Cancer treatment at risk due to delays for 18-year-old’s WA card, British family warns

A British/American family living in Paris have spoken of the distress caused by difficulties in obtaining a Brexit WA card for their daughter.

Catherine, 18, has faced the hurdles at the same time as coping with a cancer diagnosis, for which she is undergoing treatment at the Institut Curie specialist hospital.

There are now, however, hopes of a swift resolution after the British Embassy in Paris stepped in.

The Connexion flagged up the situation to the embassy, which, in view of its seriousness, organised direct consular help. The family received an appointment within days and Catherine's father Cedric, who asked for the family name not to be used, said they were all “sleeping a little easier”.

They had been facing having to take court action, he said, which they had very much wanted to avoid. 

He subsequently reported them having attended the appointment with their lawyer, and having submitted an application for processing. They left with a récépissé receipt and hope to be able to collect the card in a few weeks.

"We are very relieved," Cedric said. "Catherine's access to healthcare should now be secure. It wouldn't have happened without The Connexion and subsequent intervention from the UK consul."

18-year-olds must not be forgotten amid push for renewals

While renewals of five-year Brexit cards issued to Britons in France in 2020-2021 have been a major issue recently, Cedric said he feared some prefectures might have "dropped the ball" with regard to 18-year-olds needing their first WA cards. 

The family moved to France pre-Brexit in 2019 and Catherine has had a DCEM young person’s travel document. However, young Britons from WA families must apply for their own residency card in the year after turning 18, which for Catherine began in March.

Since February, they made several online requests for an appointment with the Préfecture de Police de Paris, then engaged a lawyer who undertook additional requests. When Cedric contacted us in November, there had been no response, other than automated acknowledgements. It is not possible to telephone or to visit the prefecture without an appointment.

The family felt at a loss, Cedric told us at the time. 

“It is particularly urgent because our daughter’s right to life-saving treatment could be called into question if her residency status is not secured. As she is not a UK resident, she would also not be entitled to NHS treatment.”

The prefecture recently put out some updated Brexit information, including advising 18-year-olds to book an appointment via the Bureau Brexit (see tinyurl.com/paris-brexit). The family tried this.

Cedric said that apart from the 100%-covered cancer treatment, residency uncertainty was also affecting other issues, such as Catherine’s ability to obtain a disabled parking card.

EES border procedures were also a worry

The family were also worried they would be “taking a risk” to visit family in the UK this Christmas, as they feared she could be denied re-entry or be required to register in the EES digital borders system, as her young person’s DCEM had expired [editor's note: now she has a récépissé of proof of applying for her card, this should be sufficient to show border guards].

They moved to France for reasons linked to Cedric’s work for a French asset management company.

Catherine’s International Bac­calaureate exams were interrupted by her illness but she has an offer to study architecture at Cambridge University, which is currently on hold until the 2025-2026 university year.

The British Embassy said: “We are aware of some cases of UK nationals, who have turned 18 and hold rights under the WA via their parents, struggling to secure appointments for a WA card with certain prefectures and have escalated these instances to the ministry of the interior.

“Paris is usually one of the more responsive prefectures and provides clear guidance on its website.”

However, its spokeswoman said that in view of this family's particular circumstances they had offered further help.