The problem I have Fabien is that this is not clear. Your logo/heading is on top of the page, so people could naturally think that there was a link and that these services are quality controlled by you.
And what I read was full of holes. Although the text seems appropriate to the position in 2020/2021 for the large number of existing anglophone residents applying for withdrawal agreement cards it is not the same now
For example after have discussed your details they state:
“Step 2: They get in touch with your local préfecture or consulate to retrieve the application “
This is not how it works now. All applications are online, and handled by an agency contracted to the French consulates of that specific country. You cannot complete the visa process from within France.
And it goes on to say that once you have submitted documents you will get a decision a few weeks later. No mention of the obligatory interview in your country of residence!
So I think this does not reflect well on the professional offer you provide.
Totally agree. France decided not to insist of proof of these things, but they were actually legally required, something that many British people completely ignored until they were required to by the post-Brexit procedures.
Normally qualifications delivered by one EU state are recognized throughout the EU. Probably this is in an EU directive although I do not know where.
With UK qualifications there does not seem to be any mileage in saying that the UK was an EU member when the qualification was issued so it should be recognized. You would think you might have been able to argue this but the situation seems to be that the EU no longer recognizes UK qualifications, end of story.
I’ve spoken to three estate agents this week and they’ve got loads of Brits booked in for viewings over the next month so clearly Brexit isn’t putting people off from buying here.
We are working on an idea to split these things on a different website but website rebranding costs money and this is not something we’ll do tomorrow I’ve had a look at the page on our website and it clearly states visa & residency whereas you’re only referring to the visa process. Last but not least we also clearly state that “they” (the hand holders) will take care of the process not us. Regarding the processes we’re working with multiple companies including some “regulated” ones (immigration lawyers although you’re correct it depends on the country).
Also, important disclosure => we receive 0 commission or cashback or whatever from these people. We only recommend some once we have the feeling that they can get the job done but there is no money involved on our side including in the referral.
That has been my impression from what I hear and read.
I have also read that the UK has a big shortage of workers and I wonder if it is linked.
HMG are apparently blaming it partly people stopping work early but I wonder whether they keep tabs on how many people are leaving the country. Is it possible that many of these people who are dropping out of the UK labour market are not sitting home in the UK but some have actually quit the UK. UK has made itself a hostile environment and I would be surprised if many EU citizens are moving there now but UK cannot stop people leaving and it is not too difficult to move to France for example. So UK-EU immigration could be very much one way these days and a lot of of the exodus will be Brits with good business ideas and valuable skills who are getting visas because other countries want them.
Hi Fabien, I recall I have posted here before on people’s queries - to find an immigration lawyer! Therefore thought I’d just flag that you may have recommendations - I shall remember for any future posters.
PS Hope you and your team are well - thanks for your previous quotes.
COVID changed a lot of things, with many choosing to alter working practice in a way unimaginable before. I’d suggest this is what’s happened, rather than a mass exodus of British to other nations. I often hear views on SF that don’t match what I see daily, living here.
Yes I appreciate that, I am sure the picture given by the media is warped. Although it is less obvious why a change in working practices would result in a shrinking workforce unless the change is from working to not working.
My BIL officially retired last december but his boss asked him to consider working three days a week for the same salary for a while longer, mainly to train someone else to take over his management job as they just cannot find anyone willing to travel to work in an office and with the nouse to do the job efficiently (this is a big bedding firm you see advertised on the TV). He has gone back but with the proviso he can take time off when he needs to .
There was a report about this last week on either Newsnight or C4 News, saying how loads of people had indeed taken early retirement during Covid thus compounding the problem of immigrants who returned to their native countries and not returned since. The report was saying that an increasing number of those early retirees are having to return to work however due to the increased cost of living in the past year or so. I’ll see if I can dig it out on YouTube.
Thank you all for your diverse but thoughtful replies.
I can give you a bit more detail about our situation.
We have been running a small two room guesthouse here in the uk (pays the energy bills at least). My wife is a fluent French speaker and we both love France. So in practical terms if we found a house with a an attached gite -could we make this pay? It sounds as if there are some issues about how much we would be allowed to earn off this gite -is that correct? I am semi-retired but still do some consultancy work -again would I be able to carry on with this, if we made France our main home?
Thanks again for all your valuable comments.
Despite many saying the gîte market is over-saturated in France there is a living to be made if you approach it with intelligence. The issue is that you will have to buy a set up that will generate enough turnover - so one simple gîte is unlikely to do it. Do your sums - the current target is €23k/year.
And whilst you will need to get a visa that allows you to work on the gîte, consultancy will be separate. Either you return to the UK to do the work, or yiu wait 5 years when you will be allowed to do what you want. Or you set up a separate business - which I think will be allowed as you would already have permission to work, but that needs to be checked.
And having a fluent French speaker in the house will simplify so much!
If you love the country and believe you can happily live and work here then I’d say go for it but if possible keep a property in the UK so that moving back won’t be so financially difficult.
As a rule of thumb, a two-bed gite with access to a pool should generate about €10k over the season. To get up to the €23k threshold you would need two very nice gites in a tourist area : three would be better. But you will have to prove that the property in question generates this kind of money when you apply for the visa. Problem: most gite owners don’t have much in the way of verifiable accounts that banks or govt agencies can understand. They want bilans that have been certified by an expert comptable.
As a estate agent selling gites and B&Bs I get a lot of British clients looking for big properties like this. Most of them are totally unaware of visa requirements, blustering on about how Brits have been coming to France since the dawn of time. This sort of approach does not go down well with the authorities. With patience and humility it is possible to get the paperwork sorted out but, as others have pointed out, you will need quite a solid financial standing if you are to succeed.
Qualifications from another EU state have not always been recognized in France. When I worked as a vacataire at the University in Toulouse, the head of the department looked at my 4-year B.A. in Philosophy and my 2-year post-grad LL.B. from Trinity College Dublin and said: (speaking slowly and distinctly as to a retarded child) “This is equivalent to what we call the Baccalauréat in France”. He nonetheless continued to employ me to teach Degree-level students.
Little by little however France has transposed European legislation into French law: for example, it was only in 2009 that they finally agreed to recognise EU degrees for people wanting to become estate agents.
I’ve had a look at the page on our website and it clearly states visa & residency whereas you’re only referring to the visa process. Last but not least we also clearly state that “they” (the hand holders) will take care of the process not us. Regarding the processes we’re working with multiple companies including some “regulated” ones (immigration lawyers although you’re correct it depends on the country).