France plans to make language test compulsory for carte de séjour
France's interior minister has announced plans to make getting a carte de séjour residency permit conditional on French language skills.
Interior minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday: "At the request of the Prime Minister, we will double the funds for integration and we will condition the multi-year residence permit for a foreigner who spends several years in the country on mastering the French language."
He did not give details on what level of French would be required for the card - The Local has asked the Interior Ministry for further clarification.
This is at present only a proposal and will need to be debated in parliament before becoming law, but it will likely be supported by MPs from the centre-right Les Républicains and far-right Rassemblement National, since their candidates proposed similar measures during the presidential election campaign in April.
Darmanin added that the language requirement would be for the multi-year carte de séjour - typically new arrivals get either a one-year or a five-year card depending on their status, and then apply later for the multi-year or permanent card.
Currently there are no formal language requirements to get a residency permit, although naturally the application process for most card types is in French.
There is a language requirement for citizenship - candidates applying through residency need to have at least B1 level French and requirements have recently been toughened up to include a written French exam and to remove an exemption for over 60s.
READ ALSO How good does your French have to be to get citizenship?
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Interior minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday: "At the request of the Prime Minister, we will double the funds for integration and we will condition the multi-year residence permit for a foreigner who spends several years in the country on mastering the French language."
He did not give details on what level of French would be required for the card - The Local has asked the Interior Ministry for further clarification.
This is at present only a proposal and will need to be debated in parliament before becoming law, but it will likely be supported by MPs from the centre-right Les Républicains and far-right Rassemblement National, since their candidates proposed similar measures during the presidential election campaign in April.
Darmanin added that the language requirement would be for the multi-year carte de séjour - typically new arrivals get either a one-year or a five-year card depending on their status, and then apply later for the multi-year or permanent card.
Currently there are no formal language requirements to get a residency permit, although naturally the application process for most card types is in French.
There is a language requirement for citizenship - candidates applying through residency need to have at least B1 level French and requirements have recently been toughened up to include a written French exam and to remove an exemption for over 60s.
READ ALSO How good does your French have to be to get citizenship?
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