Most overseas assignments like this tend to be for two years or less due
to Visa requirements (displacement of citizen workers and all that). He
did not make it clear in posting I saw in alt.home.repair as quoted by
Nick whether this was to be a relatively short term assignment, as most
of these are, or if he is, in effect, emigrating to France, intended to
set up is long term household there, and to eventually renounce US
citizenship to become a French citizen.

I think for whatever reason this was cross-posted! but I removed the
cross posting on my reply because I thought NG cross posting was
frowned upon! I am British, but am moving permanently to France.
Sorry - not used to NG's that are predominantly US read.

Thanks for the replies. Still don't know what to do, but will search
out more local information in France when I move there.

Matt