Citizens’ rights after
BREXIT
Kathryn Dobson, member of British in Europe’s steering team and co-founder of France Rights, examines the latest developments for British nationals living in France We’re four years on from the referendum, half-way through the transition period, and yet there are still many unknowns...
RESIDENCY REGISTRATION The latest version of the online registration procedure was promised to launch in July but, at the last second, has now been delayed until October. So what do we know about the process? At France Rights, part of British in Europe, we know that the website and process are based on the no-deal model that almost went live last year. The décret detailing the conditions determining residency now that the Withdrawal Agreement has been signed is currently with the Conseil d’Etat to
WHERE TO FIND RELIABLE INFORMATION The French Government site is at brexit.gouv.fr. The UK Government continues to update its ‘Living in’ guide (gov.uk/living-in-france). Several groups on social media offer help but do check their legal expertise. Immigration law is a complex subject and advice can only be given by lawyers who carry professional liability insurance. Therefore, we recommend you get your information from expert sources such as British in Europe groups before referring to a lawyer, should you need individual advice. This is not the time to rely on enthusiastic amateurs. For quality, independent information focused on France, see France Rights at www.francerights.org or visit the Facebook page at FranceRights where the latest news will be shared.
www.livingmagazine.fr
Local préfectures will process online applications
approve and publish. So, for now we wait, scanning Légifrance, the legislation website, for news. It is important to remember that with all the talk around ‘no-deal’ at the moment, this is referring to ‘no trade deal’. The Withdrawal Agreements for Citizens’ Rights has been signed and is an international treaty that cannot be ignored. The information we have received so far reassures us that the process will be as straightforward as possible: • if you applied on the no-deal portal last year, you do not need to reapply, your original application will be processed • if you have an application pending with a préfecture, you will need to apply online unless you hear otherwise • if you already have an EU carte de séjour permanent, you will need to apply on line but it will be a much simplified process • all individuals aged 18 or over need to apply.
We are also assured that staff at préfectures will be generous in their application of the rules, and steps have been taken to reduce the variation in processing that we have seen to date (see the survey results below for details on applications processed by NouvelleAquitaine départements so far). In the meantime everyone is recommended to prepare their paperwork and understand the changes that will take place at the end of the year. To help, British in Europe has published a series of easy-to-understand guides about the rights contained within the Withdrawal Agreement, plus new guides based on the recently-published Guidance Note. They are all free to read and download on the website at www.britishineurope.org. Once the décret is issued, we will be publishing easy-to-understand Francespecific guides on www.francerights. org so sign up to our email newsletter or like our Facebook page to be kept in the loop.
While the application will be online, it will then be sent to your local préfecture to process. Only one visit to the préfecture will be required in order to take fingerprints (it looks like this will still be needed even if you have had your prints taken before). We continue to ask for this to be waived for those who are medically unable to attend.
FRANCE RIGHTS SURVEY In preparation for the launch of the registration process, France Rights ran a survey to find out how British residents feel about the new process. Shared across several platforms, 2,727 people took part and the results are not just interesting, but sobering too ... almost half of all respondents feel nervous to
