Help! Overwhelmed and confused (non-EU citizen on WHVisa)

To put the minimum wage equivalent into context - as a micro entrepreneur, to achieve a recorded profit of 18000€ pa then if you’re providing a service you need to achieve a turnover of around 24000€. If you’re a reseller you need a turnover of around 50000€. It sounds easy maybe but there are a lot of small businesses that don’t achieve that. You may find it doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for skiing and surfing. Just sayin’.

The problem OFII is likely to have with that type of work is that it isn’t stable, it isn’t designed to be a serious job , it is essentially for gap year people having fun: and that doesn’t get get you a long-stay visa as a non EU person because it isn’t a ‘proper job’ just as being a beach parasol setter upper, photographer or beignet person isn’t a proper job but perfectly OK for a student. Doing seasonal work is fine, lots of people do it long-term BUT they are EU citizens who don’t need to prove much.
If you were my daughter (I have lots but quite a bit younger than you are) I’d tell you you can’t be a beach bum or a snow bunny indefinitely, go and get a degree and/or a proper job.

We seem to be back to posted workers. Yes you can do this, but by definition posted workers never become resident in the country where they are working. (And DIRECCTE is currently on a crusade against posted worker fraud, but that’s a whole different and quite complex subject.)
I do actually wonder if it wouldn’t be your best solution though, if your main aim is simply to spend time having fun in France. That way you won’t get bogged down in bureaucracy and rules and regulations and the country won’t lose its shine for you.

NO no no! I am merely pointing out this is possible. And this could continue til every working holiday visa is used up. This is not a solution. I want in on the French bureaucracy, give me all of it. France is the country I wish to reside in. There is no moving forward on anything jumping work visa to work visa.

Absolutely Vero, seasonal work in my opinion is not sustainable, not for the lifestyle I want - 1. get a degree 2. get a proper job or 3. create your own proper job. This 3rd option is what I am getting at.

I do understand what you are getting at, I really do - but this is France, and as I said we like people to have qualifications.
If you want to get anywhere in France you need lots of solid capital either financial/social/cultural (cf Bourdieu) or both, and that goes with diplomas. Do you just want to create your own mcjob? Presumably not.

I don’t think foreigners realise how much the system is geared to qualifications, and I don’t think foreigners realise how elitist French society is, academically and otherwise.
We really aren’t like les anglo-saxons.

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Do you think they will be any different to existing 3rd nation rules?

True - but that will just play around at the edges in terms of who will have enough income and might well mean some who were OK fall below the cut-off. However I think it will affect newcomers more than existing residents.

Mine too, I bought it from Woolies and it didn’t even predict their downfall :slight_smile:

Agree totally.

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Have you seen this site:

looks v useful.

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I have been talking about newcomers throughout. From what I’ve read the French Government is being very accommodating towards those people who will already be resident on Brexit day, or in the event of a deal, before the end of the transition period.
In the past British pensioners have found the move to France very straightforward as, with an S1, they were never asked to prove that they met the minimum income requirements for becoming resident. That will change and many will not reach the threshold. As said, it’s crystal ball time.

Many will have been resident for 5 years, of course, and acquired the right of residency whatever their income.

For those resident less than 5 years I think the French still want reciprocity - which might be problematic the way the settled status stuff is going.

From what I read before the previous Brexit deadline deal/no deal was the important decider. Whatever, I stand by my original point that the people who say that nothing will change after Brexit are wrong, whatever flavour of Brexit happens. FOM was a great opportunity for so many people and that will be lost.

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:+1:

How do they all do it I mean they’re many expat Australians kiwis South Africans in France many Americans too but their mostly older retired people maybe their is easier for someone retired I don’t really now

You just need a decent pension. If you have that it’s not complicated, if you don’t it’s very complicated. Unfortunately the UK state pension is, well, not over-generous, and on its own it likely won’t be enough.

It’s just enough for a couple who need to demonstrate income of 1347.88€ per month

Assuming 2x full “new state pension” which is £168.60 a week that works out at £1461.20 a month - even at € - £ parity that fits comfortably (until inflation kicks in and the UK govt refuses to index link pensions for those retired to the EU).

Whether you’d have as good a quality of life given France’s higher cost of living I’ll leave as an exercise for the reader.

A single retiree on just a UK state pension would be sailing very close to the wind as they have to demonstrate an income of 868.20€ per month from a pension income of £730.60 - needing a € - £ rate of at least 1.18€ per £

But anything on top of the state pension and you should be OK.

Is there any difference in tax on pension in the uk vs France?

Let’s just confirm here (as far as I can see) - UK folk already resident in France for 5 or more years - on less than full UK pension - will be OK as far as needing a certain “income level” is concerned - provided they have lived those 5 years or more quite legally.

(there are many folk who do not have the full UK Pension :zipper_mouth_face:)

Don’t want anyone panicking…unnecessarily… there’s already more than enough stress on the rounds… :thinking: :shushing_face: :hugs:

In the UK the state pension alone falls well under the personal allowance so no tax to pay if that’s all you get.

It falls under the income tax threshold in France as well - AFAIK at any rate, although only just (2019 allowance = 9,964€). Not sure about social charges.

That is a really important point - any Brit over in France for ≥ 5 years (legally) will have permanent residency rights whatever their income level.

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Cheers Paul… I thought we really should emphasise that point… :hugs:

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But not as easy for non-europeans. I don’t think retired Australians and New Zealanders can just stroll in with a 10,000€ / year pension and be welcomed, which will be the situation for UK people after B-day. A lot of the antipodeans we’ve met aren’t here all year round.