 | | | 
19.08.2011, 15:41
| Newbie | | Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Morzine
Posts: 6
Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanked 5 Times in 1 Post
| | What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Hi all,
I'm a UK citizen who has been living in France for around two years without officially obtaining residency.
For the past 15 months, i've been working in Geneva (commuting from my home in France).
If i were to be made unemployed, where would i claim my unemployment benefits from? Would i first need to obtain official residency (carte de sejour?) in France before i would claim chomage? Or am i destined to be paid only UK unemployment benefits?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Adrian
| 
19.08.2011, 15:43
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Verbier
Posts: 21,376
Groaned at 461 Times in 352 Posts
Thanked 23,091 Times in 11,824 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | Hi all,
I'm a UK citizen who has been living in France for around two years without officially obtaining residency.
For the past 15 months, i've been working in Geneva (commuting from my home in France).
If i were to be made unemployed, where would i claim my unemployment benefits from? Would i first need to obtain official residency (carte de sejour?) in France before i would claim chomage? Or am i destined to be paid only UK unemployment benefits?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Adrian | | | | | Thats an interesting one, what connections do you have to the UK?
| 
19.08.2011, 15:45
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | Hi all,
I'm a UK citizen who has been living in France for around two years without officially obtaining residency.
For the past 15 months, i've been working in Geneva (commuting from my home in France).
If i were to be made unemployed, where would i claim my unemployment benefits from? Would i first need to obtain official residency (carte de sejour?) in France before i would claim chomage? Or am i destined to be paid only UK unemployment benefits?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Adrian | | | | | Where have you been paying social contributions / unemployment insurance?
| This user would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 15:45
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Top of a Triangle
Posts: 2,992
Groaned at 38 Times in 29 Posts
Thanked 5,673 Times in 2,039 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | Hi all,
I'm a UK citizen who has been living in France for around two years without officially obtaining residency.
For the past 15 months, i've been working in Geneva (commuting from my home in France).
If i were to be made unemployed, where would i claim my unemployment benefits from? Would i first need to obtain official residency (carte de sejour?) in France before i would claim chomage? Or am i destined to be paid only UK unemployment benefits?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!
Adrian | | | | |
So you're a UK citizen living illegally in France, working illegally in Switzerland?
I think it's the UK dole line for you kiddo !!!
If you're not officially "anything" I can't see any obligation of either country to pay you anything..... instead, they might just ask a LOT of questions and get you into even more trouble.
The Swiss are not famous for Sympathy by the way
but that's only my two cents, hopefully someone else has had a better experience
| 
19.08.2011, 16:04
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Please change your title, as you are not a Frontalier. If you had registered and paid taxes and social contributions in France, where you live, you would be entitled to unemployment in France.
A bit late for that, sorry. The UK won't pay you unemployment unless you go back.
Not only you can be in big trouble, but also your employer for employing you on the black. Lesson learnt (hard, sorry).
| 
19.08.2011, 16:10
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Verbier
Posts: 21,376
Groaned at 461 Times in 352 Posts
Thanked 23,091 Times in 11,824 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: |  | | | If you had registered and paid taxes and social contributions in France, where you live, you would be entitled to unemployment in France.
A bit late for that, sorry. The UK won't pay you unemployment unless you go back.
Not only you can be in big trouble, but also your employer. | | | | | The Question is did the OP actually leave the UK, he may become unemployed & be faced with a huge tax bill.
| 
19.08.2011, 16:17
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Sorry just don't follow your post- could you re-phrase that, thanks.
| 
19.08.2011, 16:20
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Binningen (BL)
Posts: 76
Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post
Thanked 95 Times in 44 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Euroskier why, if I may ask, did you not register as living in France? Its not as if there are restrictions about a UK citizen living in another EU country.
I presume you have not submitted any French tax returns or made any other contributions to the French authorities (as you would need a social security number). Why would you think France would therefore pay you unemployment benefits?
| 
19.08.2011, 16:24
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Verbier
Posts: 21,376
Groaned at 461 Times in 352 Posts
Thanked 23,091 Times in 11,824 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: |  | | | Sorry just don't follow your post- could you re-phrase that, thanks. | | | | | Well unless he permanently 'left' the UK, there is a very good chance he is still liable for UK taxes on his world wide income.
The Op has probably not even been working in CH for a full UK tax year, & is thinking he might be entitled to UK unemployment pay. It sounds like he has been temporally absent so is still 'ordinarily' UK tax resident.
Did he tell the revenue he was leaving to permanently abroad, did he break any ties with the UK?
| This user would like to thank fatmanfilms for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 16:51
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
OK I see. So when he goes to sign on they will say 'what have you been doing for the past couple of years son?' and he'll say 'well I've been working in CH and living in FRance'. 'OK then, you are entitled to un-employment in FRance where you've been contributing taxes and social then'
or perhaps 'welcome back, the more the merrier' - and idiots like us will pay your bills.
I feel quite old and reactionary all of a sudden, hate it.
| 
19.08.2011, 17:10
|  | Moddy Wellies | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 8,729
Groaned at 53 Times in 47 Posts
Thanked 9,942 Times in 3,654 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: |  | | | or perhaps 'welcome back, the more the merrier' - and idiots like us will pay your bills.
I feel quite old and reactionary all of a sudden, hate it. | | | | | letters@dailymail.co.uk
HTH
| This user would like to thank mirfield for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 17:12
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
I know, but I am not yet 'disgusted from Tonbridge' | The following 2 users would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 17:30
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Crikey, lots of assuming going on here.
Why not wait until he he answers the relavent question before applying the flames? That is | Quote: | |  | | | Where have you been paying social contributions / unemployment insurance? | | | | | | 
19.08.2011, 17:48
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Neuchâtel
Posts: 78
Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanked 24 Times in 12 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Hello,
I think he has done a runner because Odile is going to shop him to the authorities
If the guy is using the term frontalier correctly then he should have a G Permit which would mean he would have some deductions at source, here in Switzerland.
But as already mentioned maybe we should let him speak for himself - if he ever comes back.
Regards
John
| 
19.08.2011, 17:57
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Basel
Posts: 3,726
Groaned at 35 Times in 32 Posts
Thanked 7,006 Times in 2,266 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | For the past 15 months, i've been working in Geneva (commuting from my home in France).
If i were to be made unemployed, where would i claim my unemployment benefits from? Would i first need to obtain official residency (carte de sejour?) in France before i would claim chomage? Or am i destined to be paid only UK unemployment benefits? | | | | | Lots of people have made lots of assumptions on this thread, and I'll make a few of my own. I'll assume that you're doing everything above-board and legit, but don't quite understand French residency rules. This means that you are living (legally) in France, that you're employed (legally) by a Swiss employer, and that you possess a Swiss frontalier permit (G-permit).
I'll also assume that you're paying tax on your salary, to the French tax authorities, and that the Swiss social charges are withheld from your paycheque.
Finally, I'll assume that if you do become unemployed, you won't automatically move back to the UK, but will continue to reside in your house in France. The problem of tax residency that fatmanfilms is alluding to thereby disappears, at least for the sake of this argument.
If you've done all of this, there's no need to establish residency formally, eg with a carte de sejour. As an EU citizen, you don't need to possess a carte de sejour in order to live in France. Making yourself known to the tax authorities and paying tax in France is enough to have established yourself as a French tax resident.
If all the above is true, you have unemployment rights that are governed by the bilateral frontalier treaties. You can read about them, and a wealth of other frontalier-related issues, here: http://www.frontalier.org/emploi-sui...mage-total.htm | The following 2 users would like to thank Village Idiot for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 18:09
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: romandie
Posts: 9,971
Groaned at 101 Times in 92 Posts
Thanked 9,106 Times in 4,522 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
There is superfluous information here.
The fact is that registering in France as a UK (EU) citizen is not obligatory anymore.
So the simple question is: where does a frontelier collect unemployment from: France or Switzerland? I think the answer in France.
| 
19.08.2011, 18:12
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Neuchâtel
Posts: 78
Groaned at 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanked 24 Times in 12 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Hello Mr. Village Idiot,
I am not sure that you can stay in France long term with a carte de sejour. I used to live and work there before moving to Switzerland and I was told by my town hall that I would have to register for a carte de sojourn after 3 months. After this period I was considered as a semi permanent resident.
I was obviously on the radar as I was working and as a good honest boy paying my taxes!
Regards
John
Last edited by JohnC; 19.08.2011 at 18:13.
Reason: mistake first line I am not sure that you can stay in France long term without a carte de sejour
| 
19.08.2011, 18:15
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: romandie
Posts: 9,971
Groaned at 101 Times in 92 Posts
Thanked 9,106 Times in 4,522 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | Hello Mr. Village Idiot,
I am not sure that you can stay in France long term with a carte de sejour. I used to live and work there before moving to Switzerland and I was told by my town hall that I would have to register for a carte de sojourn after 3 months. After this period I was considered as a semi permanent resident.
I was obviously on the radar as I was working and as a good honest boy paying my taxes!
Regards
John | | | | | Registration is no longer necessary.
| This user would like to thank miniMia for this useful post: | | 
19.08.2011, 18:15
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed?
Perhaps a good idea to look for a job in France now, before becoming unemployed and register all properly. And then hopefully it will all work out for the best. Bonne chance.
| 
19.08.2011, 18:29
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Verbier
Posts: 21,376
Groaned at 461 Times in 352 Posts
Thanked 23,091 Times in 11,824 Posts
| | Re: What happens when a Frontalier becomes unemployed? | Quote: | |  | | | Finally, I'll assume that if you do become unemployed, you won't automatically move back to the UK, but will continue to reside in your house in France. The problem of tax residency that fatmanfilms is alluding to thereby disappears, at least for the sake of this argument. | | | | | Of course that's another assumption, rather than fact.
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT +2. The time now is 05:49. | |