Source of income and Nationality applications

Useful Info
63

I wonder how they would look at US Social Security for income for citizenship since you pay into both if you work in France or the US and get to choose which you would prefer to take.

64

Thanks,John.I appreciate your comments.:crossed_fingers:

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65

Is it mandatory to lose American citizenship if one takes on citizenship of another country?

66

No. US is fine with dual citizenship

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67

But I think they still want to tax you in the US regardless of where you live, unless there is a Dual Tax Agreement in place?

68

Here is a link to a good description of the four outcomes of an application for citizenship , which I read in ®The Local’ today.

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Behind a paywall. But presumably:

  • inadmissible, rejected
  • untimely, rejected or on other grounds
  • adjourned
  • Accepted
70

Our nationality application is sitting with the Interior ministry at the “about to make a decision” stage. I easily meet all the criteria I can think of bar the “income outside France” one. I’ll keep you posted


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71

Just checked - almost exactly what you’ve said!

  • Accepted
  • Unreceivable (basic errors in the application or failrue to provide evidence)
  • Rejected (meet the basic requirements but not sufficiently integrated or inadequate knowledge of French values, or commited a crime etc etc)
  • Adjourned (application not quite good enough now but likely to be in the future)
72

Yes with France there is. Supposedly the best in the world btw the 2 countries

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107 posts were split to a new topic: Temporary thread

77

Yes,that’s it in a nut- shell,Jane. :grinning:

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78

Fingers crossed for you,Angela.

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79

Hi Chris,
Under 100k is plenty ,you could easily buy a house 2/3 bedrooms garden ,move in , redecorate to your taste and easily live on standard state pension.
Many expats move to France because they cannot afford to live in the UK and they also have health issue`s, they take care of you here, yes really.
Many English move here and do not conform and then moan when they have problems, it really is incredibly simple, register your car straight away , apply for a French driving Licence, join the tax system and pay your tax in France (better allowances ) apply for a medical card CPAM all of this can be done on line.
I first bought a house here in 2007 , 30,000 euro (needed work but livable) . but continued to live and work in work in the UK. I opened a bank account (easy to do as I had a French address moved here in 2011 age 63 and lived on proceeds of house sale in the UK until I received state pension , always have your pension (s) paid direct to your French bank (1) they can see where your income comes from , (2 ) you have a French income, the tax office has this information (you joined the French system ) , so long as you play the bureaucratic game they are happy , France is very bureaucratic, there are a great many foncetaires and would you believe they help you, tax forms state in big letters “you have the right to make mistakes”. I have lived here happily for 14 years , I do not speak French!! you have the right not to speak French!! all officialdom have people who speak English if you ask for help you get it.
Kind regards Geoff

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80

Thank you very much for the reassurance Geoff - I was a bit rattled by that story at the top of this thread but it does sound like it’s a bit of “Connexion sensationalism”


I would love to get on with the process of moving, but not only is my mother a personal commitment but I will need some inherited money to fund the property purchase!

She will be 100 years old on August 6th which is excellent and amazing, but it is a tiny bit frustrating as well! :slight_smile:

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81

Unfortunately you have forgotten about Brexit. British people now have to meet requirements like any other 3rd country national, and the basic UK state pension alone at current exchange rates does not qualify for a visa.

And so much depends on one’s life style expectations as to what budget would be comfortable. Of course one can live on tuppence and a veg patch somewhere not requiring much heat in winter /cool in summer. We wanted more than that.

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82

Here is some explanation of the article from The Local, if you couldn’t download it.

  • . Unreceivable (irrecevable) - This means that either you have failed to meet the basic requirements for citizenship, or you have failed to provide evidence that you do. For example you have not lived in France for the minimum residency period or you have not provided proof that you speak French to the required level.

If this happens, your application will be returned with an explanation of which requirements you have missed. Once you meet the basic requirements, you can apply again - there is no option to appeal this decision, you will just have to start your application again. However, having an ‘irrecevable’ will not prejudice future applications.

Rejected (Rejetée) - French authorities have studied your dossier and have chosen to reject you. This usually happens if you meet the basic requirements (eg residency, speaking French) but you are judged to have missed out on other important aspects such as being well integrated or having sufficient knowledge of France and French values. It could also be because you have a criminal record that is deemed
Incompatible with becoming French This decision can be made at any point in the process, but the most common time is after the interview at the préfecture.

You will be informed of your rejection either by a letter or a document in your online space on the ANEF website. The decision must be motivée, meaning French authorities must give you a reason for why they made this decision.

You have the right to appeal, although you must file your appeal within two months.

If your appeal is rejected you can apply again, but the French government warns that if you attempt to do so within five years, your application may be classée sans suite (automatically closed).
Adjourned (Ajourné) - This might happen if you fall into a grey area when it comes to meeting the overall requirements for naturalisation.
Similar to rejection, adjournment must be motivée, meaning you will get an explanation of the issue with your application.

French authorities can “adjourn the request by imposing a time limit or conditions to meet. Once the time limit has expired or the conditions have been met, then it is up to the applicant to submit a new application.”

It’s common for applications to be adjourned for between two and five years.

Although ‘adjourned’ makes it sound like you can restart your old application, that is in fact not the case. Once the adjournment period ends, you will have to start again and make a new application with updated documents.

If you attempt to submit another request before the end of the time limit, then your application can be closed, or classée sans suite.

While you can appeal the adjournment within two months of receiving it, this process is lengthy. Depending on your situation, it might be a better idea to simply wait and submit again.

According to the law firm Gillioen Avocats, it takes about 18 months on average to have your appeal processed at the Tribunal administratif de Nantes. Common situations for adjournment

The reasons for adjournment can be similar to rejection, so it depends on the generosity of the person reading your application.

According to the immigration law firm Avocats Cujas
Regarding a lack of ‘professional integration’ or a ‘lack of resources’. In these situations, you might be given two years to show that you consistently earn the French minimum wage (SMIC) or that France has become the ‘centre of your economic interests’. While there is no exact amount requested, but be financially independent’ and income should not be primarily based on social benefits (except for people with disabilities).

The memo also specified that ‘professional integration’ for those of working age is assessed over the full five-year period (in standard applications), and that people classified as employees (salariĂ©s) should demonstrate at least one year on a permanent contract (CDI) or two years on fixed-term contracts (CDDs).

For example, if you live in France and work remotely with primarily non-French clients, you might be seen as having the centre of your economic interests outside of France. If you send significant amounts of money to family outside of France, you might also be seen as lacking ‘integration’. The minister also reminded local authorities that behaviour that would lead to the withdrawal of a residency card should also lead to a rejection, rather than an adjournment.”

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83

Do you live in a city? We live in the sticks, in a non-touristy place, and almost no one here speaks English. Our French is not great (we’re studying), so we struggle. It’s so difficult to find anyone who speaks English, even in officialdom.

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For purposes of French citizenship, this has yet to be truly tested. The source is not French. Does it/will it matter? We’ll see.

85

Of course you have the right not to bother. But the official language of this country is French, so some things will be closed off to you - like citizenship.

Personally I can’t contemplate not speaking and understanding the language of the country you live in. I would find it very isolating.

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