Court ruling raises issues for family members of EU citizens in France

The EU court has ruled on the right to an EU long-term resident’s card for close family members of Europeans living in another EU country

European Court of Justice rules non-EU close family of EU citizen could be entitled to long-term residency
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Non-EU citizens living in an EU country as a close family member of an EU citizen can acquire long-term resident status, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

In France, people moving here with a membre de famille d’un Européen residency card may apply for a permanent residency card after five years. However, this is a national card and not the ‘EU long-term resident’ card, which is available to many other immigrant categories.

The carte de résident de longue-durée – UE makes it easier to move to a new EU country later on, as no visa is needed, though you will still need to apply for a residency card once you have moved.

It may be of interest if you think you might want to move to another country later. The EU is currently seeking to reinforce and clarify benefits associated with this status.

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