Ex-pat or Immigrant - my thoughts on Brexit

Shortly after the referendum 3 years ago (for which we had no right to vote) many of us ‘ex-pats’ did absolutely nothing, as we felt there was nothing much to be done.  We would be fine.  Nearly a year later, Article 50 was triggered and it began to feel as if we should start to do something.  Many of us have now gone through the extremely complicated process of applying for french residency to obtain a french passport, many of us have chosen the ‘slightly’ easier option of applying for a Carte de Séjour.  My UK Passport was also due to expire so I managed to get that replaced (no mean feat because I have reverted to using my  maiden name and also changed address), and ditto for my UK driving licence – which has had to be exchanged for a French one.  Anyway, all the paperwork had been done and whenever well-meaning (or mocking!) french friends asked how Brexit would affect me – I could just give a typical gallic shrug and say that I would be fine.

However, with 2 weeks to go until 31^st October and the official ‘leave’ date I am starting to feel slightly uneasy.  It started when I was listening to a podcast (if anybody is interested it is an excellent podcast called The Tip Off and you can find it on a player called Acast).  The episode was interrupted twice by an advert issued by HM Government telling me to find out what I need to do to continue living and working ‘here’ (which felt a bit ‘big-brotherish’ – how do they know where I am?).  I then opened the latest issue of PO-Life – an excellent quarterly magazine printed in English full of articles about what to see and where to go in the Pyrénées-Oriéntales -  and there was a full page advert from HM Government saying exactly the same thing.    The final straw was hearing from someone on an ex-pat forum that even with our Cartes de Séjour, we would no longer be eligible to vote in municipal elections.

I was too young to vote in the original 1975 referendum on whether to join the Common Market and I was not eligible to vote in the 2016 referendum on whether to leave, so I am feeling slightly cast-adrift at the moment.

But I am one of the lucky ones, being able to work and contribute to the social system, eligible for health care etc.  I know of several people who have packed up and ‘gone back’ to the UK due to the uncertainty of when the reciprocal health care agreement will be withdrawn, or whether they will continue to receive their state pensions.  When I made the decision to live in France it was never a decision to stop being British, and now due to circumstances beyond my control I have a British Passport but can’t vote in the UK, I have a French Carte de Séjour and can’t vote in France, I have no idea if and when I would get my UK pension and, despite paying years of NI contributions, would be considered a ‘Health Tourist’ if I had a medical problem on my next trip to the UK as I have a French E111 card. 

The term ‘ex-pat’ always sounds slightly glamorous – as if we spend our time at bridge-clubs drinking gin and tonic – but thanks to Brexit, those of us who have chosen to live and work in France are all immigrants. 

Keep calm - and prepare for Brexit...

In view of the anxiety and uncertainty (mainly in my head!) over the future effects of Brexit, I have just applied for a Carte de Séjour.  While none of us ‘ex-pats’ in France think that we are going to be asked to leave next March, many of us feel that it is better to do ‘something’ rather than ‘nothing’, and applying for a Carte de Séjour appeared to be a good option for me.  It also seemed to be easier than applying for French citizenship which, due to the fact that applications have increased ten-fold this year, can take up to 2 years to be approved.   This process also involves a mind-boggling amount of paperwork including providing translated copies of parent’s birth/marriage/death certificates, full education history (mine wouldn’t take long!) employment details, financial information and a language test.  Apart from the time and effort involved, there is also the considerable expense of applying for official copies of all the documents and then having them translated by an official translator – Google translate doesn’t seem to impress French officialdom.  By comparison, the application for the Carte-de-Séjour seemed less complicated…

Firstly I emailed the Prefecture de Perpignan with my request and they replied very quickly, attaching the form to fill in, together with the list of all the documents required (no mention of a Birth Certificate), and offering me a rendezvous in 3 months’ time.  Page 1 was pretty easy – Valid Passport, Proof of Address, 3 recent photographs (took some time to get one I wasn’t too ashamed of).  I also managed to rustle up an impressive batch of documents showing my self-employed status; ie ‘auto-entrepreneur’ declarations.  It then got more interesting - they needed proof that I have been resident in France non-stop (apart from holidays etc) for the past 5 years.  They asked for 1 document per trimester for each of the 5 years – ie 20 .  With a slight pang of guilt at destroying yet another rain forest I duly printed out the relevant pages of bank statements.  As a double back-up I also photocopied garage bills, prescriptions, a cat kennel bill and as my ‘piece de resistance’ attached a copy of my dog’s Pet Passport showing more than 5 year’s worth of dates!   I didn’t provide a copy of my Birth Certificate, as they hadn’t asked for one.

On the appointed day, armed with all my paperwork (but not my birth certificate as it wasn’t on the list of required documents), I arrived at the Prefecture.  A security guard asked if he could do a search of my handbag –  I have no idea what would have happened if I had said no!  I had imagined the application interview to be a formal affair but arrived at the relevant booth in front of a girl who seemed to be 14 years old– so realised that the fact that I was wearing a t-shirt with I 💜 Barcelona written on the front wouldn’t count against me!  She flicked through my paperwork, didn’t seem interested in any of my vet or dentist bills, asked to see my Carte Vitale (equivalent of a Health Card) and made a copy of it – even though there was no mention of this being a requirement on the official list.  She then stamped something, stuck my picture on a document and stamped it again, and asked me to put my fingers on a machine to take my finger-prints.  She then asked for a copy of my Birth Certificate.  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this but nowhere on the list of documents do they say that they require a copy of the applicant’s birth certificate.  She admitted this was the case but shrugged her shoulders, (as only french bureaucrats can do) looked almost apologetic, (very rare) but said that they needed it. – but not to worry, I could put it in the post and then my Carte de Séjour should arrive within 1 month!   

I have now sent the photocopy of my birth certificate (but not translated into French) and am crossing my fingers that they will manage to put it in the file  with the rest of the documents and that I will receive my Carte in the post.  If not, is anyone available to pick me up from Dover on 30^th March next year…..?