I am having to return to the UK as I can't get residency in France; no one is hiring Brits right now where I live - so I don't meet the minimum wage requirements. Has anyone got info on exemptions to the HRT, as this departure is being forced on me? I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position, Cartes de Sejour are not easy to come by. Thx!

What is HRT?

Are you a Brit?

Yes, not that it's worth anything now

HRT is Habitual Residence Test, needed to get any benefits

How long have you been in France?

I have owned a house since 2004, and have been in and out since then. I was working in Geneva for WHO and other bits of the UN, so did not need residency back then, but now am stuck. Also, nothing is selling right now.

This link to CitizensAdvice seems to be a good guide to see when you will eligible to claim various benefits. Being British you have the right to reside, it is the length of time of residence that determines what benefits you can claim.

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/be...-for-benefits/

The house in France will be a complication for any benefits. Keeping it makes it more awkward to satisfy HRT while taking steps to sell it helps with HRT.

Value/Equity may also make a difference to benefits even when HRT is no longer an issue, but any value/equity that might affect benefits can be disregarded for a period while the property is on the market.

You said you have been in and out of France. Did you mean between Switzerland (and other places) and France or was the UK a part of the in and out of? It's just that if you have spent significant time in the UK - let's say between contracts - that would help satisfying the HRT. But then one might wonder why the property in France, if you see what I mean. HRT can get quite complicated.