Is that absolutely definite?
Our friend has been here 17 years and now has a uk pension.
She’s sold her house and is moving into her studio to give herself some cash in the bank to apply for residency card!
She knows she didn’t meet the income level if the exchange rate wasn’t in her favour!
The 5 year thing? - yes - see the the French government website.
Note that you do have to be able to prove a bunch of stuff, including that your income has been above threshold for the 5 previous years, that you have indeed been resident for 5 years, filling in tax returns, had health insurance etc.
And not everyone gets the max pension - especially women - so they may not meet the threshold.
Ones I meet a American in France when I asked what he’s status in France was he told me he came on a tourist visa and then just stayed on overstayed so I asked if he was not afraid of being sent back and he said no the French police have never questioned him about status he told the stop him allot in traffic stops so I believe the government here are not putting any effort to hunt down overstayers especially not from what they call friendly country’s
You’re right, French police aren’t immigration officers and they have enough to keep them busy with their own job. The biggest problem for sans papiers is, not having any rights. France isn’t too bothered about you being here because you will never be a liability as such, as far as French administration is concerned you don’t exist so you can’t access state healthcare or benefits. You can’t apply for a job or set up a business, go through border controls, get married, you have to put up with all kinds of restrictions. If you’re here legally you do have rights, and that’s important to most people.when they’re planning a new life in another county.
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I think what you will find with most Kiwis/Aussies (not sure about South Africans) is that they have dual nationalities. Our country’s were quite recently settled and have had high immigration rates in order to build the ‘new’ population - A lot of my parents peer group are ‘10 pound Poms’ - a term used to describe anyone that was part of a AU/NZ Government initiative called the ‘Assisted Passage Migration Scheme’ after WW2 and lasted a couple of decades. These people would then hold an NZ or AU passport and a British or EU one…
Random fact for the day: It’s so common that even two of our latest Prime Ministers were dual passport holders, migrating over with their families in the 60’s.
Even my generation the next rung down could apply for these additional passports as a means to claim heritage and from what I understand it can passed through several generations. (Dependent on the independent agreements between countries of course & these laws frequently change…)
For example; If my father had migrated from England - I would be able to obtain British nationality as long as my father had never renounced his citizenship to the UK; I would therefore be British by birth rights (having been born to a British national) and my daughter (if I had one) would also be British by birth rights, having been born to a British national EVEN if I (the middle generation) had never claimed my British nationality.
It used to be quite a prized process to go through - up until… just now really! I’m sorry to hear of the election results in the UK.
That looks great! Thank you Anna 
That is no longer the case. Even though the child born abroad to a British citizen (who is in neither the army nor the diplomatic corps) will get British citizenship, if he or she (that child) continues to live outside Britain, his or her child won’t automatically have British citizenship nor the right to reside in the UK.
That’s so correct Vero, nothing is automatic. To claim ancestry or heritage involves an application, a cost and an initial visa process. But as long as your grandparents were born in the UK or as the below says ‘on British-registered ship or aircraft’ (so en route to elsewhere 
) it is possible claim UK ancestry as far back as two generations.
Unfortunately for my individual case, my family was shipped out on the much earlier voyages! I am a historically rebellious blend of the ‘scum’ or petty criminals England banished in the mid 1800’s (the convicts) and the upper-class opportunists that paid their way (the free settlers) - topped off with a little slice of Italian, curtesy of WW2’s post-war mass migration (my closest link to European heritage).
I really don’t know about South Africa, but I imagine the migrational patterns (which was frequent) from EU/UK to AU/NZ would reflect similar to there. Resulting in finding a lot of us Southern Hemisphere folk sneaking back to the Northern side of the equator with two passports in hand. 
I meet a kiwi one time he claimed Italy passport because family ties the proses cost 700 something don’t think he needed to be second generation can be wrong but I think he’s family immigrated out of Italy beginning of the sentry
I know several (NZ/AU/SA) in my area, but:
- they are generally not single, i.e. they have a French or EU life partner ;
- if they are single, then it is because they have become so after moving to France and originally fell into the first category above; or
- they have something France wants, e.g. talented rugby players…
And of course, retirees, or other persons with sufficient financial means to support themselves and not be a burden on the state (per the rules).
Yes, the various changes in the citizenship act over the years removed that general possibility in most instances. For example, my eldest daughter’s children could claim UK nationality even if (when) they are born outside of the UK because I was in service to the crown at the time my daughter was born. However, my other two children have no such applicable exception for any children they might have, as I was no longer carrying out such service when they were born.
In France you are French if you have a French parent - it doesn’t really matter where you were born: between my daughter (born in France in the 21st century), and my great great grandmother (born in France in the mid 19th century) there are 4 generations all born in different countries. But we are all French 
That is why there are lots of French South African rugby players, because of the
Huguenot exodus (which gave Britain Brunel, for example) who come back to play for France.
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So if someone could trace back in their family tree they can get a French passport like that?
The reality is more complicated than the theory as you have to prove it! It’s not that easy as need all the birth, death, marriage certificates etc.
Much easier if you are over65 is to have a child who has taken French nationality. As then you are eligible because the French consider that children have responsibility for their parents.
But in realty allot of people all over the world then could prove it I mean Church records are really good especially from the 1800 hundreds and up to now just think about all the old French colony’s that’s allot of people probably allot of English people have French blood maybe something for English people to look up now with brexit coming
I think unlikely. The point Vero raises about rugby players may well be the exception, not the rule. As France does give weight to talent - do you remember the young man from Mali who saved a baby and was given immediate citizenship?
In general I think your parents or grandparents would have had to have become French themselves before you were born. I don’t think you can suddenly claim nationality after several generations have passed and when none of your ascendants since have become French. Church records aren’t proof anyway - especially in France with separation of Church and State. So worth investigating if you are in that situation, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
Do France have any sponsorship program like outher country’s have ?
What do you mean by a sponsorship programme exactly, Martin?