France slams door on immigrants: Learn French or get out
France has imposed stricter language and civic knowledge requirements on foreigners seeking residence permits and citizenship, making it significantly harder for immigrants to establish permanent legal status in the country.
France has begun enforcing sweeping new language and civic knowledge requirements that significantly raise the bar for foreigners seeking long-term residency or citizenship, marking one of the most substantial shifts in the country’s immigration policy in decades.
Wakawaka Doctor reports that the measures, which took effect January 1 under the 2024 Immigration Law, replace France’s previous system of “proof of learning” with mandatory proficiency exams and a new digital civic test that applicants must pass before their files can even be processed.
France: Language Requirements Sharply Increased
The new regulations eliminate the basic A1 language level for most residence permits and introduce higher thresholds across the board.
Multi-year work permits now require A2 proficiency, while ten-year resident cards demand B1 level certification.
French citizenship applicants must demonstrate B2 proficiency, an upper-intermediate level requiring the ability to write formal correspondence and engage in complex discussions.
Critically, simply attending government-sponsored French classes no longer satisfies the requirement. Applicants must now present official diplomas such as DELF or certificates from recognised tests like TCF-IRN, taken within the past two years.
“This represents a fundamental change in approach,” said immigration attorney Sophie Blanchard. “We’ve moved from assessing effort to measuring outcomes.”
New Civic Exam Creates Additional Hurdle
Perhaps the most significant addition is the Examen Civique, a mandatory 45-minute digital test covering French republican values, political institutions, rights and duties, history, and practical knowledge of daily life in France.
The exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions spanning topics from laïcité (secularism) and the structure of Parliament to key historical dates and the functioning of France’s healthcare system. Applicants must score at least 80%, 32 correct answers, to pass.
Unlike previous integration measures, the civic exam must be completed before applicants can submit their residence permit or citizenship applications. Once passed, however, the certificate remains valid indefinitely.
Broad Application, Limited Exemptions
The new requirements apply to most non-EU nationals, including salaried workers, entrepreneurs, family reunification applicants, and regulated professionals such as doctors and lawyers.
