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 31st 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care agreement will be withdrawn, or whether they will continue to receive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.
