French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has issued a directive to prefects, including tighter rules on citizenship applicants. The circular consists of tighter French language proficiency and social integration requirements.
In a press conference, Minister Retailleau highlighted that he is aware that the measures are demanding, but, according to him, so should be the requirements for French citizenship, Schengen.News reports.
I accept the tightening of the criteria, and I accept the claim that this is an assimilation circular. [But] becoming French must be earned, and we must be very, very demanding.
The new directive will enter into force from January 2026 and is expected to impact applicants for French citizenship as well as undocumented migrants.
What Does the New Directive Include?
According to Info Migrants, Retailleau has asked prefectures to impose these requirements regarding language requirements, with applicants for citizenship being required to complete a level B2 oral and written exam.
From January 1, 2026, for the first applications for multi-year residence permits and resident cards, applicants will take a civic exam for their naturalisation application.
The Minister also insisted on the need to better “know our language, and also to know and recognise the history of France.”
Applicants for French citizenship will also be checked for their model background, indicating that the authorities will see if these applicants have abided by the law or contributed positively to society.
Those who have been sentenced for six months or more in prison will have their applications rejected, as the directive advises.
Undocumented migrants will also be affected, for whom the authorities are advised to reject their applications if they do not hold a regular status.
You will sanction with a decision of inadmissibility the applications of foreigners in an irregular situation, or who have been the subject of an expulsion order not expressly revoked or repealed, or of a ban on French territory not fully executed.
Migrants Cannot Become French Citizens Without “Professional Integration”
Applicants will also be checked for their integration into the French society, which has been raised to a period of five years.
The authorities could ask applicants for a 24-month employment contract or a permanent contract.
In 2024, acquisitions of French nationality rose by 8.3 per cent, reaching 66,745, as the data by the General Directorate for Foreigners in France (DGEF) reveals.