t have my work contract in time.
Surprise! I didn’t get my work contract in time for the rescheduled visa appointment. On August 28th, I received a validated work contract, but it was for the schools from before my placement was changed. Jalen also received his validated work contract on the 28th, but since his placement didn’t change, all was well on his end. I didn’t receive my unstamped, and therefore unofficial, work contract with my new placement until August 30th. I began to worry that I wouldn’t have time to apply for my visa and arrive in France on time for the contract start date of October 1st. At this point, the Education Affairs Program Officer for TAPIF began to look into my situation. On September 5th, I was informed that because my school placement had changed, my work contract had to be resent for approval to the DIRECCTE. I then asked if I was able to use the old, validated work contract while waiting for my new, updated work contract. Thankfully, I was given the go-ahead!
Next, we tried to reschedule our appointment one final time with VFS Global but were unable to do so. The website populated an error message that blocked us from rescheduling and prompted us to make a new appointment instead. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to pay for another appointment, bringing our total payments to VFS Global to $85.35. This time, we knew we wouldn’t be able to get a refund, but we were just glad to have our appointment and our work contracts in hand.
On August 15th, after not hearing back from customer service for a month about our original refunds, we emailed again asking for an update. Once more, we received an automated email instructing us to wait for a customer service representative to reach out. On August 20th, we were asked to resend the “ticket numbers” assigned to us from the original emails and were subsequently told that our information had already been escalated to the proper team. After that, we never heard back from VFS Global.
On September 12th, Jalen and I finally went to our visa appointments at the VFS Global in Washington, D.C. All went as expected until I handed over my work contract. The agent helping to submit my paperwork told me that my work contract did not have the correct DIRECCTE stamp and that my visa application would either be incomplete, not processed, or rejected altogether. He also mentioned that the “minimum processing time” for my visa would be one month. Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated! I insisted that my agent send through my paperwork, left the appointment, and immediately got in contact with the Education Affairs Program Officer for TAPIF who assured me that my validation stamp was indeed correct and that it was unlikely that I would have to wait a whole month to receive my visa. I was glad that I had the agent send in the visa paperwork, but ultimately was very tired of working with VFS Global.
Final Outcomes
- Refunds: On September 18th, we finally received our refunds – 75 days after our initial emails! Though it took much longer and more effort than expected, VFS did end up returning our money.
- Visas: Jalen and I returned to Washington, D.C. to pick up our work visas on September 20th. Though we cut it pretty close, we made it to France in plenty of time to participate in orientation and begin working as assistants.
- Maria’s Work Contract: After using my old, validated work contract to obtain my visa, I stopped worrying about being sent a new, validated one. It’s a good thing I decided not to fret over it – because it never came! This wasn’t a problem until my school needed a copy of my current, validated work contract to sign me up for social security after arriving in France. My school contacted the Rectorat (Board of Education) who sent a copy as a PDF. In the email, I was told that I had already been sent the new, validated work contract on September 12th – which, of course, was not the case. I checked my email trash and spam to be sure, and I definitely had not received anything! Being that I had already obtained my visa, arrived in France, and now had a copy of my new work contract, I simply moved on without pressing the issue.
Our Advice
The receipt of work contracts and the visa application process are undoubtedly two of the biggest stressors for TAPIF participants before departure. Keeping these two pieces of advice in mind will help you get through the summer before TAPIF!
- Arming yourself with accurate knowledge about all TAPIF procedures will significantly reduce your stress. Always lean on both the TAPIF and CIEP handbooks for precise information. TAPIF Facebook groups, group chats, and Reddit threads are rife with misinformation and conjecture that will only heighten your anxiety and may complicate any issues you are facing.
- Prepare yourself to deal with the inconsistencies associated with TAPIF. Other assistants will get their work contracts, work visas, plane tickets, and housing both before and after you do! You are sure to have a rough summer of TAPIF preparation if you are constantly comparing your timeline to other assistants’ experiences. If you have a pressing issue, reach out to the appropriate contact to resolve it. Otherwise, rest assured that things will fall into place.
We hope this article explains some of the struggles we had during our TAPIF visa process and gives useful advice to anyone going through a work visa application process themselves. Although VFS Global was difficult to work with, and getting my validated work contract was a pain, all is well that ends well! If you have any questions or want to know more, let us know in a comment!
Check out our vlog and watch us get our TAPIF visas!
Check out our video to prepare to participate in TAPIF!
How To Change Your TAPIF Placement
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