I can assure you there is no French IMC Rating, only the IR rating.
For your info. French VMC is...
In Class D/E, 8km visability above FL100 and 5km below, 1500m horizontally and 300m vertically from cloud. In Class G, 8km visability above FL100 and 5km between FL100 and S, below S visability can be as low as 1500m or 30 seconds flight time distance. Above S 150m horizontally and 300m verticallyfrom cloud, below S clear of cloud.
S is defined as 900m(3000ft)AMSL or 300m(1000ft) AGL, whichever is higher.
Additionally if weather minima fall below 5km vis and 450m cloudbase, Special VFR may be requested by a pilot , but there is no national standard, it is decided locally at each aerodrome.
There is no rule saying you need to be in sight of the surface however......