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Economic development

International business

The network is French-speaking, not French. That distinction has very concrete consequences, and it is the point French-language sites handle worst.

Why nationality changes everything

Most French-language resources on setting up in the United States are written for the French. A Quebecer, a Belgian or a Moroccan finds information there that does not apply to them, with nothing to flag it.

Two mechanisms depend on it directly.

Treaty-based visa categories depend on nationality, and the list of signatory countries is not the same from one program to another.

Tax treaties differ too: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco and Canada did not sign the same text with the United States. The rules on tax residence, withholding and relief from double taxation therefore vary with the passport and with where you live.

The official texts are published by the US tax administration, treaty by treaty: IRS, tax treaties by country.

A substantive choice, not a posture

Florida is home to North America’s second largest French-speaking community after Quebec, and Canada is the state’s second largest foreign investor, ahead of France. A network speaking only to the French would cut itself off from most of its ground.

The figures and their sources are on French speakers in Florida.

What the network does, and does not do

It introduces you to the French-speaking accountants, business lawyers and tax advisers who know which treaties apply to your situation, and to the members who have already been through it, since a Quebecer settled here will tell a Quebecer more than a French founder will.

It does not answer in their place. The practical guides in the three paths describe what exists; they never recommend a structure.

What this page still lacks

Bilateral investment flows by country, and the breakdown of French-speaking-owned businesses by sector along the corridor. Those measures exist at the Orlando Economic Partnership and at SelectFlorida; they will be added with their year and their source.