Emily (is back) in Paris… but what about her visa?

With season four of Emily in Paris airing on August 15^th, fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to find out what’s in store for Netflix’s favourite expat as she chases her dreams through the city of lights. However, with each successive season of the romantic comedy-drama, there is one part of Emily Cooper’s fairy tale that doesn’t quite match the experience of most expats: her visa status. This has led us, here at Mauve Group, to run a quick check on Emily’s ongoing visa status.

“We know the hit show is pure escapist fantasy, but we thought it would be fun to join the season four speculation by offering Emily some advice on her legal status,” explains Carolina Merlin, Mauve Group’s legal specialist.

“Emily in Paris highlights the shifts in employment, residential, and fiscal status that reflect the real decisions that many expats and their employers face every day. And this is without addressing the social and cultural changes that they and their families also have to navigate,” Merlin explains.

“These are precisely the issues that require professional counsel and support, to ensure that international employees can focus on their priorities, which, in Emily’s case, are unlikely to extend to the completion of visa forms and tax returns!”

Emily’s immigration situation

So, let’s rewind. Season one of Emily in Paris starts with Chicago-based Emily Cooper unexpectedly finding out that she is to be sent to Paris, in place of her pregnant boss, to provide an American perspective for the French fashion firm Savoir.

“To ensure a smooth arrival, Emily would need to secure a working visa from her company,” Carolina explains. “Assuming she is on a secondment in Paris on behalf of a U.S. firm, she would need to apply for a Schengen visa (for 90 days). This would be based and dependent on her U.S. firm’s Paris office.”

“Extending this would require another process; and in the event that Emily’s American employer severed ties with its Paris office (as occurred at the end of season two), this secondment arrangement would no longer be valid.”

Carolina continues, “These are exactly the types of complex and, occasionally, fluid, scenarios where ‘Employer of Record’ services can be invaluable.”

Employer of Record (EoR) is Mauve Group’s most popular service – allowing organisations to compliantly employ workers abroad, without having to establish their own in-country legal entities. This solution could have been the perfect option for Emily’s U.S. employer, when relocating Emily to Paris.

“Such services ensure that employees are hired in accordance with that jurisdiction's laws, by a local entity and without the need for Emily's U.S. employer to necessarily set up in-country,” Merlin shares. “This is the type of approach that would provide her with a compliant employment contract, as well as guidance in the event that her situation changed.”

During season two, Emily continues to work for Savoir. But it’s unclear whether her visa and employment status changes or not.

“Working visas must be renewed promptly, involving plenty of paperwork and bureaucracy,” Carolina adds. “Unlike Emily, real-life expats to France can expect to spend a fair few hours waiting in line at the Préfecture.”

And while she certainly enjoys her expat lifestyle of romance, adventure, and high fashion, the less glamorous reality that all expats must face - Emily’s visa situation - only catches up with her onscreen in season three.

“The third season finally addresses the mysteries behind Emily’s visa status, but perhaps not with the depth that would win much sympathy from our clients,” Carolina explains. “In the space of three episodes, Emily resigns from her job, finds temporary work as a waitress, and then, fearing deportation, she gets around to applying for a new work visa.”

What is the reality of visa & immigration regulations as an expat?

The resignation process and the temporary work that Emily finds would both require more paperwork from Emily than reel life lets on. In real life, specialist knowledge would be required to ensure a smooth end-to-end process.

“Because Emily is no longer with her American firm, it’s down to her new employers to sponsor her visa application, and this involves them having to prove why Emily is so uniquely talented and qualified that finding a French or even European applicant who wouldn’t require the visa has proven impossible.”

“Alternatively, if Emily’s work and client base were focused on the tourism sector, she could apply as a seasonal worker. But this would last for up to 12 months before her employer would have to re-apply,” Carolina continues.

“However, I’m not sure this approach would work in Emily’s case. She has just appeared in the famous ‘La Liste’, an influential list of up-and-comers in the fashion industry. So, ‘seasonal’ work would not really correspond to her profile or her aspirations!”

Emily’s essential status in the world of Parisian haute couture aside, the show also avoids other bureaucratic realities for expats such as tax and fiscal issues, as well as the titular character’s ongoing residency status.”

“However, perhaps, season four will change all that. We may see Emily finally knuckling down and getting her elementary French up to the level of B2 – now required for residence visas,” Carolina concludes. “Or, knowing her luck, she can choose one of her many French suitors and form a civil partnership or PACS.”

Either way, we’re fascinated to see what she gets up to as one of TV’s most famous expats. Though, we have to reaffirm that it’s far from the realities of background checks, paperwork, and administrative appointments.

How Mauve Group can help future Emilys and Emiles in Paris…

With over 28 years of experience in global employment solutions, Mauve Group offers a range of services to support expats and their employers on their global mobility journey.

Choose from our pioneering global Employer of Record services, to global visa & immigration services and global payroll, to compliance assessments and salary benchmarking, and more. Our bespoke packages cater to your globally minded organisation, no matter the size or industry.

Look to our teams as your go-to experts, for support and to ensure compliance at every step of the way – wherever you plan on hiring.

Contact us today, to discuss what options are best for you.

This article was first published in Plano Informativo and Times Brasília via Latam Intersect PR on 22 April 2024, but has since been revised and updated with new information.