Today we publish the results of our 4th Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit.
The survey shows that many of our members are still waiting to receive their WA RP and many have not yet been contacted by their préfecture.
The deadline for holding a WA RP is 1 October 2021. With so many applications outstanding, we have written to the ministère de l'Intérieur to ask that deadline is extended and an official announcement made.
You can read our plea below
Please France - We ask you to extend the deadline today!
Help - I haven’t had my appointment for my WA RP!
Help - I’ve attended my appointment and I haven’t got my WA RP!
The Remain in France Together (RIFT) Survey results are being released. This reveals the percentage of survey respondents who don’t yet have their Withdrawal Agreement Residency Permits (WA RP). Many UK nationals and their family members report that they haven’t had their appointments and many haven’t received their permits after their appointment. Many applied months ago and even last year. Figures for applications received and treated have not been revealed since June 2021. If our survey results mirror the situation for all UK Nationals and their family members across France, many thousands will be in a precarious situation on 1 October 2021. The French Government has not yet officially changed the deadline and there are so few working days left.
We read this on official sites:
UK Nationals will be required to hold a residence permit by 1 October 2021
This assurance on applications is simply not enough.
"ATTESTATION D'ENREGISTREMENT DE DEMANDE DE TITRE DE SEJOUR EN LIGNE : 29-XXXXXX
Le présent document atteste que, conformément à la règlementation applicable, Mme / M. UN AUTRE a déposé une demande de titre de séjour dans le cadre de l'accord de retrait du Royaume-Uni de l'Union européenne.
Mme / M. UN AUTRE conserve l'ensemble de ses droits prévus par l'accord de retrait jusqu'à ce que sa demande de titre de séjour soit instruite par la préfecture."
We call on the French Government to please give official notification of an extension immediately and to declare the number of applications made and finalised. Clear communication is vital.
Even though the Withdrawal Agreement should protect us, and contains no cut off date, the French Decree applies a deadline of 1 October 2021 which is just 3 months after the end of the Grace Period of 30 June 2021. It was very optimistic for a country that didn’t have previous registration of EU nationals and didn’t have a view of how many people were involved to set such a short time frame. To meet the requirements of the Withdrawal Agreement something has to be done right away.
"The Withdrawal Agreement guarantees these citizens and their family members broadly the same rights as they had before the UK withdrew from the EU: they can continue to live, study, work and travel freely between the UK and the EU"
What areas of our lives are impacted if I don’t have a WA RP? Most areas of our lives!
Employers
CAF
Pôle d’Emploi
Travel
Banking and Insurance
CPAM
Education
Residence
Driving Licence Exchange
And more...
We hear of these fears from those without WA RPs:
Employers feeling very nervous about continuing employment, offering new work and terminating CDD contracts
Having benefits stopped by CAF
Not being able to register with Pôle d’Emploi
Border guards not knowing what to do and already in one case talking of fining somebody for not having a WA RP after 1st October and of children (both accompanied or not) being told they should also carry a WA RP
Loan refusals for cars and housing due to no WA RP
CPAM requiring a WA RP for registration and CSS
Young people having problems accessing their courses and grants and others, even born in France, are not being granted appointments as they have attended boarding schools away from home
Fear of being treated as illegal immigrants during routine controls after 1 October 2021
Loss of mobility as a WA RP, or a previous CdS, is needed to exchange a driving licence.
Many UK nationals and their family members in France are sick with worry - please help them!
