Expats may soon find it easier to settle or return to France
Last week, Senator Hélène Conway-Mouret of the Socialist Party issued a set of proposals that would help overseas French expats return home. The same proposals would also gradually be integrated to encourage foreigners to migrate into France.
Like many expats, French expats often encounter a wide range of struggles upon their return. Documentation from foreign sources, such as overseas payslips, international education certification, or foreign driving licenses are often misunderstood in France. As a result, Conway-Mouret’s report highlighted how 53% of the 1.6 million registered French expats, who lived more than six years abroad, refuse to return home.
The same report indicated how 57% of these expats were concerned about their exclusion from French health system, 54% lacked confidence in finding a job in France whilst another 54% believed it would be excessively challenging to find a home.
Conway-Mouret, who herself once lived abroad for 25 years in Ireland, addressed France’s social misconceptions on expats, declaring how the “clichés” about expats abroad are commonly negative.
“They (domestic French populace) are often suspicious that these people (French expats) are fleeing the country, when actually they just want to discover the world, work, study, or move for love. We want to break these obsolete clichés and show that France is a modern country that’s totally a part of globalization.” said Conway-Mouret.
The senator added that it was a “shame” how many of the 1.6 million registered French expats are unwelcome to the idea of returning home.
Conway-Mouret based her findings on responded surveys that were handed out in the thousands. As a response, the senator has conducted 49 proposals that aim to make it easier for French expatriates to return home. Additionally, many of the same proposals would encourage foreign migrants to reside in France.
Some of these proposals specifically refer to the following:
Acceptance of foreign source of wealth
French landlords are now required to accept foreign payslips to determine the tenant’s financial capacities.
Reducing requirements to apply for schools
Many French expats find it difficult to enlist their children into a local school if a domestic address is not provided. The new proposals suggest that a parent’s address, or even a work address, should suffice.
Less translation required
Upon application for various programmes, documentation is commonly required to be presented through the French language. This has often proved difficult when foreign documentation lack in offering translated variants. Conway-Mouret’s new proposals now suggest that document translation should be requested only when “strictly necessary”.
Conway-Mouret further highlighted how “There’s too much energy wasted on endless meetings and appointments, and needing to produce ten times too many documents at every stage”. Effectively, simplification is being sought after through the proposals, hoping that more streamlined processes will encourage French expats to return home.
If you are a French expat wanting to return home, or if you are a foreign migrant seeking to re-locate to France, it would be beneficial to see how your finances would be affected upon your move. Contact one of deVere France's expert financial advisers to determine the best course of action to help secure your assets during your re-location. As part of deVere Group, our financial advisers are uniquely specialised to cater to the needs of expatriate wealth, and are therefore highly suited to navigate through the complexities of cross-border transfers and asset protection.
Last week, Senator Hélène Conway-Mouret of the Socialist Party issued a set of proposals that would help overseas French expats return home. The same proposals would also gradually be integrated to encourage foreigners to migrate into France.
Like many expats, French expats often encounter a wide range of struggles upon their return. Documentation from foreign sources, such as overseas payslips, international education certification, or foreign driving licenses are often misunderstood in France. As a result, Conway-Mouret’s report highlighted how 53% of the 1.6 million registered French expats, who lived more than six years abroad, refuse to return home.
The same report indicated how 57% of these expats were concerned about their exclusion from French health system, 54% lacked confidence in finding a job in France whilst another 54% believed it would be excessively challenging to find a home.
Conway-Mouret, who herself once lived abroad for 25 years in Ireland, addressed France’s social misconceptions on expats, declaring how the “clichés” about expats abroad are commonly negative.
“They (domestic French populace) are often suspicious that these people (French expats) are fleeing the country, when actually they just want to discover the world, work, study, or move for love. We want to break these obsolete clichés and show that France is a modern country that’s totally a part of globalization.” said Conway-Mouret.
The senator added that it was a “shame” how many of the 1.6 million registered French expats are unwelcome to the idea of returning home.
Conway-Mouret based her findings on responded surveys that were handed out in the thousands. As a response, the senator has conducted 49 proposals that aim to make it easier for French expatriates to return home. Additionally, many of the same proposals would encourage foreign migrants to reside in France.
Some of these proposals specifically refer to the following:
Acceptance of foreign source of wealth
French landlords are now required to accept foreign payslips to determine the tenant’s financial capacities.
Reducing requirements to apply for schools
Many French expats find it difficult to enlist their children into a local school if a domestic address is not provided. The new proposals suggest that a parent’s address, or even a work address, should suffice.
Less translation required
Upon application for various programmes, documentation is commonly required to be presented through the French language. This has often proved difficult when foreign documentation lack in offering translated variants. Conway-Mouret’s new proposals now suggest that document translation should be requested only when “strictly necessary”.
Conway-Mouret further highlighted how “There’s too much energy wasted on endless meetings and appointments, and needing to produce ten times too many documents at every stage”. Effectively, simplification is being sought after through the proposals, hoping that more streamlined processes will encourage French expats to return home.
If you are a French expat wanting to return home, or if you are a foreign migrant seeking to re-locate to France, it would be beneficial to see how your finances would be affected upon your move. Contact one of deVere France's expert financial advisers to determine the best course of action to help secure your assets during your re-location. As part of deVere Group, our financial advisers are uniquely specialised to cater to the needs of expatriate wealth, and are therefore highly suited to navigate through the complexities of cross-border transfers and asset protection.