Just had an email from the French Schengen Visa people ..
NOT good news for those with partners / girlfriends / or even US folk hoping to visit Schengen nations without residency
In connection with the epidemiological situation associated with Covid-19, France suspended the submission of documents and the issuance of visas until new orders. This decision applies to all visa applications (short-term Schengen visas, long-term national visas for staying in France, visas for overseas territories). The decision also applies to applications that have already been submitted and to applications for which a preliminary record is already available. In the coming weeks, a gradual resumption of activities is planned for some priority categories of
visas. The consulate will soon inform about the resumption of work.
However, the external borders of the Schengen zone remain closed, and the presence of a visa is not a guarantee of entry into France, which is still limited for some categories of people.
All short-term visa applications that were pending at the Consulate were returned to VFS Visa Application Centers to return the passports to applicants. Applicants whose applications have been rejected by the Consulate will need to re-apply for a visa after resuming work.
Applications for a long-term national visa remain at the Consulate, but their consideration is suspended until the resumption of the service.
Applicants who have received a visa but were unable to travel due to cancellation of flights due to COVID-19 will be able to re-submit a new application by the end of June. An application for a visa will be submitted with a facilitated set of documents (mainly on new conditions of stay) for a period equal to the initial request. These visa applications will receive particular attention. Holders of type C visas with start and end dates from the beginning to the end of the border closure period will be able to apply for exemption from
payment of the visa fee upon filing a new application for the same purpose of the trip as in the previous request. Previous visa must be unused. The consulate will provide more detailed information on the procedure for this procedure, when it will be possible to resume the service.
Residence permits in France, long-term national visas or temporary residence permits (“récépissé de demande de renouvellement de titre de séjour”), which expire from March 16 to June 15, 2020, are extended by 6 months. If you have one of these documents, your main place of residence is in France, and you are blocked outside of France due to the interruption of flights, you will be able to return to France when the situation permits, provided that you fly directly to France flight. When crossing the border you will need to
prove your stay in France.
In case of justified emergencies, you can extend a short-term visa (no more than 90 days) or a temporary residence permit if you are in France on the basis of an expired short-term visa and cannot return to your home country because this country prohibits entry from France due to health reasons, or due to the fact that air traffic was discontinued. To do this, you need to contact the prefecture at the place of stay.