Goodbye "Eurostar Generation"

In 2012 the BBC published an article stating London was the "sixth biggest French city". This was an exaggerated claim: the ONS estimates that in 2020 there were 169,000 French citizens living in the United Kingdom, and that around two-thirds of that population lives in London (approximately 113,000). This makes London on par with Rouen, the 33rd largest city in France – not the sixth.

However, the capital has long been a draw for French citizens. There are 15 French schools in London and the City’s financial centre has been a pull for many French companies.

Although Brexit has not caused an exodus of French expats from the capital, French people are now being discouraged from moving to the city. As of 1st January, the Brexit vote that had been hanging over French citizens living in London finally became a reality.

Patricia Connell, a representative of the French consulate in London, described the attraction of London for French people over the last two decades. She called this the impact of the "Eurostar generation", with the opening of a direct London-Paris train in 1999. Connell said: "As soon as the Eurostar opened people saw England as a world where they could come work and live."

A lot has now changed for French people in London. French citizens who arrived in the UK before 1st January had the option to apply for pre-settled status or settled status, depending on how long they had been living in the UK. Both grant the right to live, work and have access to healthcare.

A video released by the French consulate urging people to apply for their settled status.

Those arriving after 1st January however will now need a 70-point visa: 10 points for fluent English, 20 points for the promise of employment, 20 points if they have secured employment in a sector that needs it, and 20 points for a minimum £30,000/year salary.

Has Brexit pushed people to leave?

No true "exodus" has occurred of French people fleeing London to go back to France. However, people are increasingly discouraged from coming to live in London in the first place.

Understanding how many French residents have left the capital since 2016 is complex. Eric Albert, City correspondent for the French newspaper Le Monde in London, believes one clue might be in the number of admissions to French schools in the city.

The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington is notoriously difficult to get into, but this year for the first time there are some availabilities. This could be due to French people leaving, but could also be because of the new Lycée International Winston Churchill in Wembley that opened in September 2015.

Data from the ONS shows that there has not been a significant dip in the number of French people living in the UK since 2016.

Olivier Bertin, co-founder of the bilingual nursery Les Petites Etoiles in North London and a delegate for the French consulate said the consulate has seen an increase in the number of French people signing up, not a decrease. He explained that Brexit made people who were not yet signed up worry about their resident status and feel that they wanted to be closer to France.

Bertin added that few families from his nursery had left, as many are bi-nationals and so have a strong attachment to the UK, but this was not the case for the rest of the French community around him.

He said: "I have many friends who were ready to stay in the United Kingdom until their retirement who now have contacted head-hunters and say they’re ready to leave. Before the lockdown I was going to leaving parties non-stop."

Albert knows some people who have left their jobs in the City due to Brexit, but also because they have been living in the UK for a long time. He said: "It’s not an exodus, more of a slow drip-drip. For a long time, London seemed like a very attractive place to be, but now it has lost a bit of its "shiny" factor."

French oil and gas company Total transferred its cash management operation from London to Paris early last year. Paris Europlace, a business lobby group estimates Paris has gained about 4,000 jobs in financial services since the EU referendum.

"People feel rejected"

Although the economic consequences of Brexit are a factor in departures from London, Brexit’s emotional impact on the French community is the most visible. Albert pointed out that although Brexit was not "real" until two weeks ago, the emotional damage set in four years ago.

He said: "The longer people have been in Britain, the more upset they are because they feel they have been rejected by the country they have been living in for five, ten, 15 years." Albert added many people have not wanted to apply for settled status or British citizenship because of this feeling of rejection.

Connell believes that things have not actually changed with Brexit, but people have been more voiceful about how they feel about foreigners than previously. She said:"People who thought there wasn’t a proportion of the British population that was xenophobic are realising they were wrong."

"Only the tip of the iceberg"

Businesses in London will be impacted by the decrease in number of French people wanting to work in the capital, but Albert said: "The actual consequences of Brexit started only two weeks ago in the middle of a pandemic, we’re not yet really aware of their extent."

Connell said French restaurants are realising that most of the staff they used to hire seasonally is no longer going to be able to come work in London, She said: "We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg because all restaurants are still closed."

French schools in London will also be affected. Connell spoke to the Lycée Français Ecole Marie d’Orliac in Fulham, who said they were increasingly worried they will struggle to recruit French-speaking people to supervise the children during lunchbreaks and outside class.

What next?

Bertin said for now he will stay in London, but will likely leave when he retires because he thinks most people he knows will have left.

Albert said: "The boat has sailed on Brexit. The last thing anyone wants to do right now is reopen the wounds." He suspects more French people will leave the City: "Is it going to be an extra 5,000, an extra 10,000, I don’t know. It’s shooting yourself in the foot, but it’s not the end of the world."

Connell was more hopeful for the new generation’s ability to mend the UK’s relationship with the EU. She said: "People are going to feel they’re missing out on a lot. Those who previously wouldn’t think twice about going to work in Europe or being chalet girls in France now will find the restrictions very frustrating, and this could change things.

"People are not feeling in control of what is going to happen. But at least now we know that it has happened."