EM

Oh! Could you provide the exact text, please, and a link to the page? I'd love to know the exact wording a letter requires to "invoke" SVA, too. If this is how it works then I might as well send such a letter with every written request.

[quote user="nomoss"]In this case the SVA principle could be interpreted to mean that your application is approved but you will receive your documentation in due course.[/quote] I'd actually be fine with that. :) As long as I had some official confirmation of it. [quote user="nomoss"]Maybe you could visit the office and ask for an "Attestation de droits à l'assurance maladie", which is the printed document establishing your rights, on the basis that your application was approved under the loi SVA.[/quote] That's an interesting idea! Would they know be able to find my application by my name at the office, though? And would they even know anything about these SVA laws? I have the feeling people don't walk in with such demands every day. :) In fact, I tried to submit my application at my local CPAM office, but they told me it has to be mailed in. They also told me I should receive a response in 1 - 1.5 months. My other concern is that they could just deny having received the application and I have no way of proving otherwise. I do have a registered mail receipt for posting it, but this only proves that I sent them *something* - it could have been an empty envelope for all anyone knows. So, as a starting point, I'd really like to get them to acknowledge that they actually received the application. Perhaps the local office can help with that, even if they know nothing about SVA.

Does anyone have any experience with the "silence vaut accord" law and how it applies in practice after a government organisation has not responded in time in cases where you actually need something from them? For example, I've applied for a social security number by sending the "demande d'ouverture des droits à l'assurance maladie" form to my local CPAM 2.5 months ago and have heard nothing back. Not even an acknowledgement - but luckily I sent it by registered mail. According to https://www.service-public.fr/demarches-silence-vaut-accord/demarches/1609 the "SVA" law applies to this procedure. So, in principle, my request is "deemed approved", but in practice I still have no social security number. If I wanted to use the SVA law here, how would I go about doing that? (Yes, obviously CPAM might reply soon anyway, and I hope they do, but my question is specifically about the SVA laws and not about registering for social security as such.)

[quote user="Foxie"]Hope this makes you feel better.[/quote] It does a bit - thank you. I wasn't really singling out my local branch, I meant that I feel cheated by the bank as a whole, because they didn't tell me in advance "hey, if you want to transfer in more than X then be prepared to do Y". Now that they have my money they can basically hold it to ransom until I do whatever they want. Perhaps to them (and to everyone here) it's so obvious that it didn't need to be said, but it was not obvious to me. Your explanation is somewhat reassuring, though. I can only hope you're right and this just gets filed away somewhere and that's the end of it.

[quote user="Hereford"]If you have done nothing wrong and can prove the source of the money then you really should not worry.[/quote] OK, and what if I've done nothing wrong, but cannot prove the source of the money? Then I suppose I should worry - and I do! Yes, my course is entirely in English. And yes, the transfers were from outside the EU. I did ask about this at my university, actually, but they couldn't tell me anything useful. The well-meaning staff agreed with me that this shouldn't be any of the bank's business. They said they'd never heard of this happening before. If I had a euro for every time I heard that... Perhaps I'm alone in this, but I really feel that the bank is totally abusing its power and the trust I've placed in it. Had they told me about this up-front I would never have done so! The worst thing about it is that their threat is implicit and I don't actually know what it is I'm being threatened with. It IS a threat, though - there is an implication of negative consequence for not giving them what they want. (Otherwise why would anyone answer?) Of course, even asking them to explain themselves can be seen as "uncooperative" - and they're still unlikely to give me a meaningful answer. Anyway, I suppose I'll have to send them the statement they're after and just HOPE that satisfies them.

My hope didn't last long - they've now asked for "justificatifs" of the wire transfers. They want statements (I think) of the source account, which REALLY seems to me like none of their business! Also, so far they've only been asking questions and have not bothered to explain anything to me. So even if I co-operate and answer the next question and the next one and the next one - I just don't know where this is going and what else they're going to ask for! Maybe next they'll ask "and could you explain the incoming wire transfers on THAT account? and could you provide some documentation for that?" etc.

Well, they did ask where the money came from! I simply told them it came from my account in my home country, same as all the incoming transfers before that. I thought "here we go, next they'll ask for some documents related to that!", but they just replied saying "thank you for the information". They did ask for proof of my student status (at the same time), so I sent them a scan of my student card. I can only hope you're right, Chancer, and this is the end of it, but my mind isn't at ease just yet! Even if the bank doesn't ask for anything further they still might report this to the tax office, which won't be so easily satisfied. I do need to sort out my taxes in any case (as per my other topic), but I certainly don't need an audit! Oh well, here's hoping for the best...

[quote user="andyh4"]I would second using the tax office. Despite many preconceptions, I have found them extremely helpful. English speaking however may be a problem - maybe even in Paris.[/quote] Thanks, it's good to know they're helpful. Nevertheless, I'd really prefer advice from someone working for me. Also, my French is sadly not good enough to explain the situation - let alone understand their response!

Could anyone recommend a good English-speaking accountant in Paris for preparing my first French tax return? I tried searching the forum, but couldn't find anything. I rang a few that came up in a Google search and they generally want to give me the full "business" service of preparing accounts, etc. for over €1000, which I don't need. I basically just need to figure out how to classify my income for French tax purposes. My situation is simple, but unusual.

Oh, I don't know where you got the idea that I have good French, Hereford! Not at all - and that's a significant part of what's stressing me out about this. From the message, I think it is the incoming wire transfers they're concerned about (rather than the balance per se), but no, there is no Western Union involved. :) I haven't made large cash withdrawals or anything like that - the money is still in my account. It's not a matter of "getting bolshie", it's a matter of not wanting to talk to them about this at all. I'd love to find a way to do that that doesn't seem hostile, but also doesn't involve talking like a politician (which I wouldn't be able to pull off even if I wanted to) or just completely ignoring them (which I don't think would help). I sent them a simple message through their Internet Banking site, confirming that I am still a student. Written French is much easier, so I hope they also respond in writing.

[quote user="andyh4"]One other thing they can do is to refuse to handle the transaction until you provide the data. Since the money was wired to you, they cannot send it back, so it will just sit in their accounts until you play ball.[/quote] Well, the transfers were actually done over a month ago, so the money has already been in my account for some time. As far as I can see there's nothing currently preventing me from spending or withdrawing it. However, it could certainly look suspicious if I suddenly transferred all (or most) of it out as soon as they contacted me, even if it was to another French bank! P.S. What are "the S&Cs"?

OK, so they can ask, but what can they do if I tell them "ca ne vous concerne pas", which I have a good mind to do? Can they freeze my account, for example, just because I refuse to discuss my financial situation with them?

I've had an account with Societe Generale for about 18 months. I'm studying in France and am listed as "student" in the bank's records. A month or two ago I transferred some money into the account (wire transfer from overseas), more than doubling my usual balance (but we're not talking millions here or anything!) Today I received a voicemail from the bank and, as best I could understand the fast French, they think I have a bit too much money for a student and want me to call back to "update my status" or something like that. I will, of course, call back and confirm that I am indeed still a student. Can they then ask me about how I happened to have this money? What can they do if I refuse to answer? Are there French laws about what a bank can and cannot ask? There's nothing dodgy going on, but I don't feel that I should have to explain that, let alone prove it. To my mind, this is nobody's business, but my own. In fact, I don't know why they even care whether I'm a student or not enough to call me. (I don't receive any student discounts from them.)