Wednesday 19th May 2021

Residency Applications: Helping UK Nationals in France

News article

General

We r eported last month on the extension of the Diocesan Residency Project, and participants at French Archdeaconry Synod in mid-April were given an update by Project Director, Zoe Webster. The team are working hard to reach as many UK nationals as possible to inform and assist their Withdrawal Agreement residency applications. There have now been 6000 enquiries to the Project's services, and the casework team have supported over 900 individual applications.

Zoe tells us:

“The deadline to apply is 30 June 2021 and in these final 6 weeks, we are asking our community for practical support to spread the message within their networks. Around 135,000 UK Nationals have applied for residency so far, but there are many who have not. People across chaplaincies in the Diocese are getting involved as the deadline approaches, and there are practical ways in which you can help.”

These are:

Leafleting, where it can be done safely, at local markets, Salle de Fêtes, doctors’ surgeries, Maison de Service and other community locations.
Asking your mairie to distribute leaflets to British people in their commune.
Directly delivery of leaflets to post boxes in your community.
Telephoning British people in your networks to check if they have applied.

Leaflets are available in French and English and the Project also have dual language double-sided flyers.

You can complete a short form here to order the number of leaflets you think you can distribute and these will be swiftly posted to you. Once received, the aim is to get them out into the community as soon as possible to give us the best chance to reach as many people as possible.

Also attached is an Information Guide that summarises the project, how you can help and here is a link to an interactive map that shows the four Implementing Partners and their respective region coverage. The diocese project covers Nouvelle-Aquitaine (not including Dordogne), Occitanie, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Centre Val de Loire, Grand Est and Corsica.