Brexit consequences

[LaChatte]

So there are a million threads in AIBU and Chat, but nothing here?

I stayed up all night watching the results, it was devastating, since then I've gone from heart-broken to angry to sad.

I've spent the day looking into getting French nationality, ironically I have to renew my expired British passport in order to do that. The amount of paperwork I'll have to do is unbelievable, not to mention the cost of getting various documents officially translated.

So pissed off about not being able to vote on something that affects me directly.

How is it affecting everyone one else here (living in the EU, I mean), maybe people living outside the EU could share their experiences of what hoops they had to jump through in order to live and work abroad?

43 pages , that is what is in the envelope I'm sending off as soon as the official translation of my birth certificate comes through, FORTY flippin THREE A4 pages, I was tempted to ring-bind and add a plastic cover to it for them. I draw the line at eating snails though, I hope that's not a requirement.

Sill have to renew my Brit passport though

LaChatte are you sure you haven't forgotten anything? - mine was much bigger than that

Oh god, oh god what have I forgotten????? Maybe I should add the 16 pages of the act of sale house contract thingy (what the hell is that called in English?)

Don't worry - ours was big because we had to include business accounts for 5 years, plus various death certificates. We also had letters from the school where we volunteer. Everything of course in duplicate (or was it triplicate?)

I've been in Spain for 17 years and thought about taking Spanish nationality for a while, but it's a long process and quite expensive and there was no urgency or real need before. The only thing really was not having the right to vote here. But since Brexit I've started the process. Will techncially have to renounce UK citizenship (no dual nationality allowed) bt don't really care any more.

I haven't done anything in duplicate, it doesn't say that anywhere!

This is the list I'm going from.

I was looking into getting DD a British passport too, over £70 compared to €15 for a French one

All the things I'm having to pay for (translations aside) are on the British side of things. In France, if you need a new copy of your birth or marriage certificate you just drop the mairie an email and they send it to you completely free of charge (they even pay the postage for you).

Oh sorry, there is an acutal cost for the whole process of aquiring French nationality, ready? €55.

Now I'm questioning myself - it was 3 years ago we did our dossier. The form definitely needs to be in duplicate - I seem to remember doing the whole thing in duplicate but I may be wrong.

I'm in the ME. Both dh and I voted leave. The result gave dh an immediate 5 figure salary increase.... we plan to return in 2019. I own a property in Spain. Not sure what the consequences are yet of Brexit with reference to that but I'm entitled to an Irish passport so will apply for that if there are any problems. Not much else for us to do right now. Worrying doesn't change anything.

Afternoon fellow EU residents.
May I ask you all what your pension arrangements are/will be?
I have two frozen pensions from the UK, neither very high value. I chose to keep them rather than take a lump sum as I was advised it would be better in the long run.
I gave birth to DC1 in the UK and was told I would recieve ''pension credit'' whilst being a SAHM. We moved to Germany when she was five and I have had two more children since, born in Germany but with British citizenship.
I have a minimum wage part time job but I am not in the meagre pension system attached to it as they would have to let me go if I opted in (I would pay 15% from my €360/month, they would have to add 3% and do not want to).
I always thought with reciprocal agreements that when I returned to the UK (I hoped to return) I could return to teaching/general council and continue paying into either of my little pots or if they had to stay frozen then I could start new ones. Also, that I had some kind of protection having been childraising for at least six years.
Where does Brexit leave me now? Does anyone know?
I am aware of rules regarding residency length required if we return (to do with benefits or NHS) but once you are working and paying into the UK system again, do your years that count towards a pension restart from where you were pre emigrating or do years in Germany count but from the German system and where does pension credit for SAHM fit into that?
My DH paid into the same business pension for 20 years but in two different countries. If we are now out the EU what does that mean long term?
Or do we just buy back as many lost years as possible?

any ideas/advice please let me know.
Also if you don't mind sharing please tell me your current arrangements Many thanks xx

Kimmy - I have been out of the UK for over 20 years and am now in China, but used to live in Germany and Austria. Re state pension I pay voluntary contributions (about GBP 700 per year). You need to have 11 years of contributions to receive any state pension - with 11 years you get 25%.
You can write to the pension place in Newcastle with details of your NI number and they will tell you how many qualifying years you have and you can also make back payments - but can only go back for 3 or 4 years I think.

Thank you for replying shanghai
Will contact Newcastle next week.
Anyone else?

Canada here. It is all roses for me personally; I have citizenship, I sold my UK flat, paid in dollars...

But I'm very sad. I lived in Italy and hoped DD would have the same chances I had to travel and work or study easily. I also worry that it uncovers a deep, unpleasant vein of xenophobia which I dislike about the UK.

I won't live in the UK again, I don't think. Not now.

I only worked in the UK for about a year before moving to Italy 20 years ago. I'm not sure if I can make that year 'count' at all for pension contributions. Personally Brexit has already cost me thousands - really gutting as I didn't even have the right to vote.

Well, my massive enveloppe of precious docments came back to me yesterday because I had sent it to the wrong address.

I sent it to the address I found online by going to my local Prefecture's website and following the official - up to date - links (last updated a month ago.

It was also the address I was given in the automated response email I was sent when I clicked on the contact us button to ask them a question.

But no, I need super powers to become French, as it turns out they created an interdepartmental division to look after these things in SEPTEMBER 2015. It says so clearly on another Prefecture website (not my local one).

I'm posting here as I don't think I am quite ready for full advice... but I am seriously wanting to leave the country. I have tried to wait and see post Brexit, but all I have seen is an alarming rise in openly racist comments all over fb (not friends but in comments sections of nearly every article), I am so depressed by it all. I cannot see how this country will prosper without loosing some moral dignity and I very much suspect we will once again become "the dirty man of Europe" after five or so years without funding for beach clean-ups etc. Don't even start on the antibiotic resistance issues with Leadsom in charge of running DEFRA! The media coverage of it all has been shocking and very biased on both sides. It feels like I have nothing in common with much of the country.

Anyway, what would be people's first port of call when thinking of leaving the country? I've got a commitment here for the next 2 years that is inflexible and a 5yo DC.

Speak average French, lived in Australia for a year and managed a great job so hopefully have a reference there, have a friend from NZ who said they could get me a job over fairly easily before I got there, I like the idea of Canada... I am really quite open.

I have a house here that I would potentially rent out and live somewhere for a year on a working visa first. Am a little worried about school with DC, although at that age many countries wouldn't have started schooling anyway!

Any help gratefully received.

Lachatte and anyone else that's wondering about a titre de séjour permanent - we applied for our titres not long before the vote and got them last Friday.

We supplied
Birth ceritifcates (copies) for me, DH and DD
Marriage cert for me and DH
Copies of our Avis d'imposition since 2007 to date
Copies of our EDF bills from 2007 to date
Copy of my qualification from the Ministre de Travail (gestionnaire de paie)
Proper official size passport photos.

We offered - a cert de domicile from the edf site - refused
A certificate de domicile from the local Mairie - refused

At the time of application, DD was a student at university - she's since dropped out.

So, from first visit, to going back later that afternoon with extra documents, it took about 6 weeks and we now have our titres, valid for an initial period of 5 years.