QUESTION REGARDING FRENCH RESIDENT PERMITS

[menthe]

1 hour ago, Harnser said:

There is definite trend in France for resto's to serve reheated industrial food - precooked and reheated in a microwave etc.

There was an online newspaper article on the subject recently but I can't find it. 

But this is representitive and dates from 2011 !

"Of the 33 dishes on the menu of Jean-Luc Madec's restaurant in Guyancourt (78), 6 are of industrial origin

So many admissible arguments... until we look at the copious margins made thanks to industrial preparations. “On a dish with sauce which costs 2 or 3 euros per portion, it is common to multiply by 4 or 5 to put it at between 10 and 15 euros on the menu, and some do not hesitate to go even harder” , assures Yannick, a professional who has run several trendy establishments in the Oberkampf district, in Paris."

https://www.capital.fr/economie-politique/les-plats-industriels-envahissent-les-cuisines-des-restaurants-595930

Nothing wrong with doing that if it's made from proper ingredients and not full of preservatives.

 

Harnser, I have said nothing about pre-heated dishes, dishes prepared hundreds of kilometres away, no trained chef in the kitchen etc etc.  I don't dispute any of that.  There is a resto in my own village, changed hands several times since I have lived here, and I wouldn't dream of darkening its doors.

All I did was challenge ALBF's assertion that food in Scotland was "far better than anything you would get in France".  That clearly makes no sense whatsoever.  To say that, ALBF would have to eat in every single resto, food-outlet in Scotland and do the same in France and then compare the food in the two countries.  That is of course clearly impossible.

Let's suppose he spends the rest of his life doing exactly that and at the end of spending all his money and totally ruining his innards. After all that, he still could not make a categorical statement like the one he has made. At most, he could only say that, in HIS opinion, that was the case.

But sloppy thinking now seems permissible and even acceptable....more's the pity.

[NormanH]

What is noticeable is how a thread where  the OP asked a reasonable question, and was getting sensible and helpful replies was Hi-jacked by another poster with nothing helpful to say on  the topic. I  think the moderators should remove such posts from the original thread and invite the person concerned to post in another topic e.g.  "Moaning about everything French"  or some such title so  the rest of us can go on offering whatever help or information we  can about the original topic.

[alittlebitfrench]

12 hours ago, NormanH said:

What is noticeable is how a thread where  the OP asked a reasonable question, and was getting sensible and helpful replies was Hi-jacked by another poster with nothing helpful to say on  the topic. I  think the moderators should remove such posts from the original thread and invite the person concerned to post in another topic e.g.  "Moaning about everything French"  or some such title so  the rest of us can go on offering whatever help or information we  can about the original topic.

You have not offered any advice Norman….just two insulting posts.

Given I have lived in France over half my life, have a French wife and three French kids and also a very large French extended family of all ages. Some in their nineties. I kinda know stuff.

I have lived all over France from rough suburbs to quintessential villages. I have rented many flats and bought houses. I spend my time living to two very different areas of France.

I think I am more than qualified to voice my opinions and concerns of French life.

You….hmmmm…..not so much.

I tell how it is. No bias. 

[NormanH]

8 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said:

You have not offered any advice Norman….just two insulting posts.

Given I have lived in France over half my life, have a French wife and three French kids and also a very large French extended family of all ages. Some in their nineties. I kinda know stuff.

I have lived all over France from rough suburbs to quintessential villages. I have rented many flats and bought houses. I spend my time living to two very different areas of France.

I think I am more than qualified to voice my opinions and concerns of French life.

You….hmmmm…..not so much.

I tell how it is. No bias. 

You see... you  try to hijack this thread in yet another direction.

[alittlebitfrench]

31 minutes ago, NormanH said:

You see... you  try to hijack this thread in yet another direction.

Im not hijacking anything …I rarely frequent forums anymore.

The OP has multi answers. I am sure they will make the right decision.

And on that note I am going into hibernation.

[Moffers]

On 04/11/2023 at 00:14, Loiseau said:

Moffers, that all sounds a lovely plan, and you have had loads of excellent advice.

One more thing that is worth thinking about is whether you can afford to keep a property in the UK to move back to if your circumstances change.  Property prices rise much faster in the UK than in France, and it can be very difficult to get back into it once you move somewhere where properties are enticingly cheaper.

Thanks so much for your thoughts.  Unfortunately, we can't afford to keep a property here as well as one in France and that is why we are reasearching things as thoroughly as we can beforehand, because it will be all or nothing for us.  It would be so much easier if we could keep a property here to come back to if things didn't work out.  

[Moffers]

On 03/11/2023 at 17:10, menthe said:

Moffers, you need to make up your own mind.  Can you come for say 3 months, rent a place and try it out?  Come with an open mind and lots and lots of questions.  The answers you get do depend on the questions you ask!

As you have been thinking of this project for so long, you will have a good idea of what it is that attracts you here.  As with all else in life, there are no guarantees, whatever you decide.  Therefore it will be just a matter both of thought, instinct, feeling, etc.

For a start, balance out the information you get.  Check out as far as possible the accuracy of what is told you and that includes the replies you get here, including mine!

If I were you, I'd feel this is worth a lot more thought and investigation. 

Thanks so much for your thoughts.  We were planning to rent in France for about a year to 18 months, after selling our property in the UK and finding another in France as cash buyers.  We've contacted a variety of French property magazines, checked official visa websites and even contacted the British Consulate in France, but we still haven't been able to get a straight answer from anyone.  

[Moffers]

On 02/11/2023 at 13:03, DaveLister said:

I think most of us that are residents moved well before Brexit so our understanding of the new visa systems might be limited but by doing a bit of research I can confirm that a Visiteur visa would not entitle you to apply for either a Carte de Sejour pluriannuelle or Carte de Resident 10 ans.

Thank you Dave 😉  There seems to be a lot of conflicting information surrounding French visas and residence permits, who can apply for what and when.  

[Moffers]

On 02/11/2023 at 13:49, crabtree said:

Do not apply for a VLS-T as that is not renewable, and will expire on the end date of the visa.

You should apply for a VLS-TS Visitor visa. Ensure that you apply for more than 12 months, which you validate on arrival in France, and this then becomes you (virtual) Carte De Sejour. You will then have to apply after the first year for a renewal of your Carte De Sejour, and once granted you will get a physical card. You have to renew annually for the first five years. After five years you renew and will be granted a permanent residence.

Many thanks for your comments, but I didn't think you could apply for more that 12 months at a time.

[crabtree]

1 hour ago, Moffers said:

Many thanks for your comments, but I didn't think you could apply for more that 12 months at a time.

On the application you can apply for more than 12 months or less than 12 months. It is really to give the Embassy an idea of what the applicant wants. In the UK if you apply for less than 12 months you usually get a VLS-T visa for 6 months which is not renewable. If you apply for more than 12 months then you get a VLS-TS which is renewable. That is why I advised to apply for the more than 12 months option.

However, it is misleading to say more than 12 months on the application, as you are correct, the visa and subsequent CDS renewals are usually for 12 months at a time (although there are exceptions where longer can be granted).

[Moffers]

On 07/11/2023 at 20:37, crabtree said:

On the application you can apply for more than 12 months or less than 12 months. It is really to give the Embassy an idea of what the applicant wants. In the UK if you apply for less than 12 months you usually get a VLS-T visa for 6 months which is not renewable. If you apply for more than 12 months then you get a VLS-TS which is renewable. That is why I advised to apply for the more than 12 months option.

However, it is misleading to say more than 12 months on the application, as you are correct, the visa and subsequent CDS renewals are usually for 12 months at a time (although there are exceptions where longer can be granted).

Thank you so much for the clarification Crabtree.  I see that a motion has been put forward in France for second home owners to get a longer stay visa, e.g. 5 years , but it hasn't been passed into law yet and would only be for second home owners, which is a bit of a bummer for us, as we wish to live there permanently and not just go for extended holidays.

[crabtree]

1 hour ago, Moffers said:

Thank you so much for the clarification Crabtree.  I see that a motion has been put forward in France for second home owners to get a longer stay visa, e.g. 5 years , but it hasn't been passed into law yet and would only be for second home owners, which is a bit of a bummer for us, as we wish to live there permanently and not just go for extended holidays.

There has been some discussion in the anglophone community (particularly by British citizens) and there have been some articles in the French press about a number of proposed amendments to the French government's upcoming immigration bill.
These amendments, if passed, would have an as-of-yet undetermined effect on the eligibility of second home owners for visas, possibly creating a new visa path for those affected.
However, as none of these amendments have become law yet, as there is no guarantee that all or any of them will, and as there is no indication of how they will apply if they do become law, it is just a matter of wait and see. Once the decrees have been published then we will know what is available.

[Moffers]

Yes Crabtree, you are correct, although I thought the only proposal going forward is regarding second home owners.  I think the new general 5 year visa mooted for all non-EU members was rejected.

[NickP]

23 minutes ago, Moffers said:

Yes Crabtree, you are correct, although I thought the only proposal going forward is regarding second home owners.  I think the new general 5 year visa mooted for all non-EU members was rejected.

Sorry to say I'm a bit confused, if you want to be in France for a year or more and find a property why don't you just take up residency.