France is not a welcoming country

My sympathies are with you. I encountered many of these headaches when I first moved to France 5 1/2 years ago. France appears to operate under the belief that edge cases simply don't exist, and that everyone fits perfectly into the norm. Foreigners regularly have a very hard time establishing themselves here because of how little leeway there is for people in their situation. Yes, it is true that France is hostile towards foreign remote workers, they don't offer access to the social security system. In France it is basically impossible to be evicted from your home (whether renting or owning). As such, landlords and agencies are extremely picky about who they rent/sell to, as they know that if you stop paying your rent/mortgage for any reason, there is basically nothing they can do about it. I believe it takes on average 3 years to evict a tenant who has stopped paying rent, and at the end of that time, the landlord still doesn't have any legal right to get back any of the unpaid rent during those 3 years. In France it is also basically impossible to be fired from your job. As such, landlords often require you to have an indefinite length job contract (CDI) + an income which is more than 3x the monthly rent + 1 or more French guarantors before they will agree to rent to you. As a foreigner, and especially as a foreigner who is working remotely, this can be all but impossible to obtain. France does not want people to be innovative entrepreneurs. They want them to stay a part of the system and stick to the status quo. I spent 3 months in the Netherlands in 2019 for work, and one of the first thoughts I remember having during my stay there was, "it feels good to be back in the 21st century". Things in France have gotten better since the pandemic, but you're right, many things still operate as paper-only. My wife is French, and she has multiple binders full of paper documents of all kinds dating back decades. They're mundane things, like old payslips or proof of moving out of an old apartment. But at the time they were only delivered to her in paper form, not electronic. There is no way to receive a replacement if the original is lost, and if she ever needs to provide any of them for some administrative reason, they usually ask to keep a photocopy, but still require to see the original in person. So we have no choice but to hang onto them. Scanning and keeping a digital copy on the computer isn't enough for this country. Are you here on a spousal visa? If so, consider yourself lucky. Things would be 10x worse if you also had to throw work authorization into the mix. I have absolutely loved my time here in France, despite the outdated administrative difficulties. The food, culture, vacation, healthcare, and countryside have made up for it so far, in my opinion. Nevertheless, my wife and I will be moving to the US in a few weeks. It's been great here, but unfortunately salaries are just too low, and career prospects are just too narrow, for someone in my position. So the next chapter in our adventure will be elsewhere. But who knows, maybe we'll end up coming back in the future or even retiring here. I've heard France is terrible country to work, but a great place to retire. I'd say that's accurate, based on my personal experience. Best of luck to you and your family!