Legally immigrating to France was a nightmare. It consumed an entire year, and then a month of every year thereafter, simply to supply each year's requested paperwork. However, it's not just France - for all our bluster about American can-do spirit and all that, I believe that government immigration workers really are real world versions of the Dilbert accounting trolls:
I just found this article on what it's like to immigrate (or TRY to immigrate) to the US from Australia, a supposedly friendly, trusted country, and there were so many parallels with our experience getting our French visas that I wasn't sure to laugh or cry...
The 5 Circles of Immigration Hell
