France Visa Problem

Apparently it's not that straight forward in France. I know a Pakistani family where the hubby is a naturalized French citizen running a successful garment business in Paris, but it still took him more than 3 years to get a visa for his wife and move her and the kids from Lahore to Paris. He had made several trips to Pakistan during that period and the French embassy would always make new excuses and demand new papers every time. Ultimately they did grant a residence visa to his wife, but it was a huge hassle.