British pensioners living in France express their disappointment

British pensioners living in France express their disappointment - British pensioners living in France say they’ve been left disappointed and disheartened after their applications for French citizenship were rejected due to having no French income, a shift many fear signals a crackdown on retirees seeking nationality. The situation highlights a stricter enforcement of long-standing but loosely applied income rules, following a recent government memo advising immigration staff to reject applications where the applicant’s income is not French based. Campaigners and affected retirees say this disproportionately penalises older people who contribute to French society in non-financial ways. Some have launched appeals, but confidence remains low that decisions will be reversed. While there’s no formal change to the law, the enforcement of financial criteria is now seen by many as a significant new barrier for pensioners hoping to gain French nationality post-Brexit.