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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.

Published: 13 July 2022 09:42 CEST
Updated: 16 July 2022 08:55 CEST

France plans to make language test compulsory for carte de séjour

Photo by Fred TANNEAU / AFP

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?

Member comments

Anonymous - 13 July 2022 at 13:04 CEST

Wouldn’t this be against the terms of U.K. / EU Withdrawal Agreement?

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Why you might get a letter about French benefits

In April, the French government passed a decree that will tighten up residency requirements for different types of benefits, including the old-age top-up benefit.

Previously, the rule for most benefits was residency in France for at least six months of the previous year to qualify, though some required eight months and others, like the RSA (a top-up for people with little to no income) requires nine months’ residency per year.

However, the government announced in 2023 its intention to increase the period to nine months for several different programmes – which was put into decree in April – in an effort to combat social security fraud, as well as to standardise the system.

The changes, which will go into effect at the start of 2025, do not affect access to healthcare – foreigners can still access French public healthcare as long as they have been resident here for a minimum of three months.

Similarly, the rules for accessing chômage (unemployment benefits) have not changed yet. Currently, you must have worked for at least six months out of the last 24 months to be eligible, as well as meeting other criteria including how you left your previous job.

This may change in the future, however, with the French government poised to reform the unemployment system again.

READ MORE: How France plans cuts to its generous unemployment system

Which benefits are affected?

The old-age benefit – or the ASPA – will apply the new nine month requirement. Previously, people needed to be in France for at least six months out of the year to qualify.

If you receive this benefit already, you will probably get a letter in the mail in the near future informing you of the change – this is a form letter and does not necessarily mean that your benefits will change.

If you are already a recipient – and you live in France for at least nine months out of the year – then you do not need to worry about your access to the ASPA changing.

If you want to access this benefit, it is available to certain foreigners, even though it is intended to help elderly (over 65) French citizens with low state pensions.

It is only available to foreigners who have been living legally in France for at least 10 years, and starting in 2025 you will need to spend nine out of 12 months a year in France. You can find more information at THIS French government website.

Otherwise, prestations familiales, or family benefits will be affected by the new nine month residency rule. These are available to foreigners with valid residency cards, as long as their children also live in France.

This includes the family allowance (given out by CAF), which is available for families on low incomes with more than two children, as well as the ‘Prime à la Naissance’, which is a means-tested one-off allowance paid in the seventh month of pregnancy to effectively help with the start-up costs of becoming a parent, will also be affected by the new nine month residency rule.

READ MORE: France’s family benefit system explained

If you receive these benefits already, then you will likely receive a letter explaining the changes shortly.

And finally – the RSA, which is the top-up benefit for people with little to no income, was already held to the nine month standard, so there will be no residency-related changes.

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