Blow for British expats in France after an amendment which would have allowed them to have long stays without a visa is blocked

British expats in France have been dealt a major blow after an amendment to allow them to have long stays without a visa was blocked by a French court after being deemed ‘unconstitutional’.

France’s Constitutional Council yesterday rejected an amendment to the immigration bill which would have permitted British expats to stay in the country for longer than 90 days without the need for a visa.

If passed by the court, the changes would have allowed long-stay visas to be automatically issued to British nationals who own a second home in France, meaning they could spend as much time as they wanted in the country.

But the defeat means all Brits including homeowners will only be able to stay for 90 days out of every 180 days without a visa.

Those who wish to stay longer will have to apply for a temporary long-stay visa which would last up to six months at a time.

Protestors gather to demonstrate as they hold banners to call for the withdrawal of the immigration law at the Constitutional Council in Paris yesterday

British expats in France were dealt a major blow after an amendment to allow them to have long stays without a visa was blocked by the Constitutional Court

The decision to reject the amendment, which will come as a major blow for the approximately 86,000 Brits who own second homes in France, is final as there is no right of appeal against France’s Constitutional Court.

According to the Office of National Statistics, there were an estimated 152,900 Brits living in France in 2017.

French senator Martine Berthet tabled the amendment to the immigration bill in November, arguing that pushing British citizens from investing in France’s local economies would further add to the worsening problem of empty properties in tourist hotspots.

Just earlier this week, it was reported that British demand for holiday homes in France has increased nearly six-fold after the potential change in law was first mooted.

The amendment had successfully passed through the two houses of France’s senate, but was rejected after the Constitutional Council ruled it ‘unconstitutional’.

Jason Porter, a director at tax specialists Blevins Franks, told The Telegraph: ‘The element [to the immigration bill] for UK second home owners was always going to be rejected as it was not treating everyone equally as it does not apply for the other 61 countries eligible for visa entry into France.’