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Local France
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Local France
Brexit residency rights in France: Where to go for help
A recent article about British students being denied access to a French rent guarantee scheme highlighted the fact that – even several years after the fact – it's still very easy for individuals and institutions to get mixed up about Brexit. It was far from the first such article we've run on administrative issues linked to Article 50 Withdrawal Agreement residency rights. READ ALSO It's five years since Brexit but problems lie ahead for Brits in Europe We've posted pieces about Britons being incorrectly held at Schengen borders , a now-solved technical issue that stopped French online admin algorithms from accepting Brexit carte de séjour numbers , the Briton who grew up in France but fell foul of post-Brexit residency requirements , D-Day Brexit checks for British soldiers , and the British-born teacher who fell foul of similar rental agency issues . Not to mention numerous related pieces on post-Brexit travel , food , and second homes . For most people, agencies and organisations in France, except for border officials who deal with this sort of thing daily, it seems Brexit is old news, something that has happened to other people and can now be mostly forgotten. Advertisement And there are still – as the student story demonstrated – instances in which the rights of Britons legally resident in France under Article 50 of the Withdrawal Agreement are not completely understood. READ ALSO INTERVIEW: 'A lot of people think Brexit is done, but it's not for Brits in Europe' This isn't entirely surprising, since the Withdrawal Agreement is a pretty complex legal text guaranteeing the rights of Briton resident in the EU before December 31st, 2020, to live, work and study here as they had done prior to the UK's departure, along with reciprocal rights for EU-nation citizens who have moved to the UK. It basically gives a different status to one small group - Brits who lived in the EU before Brexit - they don't quite have the same rights as EU nationals, but they have more rights than other non-EU citizens, including the Brits who moved here after Brexit. That covers a whole lot of ground – starting with residency rights and including whether current or future employers have to complete additional paperwork on your behalf (they don't, which should please them), to swapping driving licences, the right to study at university without a student visa, and much more besides. READ ALSO What's the deal with renewing the post-Brexit carte de séjour Before we go on, please remember that all of this legal stuff is expected to be instantly understood upon presentation of a credit card-sized document featuring a black-and-white photograph of the holder, their name, a number, the words Article 50 TUE, some dates and a chip. There's no wonder that, sometimes, people and institutions get it wrong. No matter how frustrated and worried you are, it's important to remember that 'old news' Brexit is still not the fault of the employee of the CPAM office / the local gendarme / the official at the préfecture. Nor, given that their job involves dealing with rather more French people than British ones, that they may not necessarily be entirely au fait with its intricacies. So, what does that small card entitle its holders to, and where can they get accurate information? READ ALSO Briton raised in France ordered to leave country over Brexit rules The post-Brexit Article 50 TUE card, sometimes also known as the WARP card, is a special type of residence permit that was issued to Britons in France who had been legally resident here before Brexit. It is generally only issued to adult Britons living in France before December 31st, 2020 – although in some cases a spouse or close family member of a card-holder who arrived later may have been entitled to the card as well. Advertisement However, Brits moving to France since 2021 come under the general rules for non-EU nationals and need a visa. READ ALSO 45,000 Brits in France face further Brexit residency hurdle As a starting point for those with an Article 50 TUE card, the British government website has a section called Living in France which gives an overview of the rules for British people in France that was last updated in October 2024 – – as well as a more general section for Britons who were living in Europe before Brexit came into effect – The French government's dedicated Brexit website – which is in both English and French – hasn't been updated for some time, but remains online and has details of the specific rules for individuals and businesses, which haven't changed. Find the site at READ ALSO Brexit: How Brits in France can secure residency rights for their children Meanwhile, France's Service Publique website has information, last officially checked in February 2025, about what Britons must do to live in France – with sections on those here before December 31st, 2020, and those who arrived after. It's in French, and you will find it here While there's not necessarily a lot of new information about post-Brexit residency in France, the British Embassy in Paris has an active Facebook page that touches on related topics from time to time – READ ALSO What Brits in France need to know if they move back to the UK post-Brexit Remain in France Together (RIFT) – which has been busily advocating for the rights of post-Brexit Britons who want to study in France recently, as well as fighting for an EU-wide redress mechanism for cases similar to those we have highlighted – has a similar site with lots of information and bitesize guides, as well as an active Facebook page of the same name – Advertisement Your Europe Advice, meanwhile offers a free legal advisory service from independent EU law experts. The specific section on the website is here – The Franco-British Network has a lot of information and guides for British people and British-owned businesses in France – Don't forget The Local France, either! In our Dealing with Brexit section you will find lots of information on residency, healthcare, driving, travel, pensions and pets. We are also happy to answer questions from our members. Meanwhile, if you are feeling brave, you can read the EU Commission's complex, technical and quite intimidating document Enforcement of individual rights of United Kingdom nationals under the Withdrawal Agreement here: strategy-and-policy/relations- united-kingdom/eu-uk- withdrawal-agreement/citizens- rights-0_en And, finally, the Brexit-specific contact point at the French Interior Ministry – useful when local authorities are misapplying rules – is: contact-demandeenligne-brexit-dgef@
CBC
26-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Councillor urges Winnipeg mayor to rescind civic award given to Food Fare owner
City police are investigating a video circulating online regarding the Israel-Hamas war which has prompted a Winnipeg city councillor to call for a civic award to be taken away from a local businessman. Coun. Sherri Rollins wrote an open letter to Mayor Scott Gillingham on Sunday about Ramsey Zeid. Zeid, a co-owner of Winnipeg's Food Fare grocery stores and president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM), accepted a Mayor's Business Improvement Zone Award on May 15. The award was for the Maryland Food Fare's help with community events in the West Broadway area. "I urge you to rescind this award," Rollins wrote in the letter. Rollins said The Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba (CPAM) recently re-posted a video in their Instagram Stories that talks about actions that Palestinian people could take to advocate for their cause. The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg provided a screenshot of the post, which appears to show that CPAM shared the video in question from its account. The video features a masked figure in a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf calling for non-peaceful action around the globe to "move the needle" and "eventually destroy the status quo." It calls Israel a terrorist foreign entity and refers to "demonic Zionists." A Zionist refers to someone who supports the idea of a Jewish national homeland in Israel. The video then refers to how a group in its infancy is setting up in select cities and are planning to make this global "on a massive scale." It calls for at least one person in every city to lead teams of non-peaceful disruptors. Rollins called the posts "thinly veiled calls to violence" and said they are "not harmless expressions of opinion." In an email to CBC News, Zeid said he is seeking legal advice about what Rollins wrote to the mayor and, as such, can't comment further. As for the award, he said he's honoured because it reflects that "I've always tried, to the best of my abilities, to help those who need it, especially in a time of rising poverty here affecting my fellow Winnipeggers." Awards reception Gilligham wasn't at the awards reception — deputy Mayor Markus Chambers filled in — but repeatedly told media on Monday that Food Fare, not Zeid, was the recipient. "The award was given to a business, not an individual, and the nomination was put forward by the West Broadway Biz, and Coun. Rollins sits on that board," Gillingham said. If Rollins has a problem with the nomination, she should talk to her fellow board members and executive, he added. In an interview on Monday, Rollins said Gillingham needs to take his own accountability for an award that comes from his office. Free speech is important but "Words matter. And that's why I think it is really appropriate for a rescinding of this award," she said. "I do want to see people learn, people understand the harm, and as council we have a role to play on convening peace," she said. In her letter, Rollins cited another post, made earlier this year by an Instagram account called Zionists in Winnipeg, which featured her image. An image of Gillingham was posted by the same account. Rollins pointed to the "real-world consequences" specifically the fatal shooting last week of couple Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky in Washington, D.C., as they were leaving the Capital Jewish Museum where they attended an event promoting peace in the Middle East. Washington Metropolitan Police chief Pamela Smith has said the shooter was chanting "Free Palestine, free Palestine" as he was being taken into custody. Gillingham said Monday morning he had not yet spoken to Rollins about her concern. "I sat across the table from her on Saturday night at an event. She said nothing of this. And then Sunday I get a letter from her," he said. "I think, as a matter of good faith, she could have raised it Saturday night, pulled me aside at the event we were at, sitting across the table breaking bread together." As for the video, Gillingham has seen it and calls it concerning. It has been forwarded to the police, he added. A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Police Service confirmed it is investigating the video being circulated "calling for global violent intifada," and that those types of investigation are complicated and will take time. "There is no room for antisemitism in this city, I've been clear on that before," Gillingham said. "There's no room for the rhetoric that would incite antisemitism or Islamophobia, for that matter as well." Winnipeg councillor wants civic award to business owner rescinded 19 minutes ago Duration 2:25 Winnipeg police confirm they are investigating a video circulating online that has prompted a city councillor to call on the mayor to revoke a civic award given recently to a local businessman.
Local France
17-02-2025
- Local France
French banks issue warning about new 'courier' scam
Banks have been emailing customers in recent days to warn them about a sophisticated new scam aimed at securing the banking codes or PIN numbers of account holders. The scam follows a multi-step process; First a text message will be sent purporting to be from a French administrative body such as Ameli, CPAM or La Poste, asking you to click on a link and fill in certain personal details on a form. Once you have submitted the form, a second text is sent, claiming to be from your bank informing you that someone has tried to use your bank card for a fraudulent transaction. The fraudster then calls, claiming to be from the fraud department of your bank and asking you for extra details, including the details of any security codes or authentification codes sent out by your bank via text message or the banking app. If they are successful in getting the details they need, the fraudsters have even been known to send a person out to a customer's home, claiming to be a courier who has arrived to collect and destroy the bank card in order to avoid further fraud - in reality they use the card to make purchases, using the codes supplied on the phone. Banks have reminded customers that they will never ask for security codes or a PIN number on the phone, and they do not send couriers to collect and destroy bank cards. Common scams This scam is unusually elaborate, but there are dozens of variations on the scam, especially using fake emails and text messages claiming to be from legitimate French organisations. Text messages claiming that a parcel is waiting, that a fine must be paid without delay, that an application at the préfecture has an update are all common. So too is a text claiming that the recipient's carte vitale health card needs to be updated or it will stop working. All texts containing a link should be treated with suspicion - if you are at all unsure, login directly to your account with the relevant government body and proceed to your account and deal with any messages or updates there. It's also common for scammers to phone, and attempt to extract personal or banking details on the phone.
