"Immigrant" sort of suggests "immigration" as being part of the deal though, right?
Take me for example. If I was working on getting my French citizenship with the hope of living here indefinitely with my new French passport and (one day) French citizen grandchildren, I'd be an immigrant.
But I'm not. I'm an American citizen holding an American passport who just happens to spend half his time living here. They actually have a term for that. It's "Expat".
The difficulty is that "immigration" means many things. It can mean "to settle", with the emphasis in permanence. But it's not restricted to that. Consider this quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_law :
Immigration regulation is the control of the people, and their numbers, who may enter a nation's sovereign territory. It applies both to persons seeking to live and work in a particular nation (or part of it) and tourists, persons on layover due to travel issues, and those wishing to study or otherwise make use of a country's facilities.
Here you see "immigration" used with a wider meaning than what you used.
Consider Mexican citizens who come to the US for short-term employment but without specific permission from the US government. Many use the term "illegal immigrants", even though for those who have no desire to live permanently in the US, and are only in the country to make money.
In your case, "half his time" probably means 180 days or less, and as a US national you are exempt from a Schengen visa? There many other terms for that, including "tourist". ("sportspeople playing in championships" and "artist on tour" are a few alternatives). When does a "tourist" become an "expat"?
If you were to stay longer than 3 months at a time, then you would need a long-stay visa, and "must, on arriving in France, register with the French Immigration and Integration Office (OFII) or, in some cases, apply to the relevant prefecture for a residence permit" - http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/getting-a-... .
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"Immigrant" sort of suggests "immigration" as being part of the deal though, right?
Take me for example. If I was working on getting my French citizenship with the hope of living here indefinitely with my new French passport and (one day) French citizen grandchildren, I'd be an immigrant.
But I'm not. I'm an American citizen holding an American passport who just happens to spend half his time living here. They actually have a term for that. It's "Expat".
The difficulty is that "immigration" means many things. It can mean "to settle", with the emphasis in permanence. But it's not restricted to that. Consider this quote from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_law :
Here you see "immigration" used with a wider meaning than what you used.
Consider Mexican citizens who come to the US for short-term employment but without specific permission from the US government. Many use the term "illegal immigrants", even though for those who have no desire to live permanently in the US, and are only in the country to make money.
In your case, "half his time" probably means 180 days or less, and as a US national you are exempt from a Schengen visa? There many other terms for that, including "tourist". ("sportspeople playing in championships" and "artist on tour" are a few alternatives). When does a "tourist" become an "expat"?
If you were to stay longer than 3 months at a time, then you would need a long-stay visa, and "must, on arriving in France, register with the French Immigration and Integration Office (OFII) or, in some cases, apply to the relevant prefecture for a residence permit" - http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/getting-a-... .
See the "immigration" in the name of the office?