Changes for retirees, French schools and loophole warning

In this month’s Moving to France newsletter we look at changes for retirees, the French schooling system and a warning about the people who claim they can find you a loophole in French immigration admin.

Here at The Local we’re an Anglo-American team living in France – which means all of us have been through the simultaneously exciting and terrifying process of moving countries.

This newsletter is aimed at people who are in the process of moving, have recently moved and are still grappling with the paperwork or perhaps are just thinking about it – and we share a monthly selection of practical tips. Our team is also available to answer questions from subscribers to The Local.

Visitor to resident

While some people jump straight into being a French resident, it’s not uncommon for people to make the move more gradually. One especially common path is for home-owners – people might buy a French property to use as a second home while they are working, and then once they retire decide to move full time. Others might pay several long visits to France first to scout out local areas.

This a good idea if you have the resources to do this, but you need to remember that switching to the status of resident brings with it both rights and responsibilities.

Retiree versus worker

If you are retired or are close to retirement, there are practical steps that you can take now to ensure that things go smoothly once you are ready to make the move.

Speaking of retirees – some recent changes to how applications are decided means that it has unfortunately become a lot more difficult for retirees to obtain French citizenship – although that doesn’t mean that you cannot become a long-term resident of France.

If, on the other hand, you are of working age then you might be considering setting up your own business in France, or setting yourself up as a freelancer or contractor.

There are plenty of foreigners in France who take this route, but it’s worth getting an idea in advance of the process of setting up as a business or sole trader in France.

La rentrée

Since it’s nearly September, the shops are filling up with stationery supplies and there is a ‘back to school’ feeling in the air.

We asked James Harrington – whose three children have all been through the French schooling system – to write us an article on how to prepare your child for starting at a French school.

From practical tips like the correct schoolbag to buy to the more emotional aspects, such as the sometimes tough French schooling philosophy, I think he’s created a really useful guide.

Loopholes

If you’re at the ‘online research’ stage of moving to France, you’ll likely come across a lot of advertisements for relocation agents, immigration lawyers and hand-holding services.

While some of these can be useful, it is unfortunately a largely unregulated sector (with the exception of lawyers), so you need to be careful if you intend to use any of these services.

My top tip – be very wary of anyone who claims they can find you a ‘loophole’ in French immigration. While some loopholes and shortcuts do exist, they almost always end up creating extra problems for you further down the line (by which time, of course, the hand-holder has banked your cheque and moved on).

Any Questions?

The Local’s Reader Questions section covers questions our members have asked us and is a treasure trove of useful info on all kinds of practical matters. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, head here to leave us your questions.

Bon courage !

Changes for retirees, French schools and loophole warning

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