For all those coming to France

[Pinceau Flamme]

Greetings from Indiana, USA.
Seriously considering a retirement move to France or Switzerland. I'm reading this France thread and am not too concerned about the "cooler" French reception to the Anglos, as we plan to learn the language (before we go) and "gently" merge into a smaller town culture and community, as recommended above.
I'm curious though...after doing my genealogy I excitedly learned that my ancestors immigrated to the US in the late 19th century from Alsace Lorraine. Do the French generally welcome more warmly those expats with a family French heritage?

[hanneke]

Hello Hovian,
Just stumbled across your message about moving to France. My husband and I made the move 4 1/2 years ago and now meet a lot of people like yourself in our work as estate agents. We are based in the north of the Aveyron which for your purposes would not be suitable. I would suggest you have a look at towns such as Figeac in the Lot and Albi in the Tarn. Both are lovely cities which offer a good blend of culture, architecture, shops and transport facilities to get you out and about, but for comfort there are quite a few British people living in both these areas. Integration is important and requires a lot of effort on your part, but those times when you feel frustrated and tired from trying to get your point across, it is very comforting to be able to speak and / or meet up with some fellow Brits (or other expats) who have all been through what you'd be going through. For help with properties, why don't you have a chat with companies such as French Property Shop, Francophiles and Latitudes. They all work with us and are trained in explaining the in's and out's to you in a clear manner. I'd be happy to offer you some advice too. It is a great journey and a brave move, but preparation is the key! Take care, Hanneke

[hanneke]

Hi,
In my experience (I'm Dutch and my husband is Scottish), the French are keener to accept a 'true foreigner' into their midst than another French person coming from another part of France. We have been received with open arms and our 'locals' are delighted that we have chosen their part of France to come and live in. On the flip side, Frenchies from different departments are seen as traitors and not regarded with such fondness as ourselves. I am sure though that your genealogy will give you lots of points of conversation over the aperitifs you'll be invited to! Enjoy.

[xiaohouzi]

Yeah, it's all very interesting and nice... congratulations to all of you living your dreams!
I'm also married to an EU citizen but I'm trapped here in nyc hoping to find work so i can stay in Europe and watch the kids grow up. None of us want to live in america but i don't know where else to go until i can get my EU citizenship. What would you do?

[extankie]

Hi Bev,
My wife and i are moving to France shortly, I will be a UK pensioner when we move, my wife in Sept 2009. Will we be liable for tax on our combined pensions and if so will it be on the sliding scale dependant on income.
Cheer
Ernie

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by xiaohouzi

Yeah, it's all very interesting and nice... congratulations to all of you living your dreams!
I'm also married to an EU citizen but I'm trapped here in nyc hoping to find work so i can stay in Europe and watch the kids grow up. None of us want to live in america but i don't know where else to go until i can get my EU citizenship. What would you do?

If you're married to an EU citizen, you may already have right of residence in the EU - at least in many countries - as long as you are living with your spouse. At the least, you're probably entitled to a visa as the spouse of an EU national.
Cheers,
Bev

[xiaohouzi]

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

If you're married to an EU citizen, you may already have right of residence in the EU - at least in many countries - as long as you are living with your spouse. At the least, you're probably entitled to a visa as the spouse of an EU national.
Cheers,
Bev

Thanks Bev!
I hope you are right but it's so damned difficult to get anyone at the Romanian consulate to talk to me. I will keep trying. The problem with staying with my spouse is that she is living with her family in a tiny apartment in a small Romanian town where there is no work for me. If I could find work anywhere in Europe, preferably Spain or along the Mediterranean, I would go but no one wants to hire someone who is not an EU citizen. Anyway, I hope you are right but it's probably a lot easier said than done. Cheers!

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by xiaohouzi

T I would go but no one wants to hire someone who is not an EU citizen. Anyway, I hope you are right but it's probably a lot easier said than done. Cheers!

Its strange you say that though because there are plenty of non EU people that come on these forums that have been offered work in the EU and are applying for visas etc

[Bevdeforges]

Something doesn't compute here. If you're married to a Roumanian woman, you should have registered the marriage at some point with the Roumanian Consulate, which would be the first step in applying for residence permission in Roumania when she returned there. The fact that you aren't living with her (or she with you) doesn't bode well on the visa front.

But the first step in finding a job anywhere in the EU is speaking the local language. Without that, your chances are very very slim. You also will need some sort of qualification and experience that is recognized and in demand in Spain.
Cheers,
Bev

[xiaohouzi]

Originally Posted by Stravinsky

Its strange you say that though because there are plenty of non EU people that come on these forums that have been offered work in the EU and are applying for visas etc

I believe you and they are lucky to find work... they probably had a better education and degrees to prove it. All i have is some experience and i'm afraid that's not enough in most cases. Still, i will try again at the consulates. Perhaps if i keep bothering them, they will help me just to get rid of me!