Citizenship? Permanent Residence? Brits in France Fret Over Brexit

Citizenship? Permanent Residence? Brits in France Fret Over Brexit
Amanda Holmes and her husband Robin hold a French naturalization decree after a ceremony for French citizenship at the Sub-Prefecture in Niort, France, on Oct. 9, 2018. Reuters/Stephane Mahe
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NIORT, France—Two years of Brexit uncertainty have given British citizens living in France sleepless nights and a bureaucratic headache, with thousands of them hurrying to apply for nationality to secure their status before the divorce date set for next year.

Amanda and Robin Holmes are pillars of the community in their tiny village of Crezieres, nestled in rolling countryside in the west of France. But until last week, neither of them were French.