SHARE
COPY LINK

BREXIT

Brexit: ‘Brits in France shouldn’t worry about delay to carte de séjour website’

The head of citizens' rights group France Rights has said that despite the three-month relaunch delay of the website which allows Brits to apply for a post-Brexit residency permit, those affected shouldn’t be concerned.

Brexit: 'Brits in France shouldn't worry about delay to carte de séjour website'
Photo: AFP

Kalba Meadows, head of citizens' rights group France Rights, posted a message on the “France Rights: British in Europe – France” Facebook group following the announcement by the French government that the carte de séjour website will go live on October 1st, rather than the originally intended date of July 1st.

“Having spoken yesterday evening to a senior member of the Embassy team, it was confirmed that as we thought the Ministry of the Interior made the decision to delay late on Friday afternoon,” Meadows explained.

READ MORE: France delays relaunch of residency permit website for British citizens

“The main reason for the delay is that due to Covid, préfectures have a three-month backlog of residence permits to process and wouldn't be able to give the necessary care and focus to processing ours as well.

“We do understand that Covid has affected things in this way, but it's unfortunate that the decision came so late in the day and was poorly communicated – to our knowledge there has been no press statement – so many people are likely to still be unaware.” 

Under the terms of the Brexit deal, Britons will have to apply for special residency permits that will specifically state they are protected by the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement.

Brits have until December 31st, 2020 to become legally resident in France and then will have until at least the end of June 2021 to make the application.

France announced back in January that it would be creating a new online process, and despite the widespread chaos caused by the coronavirus epidemic and following lockdown, it had seemed that the site was still on course to open in July as planned.

“We completely understand that people are worried by the delay,” Meadows went on to say.

“But just to put things into context: less than a handful of countries have so far begun implementing the citizens' rights part of the WA. Some don't intend to begin until January 2021 while others still haven't set a date. So even with a start date of 1 October France will still be one of the earliest to begin implementation, and we will have nine months to make our applications.

“There is no reason why even 200,000 people – which we believe is the upper end guesstimate of the British population figure in France, should not be able to apply within a 9 month period.

“The other thing to note is that three months has been taken off the application time, NOT the time available for processing. There is no deadline within which préfectures must process applications – the date of 30 June 2021 is the (sic) period during which you must apply, NOT the period during which applications must be decided. We will be deemed to have the right of residence until our applications are processed – whenever that is, and we will have a certificate of application which will prove this.” 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TRAVEL NEWS

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

Eurostar could be forced to cut the number of trains when the EU's new biometric border checks (EES) are rolled out in October, the owner of London's St Pancras International Station has warned.

EES: Eurostar could limit services over new biometric passport checks

HS1, the owner of the station and operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel tunnel, is the latest body to raise concerns over the impact on travel of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) checks that are set to come into force in October 2024.

The new system which requires citizens from outside the EU or Schengen area to register before entering the zone would lead to long delays and potential capping of services and passenger numbers, HS1 warned.

The company said it needed nearly 50 new EES kiosks to process passengers but the French government had only proposed 24.

In evidence to the European scrutiny select committee, HS1 wrote: “We are told that the proposed kiosks are ‘optional’ as the process can be delivered at the border, but without about 49 additional kiosks located before the current international zone [at St Pancras] there would be unacceptable passenger delays of many hours and potential capping of services.”

With just 24 kiosks, Eurostar would be unable to process all passengers, particularly at the morning peak, and this could “lead to services having to be capped in terms of passenger numbers”, HS1 warned, adding that simple space restrictions at St Pancras station would make the EES difficult to implement.

The EES will register non-EU travellers who do not require a visa (those with residency permits in EU countries do not need to register but will be affected by delays) each time they cross a border in or out of the Schengen area. It will replace the old system of manual passport-stamping.

It will mean facial scans and fingerprints will have to be taken in front of border guards at the first entry into the Schengen area.

Travel bosses have repeatedly raised the alarm about the possible delays this would cause, especially at the UK-France border, which is used by 11 million passengers each year who head to France and other countries across Europe.

Last week The Local reported warnings by officials that the new checks could lead to 14-hour queues for travellers heading to France.

Sir William Cash, Chair of the European Scrutiny Committee, said: “Queues of more than 14 hours; vehicles backed up along major roads; businesses starved of footfall: this evidence paints an alarming picture of the possible risks surrounding the Entry-Exit System’s implementation.

“Clearly, this policy could have a very serious impact, not only for tourists and travel operators but also for local businesses. I implore decision makers on both sides of the Channel to take note of this evidence.”

READ ALSO: What affect will the EES border system have on travel to France?

The Port of Dover has already been struggling with the increased checks required since Brexit and there are fears the situation could be even worse once the EES starts to operate.

Given the possible impacts, the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee last year launched an inquiry calling for views by affected entities with deadline for replies on January 12th 2024.

SHOW COMMENTS