I must admit that the photo chosen by The Guardian to head-up that article did make me smile and wonder how long it took them to find that picture of the EU flag in tatters.
Have to admit that Iāve done nothing at all yet and no intention of applying until I know exactly what I have to doā¦
Iāve spent 3 and a half years worrying and continue to feel that leaving is the single most stupid thing that has come about in my lifetimeā¦all based on lies by the vote leave campaignā¦
I was and probably still am shellshocked by the apparent Tory majority and still feel that over half the country is being dragged out against their willā¦
I used to be glued to parliament tv before the election ā¦Iāve not watched it sinceā¦
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My understanding is that people will have until July 2021 to apply for residency assuming that the Brexit transition period isnāt extended so need to rush into anything just yet.
Nor Daly Politics, UK news channels, Question Time. I have even taken them off the list as āfavouritesā.
Saturday viewing is mainly France 5.
I now hate the UK with a passion and everything it stands for. Iāll never return there.
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They donāt mention language skills (unless of course the phrase āhave the confidence to question thingsā is an euphemism). That seems to me to be another big factor in whether people can get fair and equal treatment. If you canāt explain yourself, or understand the answers you get, then it seems more likely that you will fall through the cracks? So perhaps it needs a big push to get UK immigrants who donāt integrate to learnt the language and become proper french residents?
Even though I, came to that conclusion years ago (although hate is too strong a word) i find that statement very sad to read. Donāt hold onto it for too long as it can be debilitating.
Leave it to the Farages of this world and the āhatersā of Europe, I want to those bastards debilitated - or worse!
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Jane I can only speak as someone who went through the Nationalisation process a couple of years back, but this might help. I am not too sure of the age bracket if it is either +65 or +70 where NO Language test applies .
But this is a little misleading as there remains a āpersonal face-to-faceā which makes sense, but is of course in French. Being deaf was oddly to my advantage as they made all provisions for that, and my French wife who knows the right pitch for me (often screaming at me?) so she translated the questions with no demur from the interlocator. Usually once I know the question I can respond in French and even develop a subject, but I would never claim fluency. At least in Limoges you can bring a friend so I would assume this is normal elsewhere.
To be honest they were more interested in how integrated into French society you were, but I know this does not apply to Residency, as long as the forms are filled out correctly.
So if you are going for Residency I wouldnāt be concerned, but obviously Nationality requires a bit more effort. As others have pointed out there could be a simple āAliens residencyā worked out, which probably wouldnāt be all that different to what you enjoy now.
To repeat myself, I still havenāt seen any animosity to foreign residents in France, unlike what seems to be the case in the UK?
Re language skills.
Yes, Folk do need to have confidence to ask the person to talk more slowlyā¦ or to say āI donāt understandāā¦
Admitting to not being fully fluent will not count against themā¦
In fact, trying to converse (however badly) is more likely to be seen in a positive light ā¦ 
I think you are dead right Norm. But having dealt successfully (mostly) with bureaucracy here since 1981 my biggest challenges have always been when Iād encounter a fonctionnaire who hadnāt clue what they were talking about, whoās ego wouldnāt let them admit it and who refused to go off and check. No matter what challenges and paper hoops the French system has thrown at me, once I know they are the right challengers and hoops I work my way through them and everything goes fine. Which is my long way of saying that I fear the problem for many now will be that their local fonctionnaires wonāt have a clue what to do. .
I would be surprised to find anyone, anywhere at this moment in time who has anything other than the faintest idea of what is going on.
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Personally, if I was you Iād toddle off to whatever office you will be dealing with and get my face known. That way youāre that nice Ms. Wright not application number 176.
A recent endeavour took me about ten visits to the Mairie. They used to laugh when I arrived yet again, but good humour, jiggling them along a bit and tenacity ment I finally got my way, even though not strictly according to the rules.
Iāve had the same experience in other branches of authority, even the VAT people saved me money once. But it was all face to face otherwise the rule book is all that counts.
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or buying green bananas!
Well done John.
Back in UK, here in Franceā¦ and, in fact anywhere we have been travellingā¦ if we found ourselves in a situation involving bureaucrats etc ā¦ we have always been treated in accordance to how we have behavedā¦and if you can get folk laughing, that breaks down all sorts of barriersā¦ 
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Itās over 60 where they relax language requirements for citizenship applications. But Iām not talking about citizenship, but the normal day to day administration and residence requirements. These donāt demand that you speak french at all. It is merely that I remain baffled that with 4 years to prepare many people seem totally unwilling to make an effort to do so.
And I have seen quite a bit of anti-foreign behaviour in France. Racism is a big problem here. Our local town has a large Turkish population who are constantly harassed. And a bit further away we can see anti foreign graffiti that says things like āDutch Out!ā. So you must live in a haven of peace and tranquillity.
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I assume you no longer have a British passport and have taken French nationality Graham.
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I share some of your (and Helenās) feelings Graham - I wouldnāt say I hate the UK, but I will certainly never go back, and I feel myself increasingly losing interest in UK politics, etc.
We, at least, have the consolation of France 5, etc - for my sister in Derbyshire the election result was, in her own word, like a ābereavementā - one of her children, my niece, has just moved to Scotland, not as a direct response to brexit, but certainly in part as a way of mitigating the effects on schools, hospitals, etc, of the last ten years of Tory/LibDem government, and getting away from some of the English chauvinism it seems to have unleashed.
Iām very conscious that my young relatives generally now seem to be deserting the UK - Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Canada - and - hereās the thing - it is the youngest and best-educated and most entrepreneurial among them that are goingā¦
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We were at a car club meeting last Tuesdayā¦ first get together with most of them for some monthsā¦ 
as so often, we were the only Brits thereā¦
Everyone gave OH and I great bear-hugs and kissesā¦ on both cheeksā¦ not air-kisses eitherā¦ great smackers.
Their friendship and support means a great deal in such difficult/dodgy/uncertain times. No sign of animosityā¦ but car-buffs are perhaps above such thingsā¦ 
There are still many in the UK who feel as you do Graham.
They feel betrayed by the lies that were told but they will not be as badly affected as ourselves.
I will never go back to the UK either, but look at how many voted Remain and marched through London.
Whatever (or indeed, whenever)the outcome, Iām staying ; even if the cds process proves to be difficult.
This weekās blog by Chris Grey - astute as ever.
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