Can this be true?

[Helenochka]

Retiree denied French citizenship due to foreign income sources

Surely most people retiring to another country are going to be deriving the bulk of their income from foreign sources.

[SuePJ]

It’s in Connexion. So probably not.

[Helenochka]

https://www.vie-publique.fr/en-bref/298439-circulaire-retailleau-sur-la-naturalisation-des-etrangers

"Enfin, pour attester de leur autonomie et d’une installation stable en France, les demandeurs devront justifier :

• d’une insertion professionnelle avérée et durable: un contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI) de plus d’un an ou plusieurs contrats à durée déterminée (CDD) sur une période d’au moins deux ans ;
• de ressources stables et suffisantes, par référence au salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance (SMIC), les revenus résultant en majorité de prestations sociales ou provenant de l’étranger étant exclus."

https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/download/file/pdf/cir_45604/CIRC

See section 3.2 of the new Guidelines:

[Porridge]

Connexion: big on outrage, little on verification of what they report. There’s no indication they even saw what correspondence the applicant received.

[Helenochka]

Yes but the official circular mentioned does in fact state that applications from individuals who derive most of their income from abroad are to be rejected.

[KarenLot]

If that’s the text in the post above then I think the par référence au smic is the key phrase to which the rest applies.

[Helenochka]

My understanding that the sufficiency of the person’s income is to assessed by reference to the SMIC. And that the instruction to disregard income that derives mostly from welfare benefits OR abroad is completely separate from this.

[KarenLot]

If that were the case then all the pensioners in France living off their foreign income would have been refused.

[Helenochka]

But this is new. The circular was published in May 2025.

[KarenLot]

Ah, is this the new stuff being pushed out by that Right Wing guy? I’ve seen press coverage that to impoae new conditions via that Circular was illegal without having made it law via the correct channels ie got it voted and got a décret first.

[Helenochka]

Bit worrying if prefectures are already acting on it.

[ChrisMann]

Well if they really are going to look at visa applications thus way (and not just citizenship) then I won’t be moving to France, nor will pretty much any non-French retiree in future! 100% of my income would be from outside France (state pension and private pension etc.)

Somehow I can’t believe that is really the intention, but who knows?

[JaneJones]

This has happened before several (many?) times.

What we don’t know is the totality of that person’s dossier as decisions are rarely on a single item - unless a really negative one. The core requirement for gaining nationality is that France is the centre of your life, and they set out broad ways in which this is assessed. But then it is for the Agent to assess.

I haven ‘t read the article, but perhaps the totality of their dossier was weak and this was the final straw. Was their French fluent, were they well integrated, did they travel back to wherever they came from a lot, did they contribute actively to their commune, was there a nuisance complaint against them. And did they know their stuff about France or just stumble through the interview?

No point speculating. The runes are that Agents will be tougher, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that all people with just a foreign pension will automatically be refused. Just that every other aspect must be correct.

@KarenLot

référence au smic is the key phrase to which the rest applies.

It has always been SMIC. The telling point to me is “doesn’t demonstrate that they have transferred all their interests to France”. So something as simple as having an AV could be enough.

[DrMarkH]

@KarenLot

If that were the case then all the pensioners in France living off their foreign income would have been refused.

Not necessarily, because (not for the first time) prefectures have not been consistent in their interpretation/implementation of the regs.

[DrMarkH]

@ChrisMann

Well if they really are going to look at visa applications thus way (and not just citizenship) then I won’t be moving to France, nor will pretty much any non-French retiree in future! 100% of my income would be from outside France (state pension and private pension etc.)

This issue is only about acquiring French citizenship, not post-Brexit carte de sejour applications.

Whereas, you’re currently living in the UK, French citizenship isn’t essential to live here and would in any case require five years residency beforehand, so I don’t think you should lose too much sleep over this.

[Helenochka]

I have a good friend who’s due to have his final
interview for citizenship this summer. All
his income is foreign source. So let’s see what happens. He’s been here for years, kept his nose clean, has excellent French, pays his taxes, etc. So if they reject him it’ll almost certainly be because of this new circular.

[JaneJones]

@Helenochka

So if they reject him it’ll almost certainly be because of this new circular.

Why “almost certainly”? Keeping your nose clean and paying taxes is not actually all that’s required.

[ChrisMann]

@DrMarkH

This issue is only about acquiring French citizenship

That’s true - but if they are applying a “where’s your income from?” criterion to citizenship it would seem a fairly small step to also apply it to residency.

@DrMarkH

I don’t think you should lose too much sleep over this.

No indeed - of course it’s all hypothetical at this point and we don’t know all the facts about this one case.

[DrMarkH]

Non-EU residents of France pay taxes, but can’t vote - don’t imagine any RW party would wish to change that!

[ChrisMann]

@DrMarkH

don’t imagine any RW party would wish to change that!

Well you’d think so, but the example of Trump in America and his and his cohorts’ treatment of valuable members of society is not an edifying one.