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Living in France For Members

French tests, Brexit banking and TV: essential articles for life in France

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
French tests, Brexit banking and TV: essential articles for life in France
Photo by INA FASSBENDER / AFP

The new immigration law that could mean language tests for foreigners in France, how Brexit has changed financial rules for Brits and the little-known website that cuts the country’s notorious red tape - here are our latest must-read articles.

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France's interior minister unveiled the new law on immigration - including changes to cartes de séjour and language tests - that will be debated in parliament next year. Here are the main points.

Language tests and easier expulsion: What’s in France’s new immigration law

It’s not at all certain that the government will get its proposals through parliament, and there could be alterations and amendments before it becomes law, but as things stand it requires that anyone wanting a carte de séjour pluriannuelle (the multi-year residency permit) must demonstrate “mastery of the French language” with a test. 

We've put together a mock exam for the language level required.

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QUIZ: Could you pass the new French language test for residency cards?

Now we’ve got residency rights sorted, for the moment, it’s time to look at finances, specifically for Britons. Brexit has changed many things for Brits living in France - among them rules around pensions, investments and bank accounts. Our financial expert guides you through the potential pitfalls.

Ask the Expert: How Brexit has changed the rules on pensions, investments and bank accounts for Brits in France

Psssst! Wanna know a secret about dealing with the notorious French bureaucracy? There’s French government website that, it’s said, can speed up common processes like exchanging foreign drivers' licences and renewing residency permits. What’s not to like? 

EXPLAINED: The website that speeds up French bureaucracy ‘by up to 50%’

Right, that's enough admin. Let's move on to more entertaining things - or TV, at any rate. Now we’re not getting involved in the Emily in Paris debate – if you love it, great. If you hate it, fine. But, whether you dislike the show with a passion or you have already binge-watched all of series 3, here are our picks of some French TV series apart from Emily in Paris.

9 French Netflix series that aren’t Emily in Paris

When it comes to having a chat in another language, learning formal vocabulary and grammar rules will only get you so far. At a certain point you’d like to think you could pass for a native - despite the fact you probably have what will occasionally be politely referred to as a ‘petit accent’.

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Undeterred, we’ve put together a list of 10 expressions that will help you add the native touch to your spoken French skills. 

Ten key French phrases that will make you sound like a local

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