Some parts of the new French Immigration Bill will affect those planning to move and live or work in France. Some parts of the bill may also impact you if you are already living in France.
The provisions of the new law passed on 26th January this year called Contrôler l’immigration, améliorer l’intégration (control immigration and improve integration) include:
- Stricter language requirements if moving to France or applying for French citizenship
- Obligation to agree to respect the values of the French Republic
- Limits on short term residency card renewals
Stricter language requirements
If you are moving to France you will have to show you have at least the A2 level of French or level B1 for those applying for a 10 year permanent residency card. If applying for French nationality you will need level B2. You can see a full explanation of the language requirements here (link to next article) in the next article in this newsletter.
Requirement to ‘respect the values of the republic’
Applying for any kind of residency permit (long or short term) would require agreeing to ‘respect the values of the French republic’. These values are defined in the law as “personal freedom, freedom of expression and conscience, equality between women and men, the dignity of the human person and the motto and symbols of the Republic as defined in article 2 of the Constitution” and can be read in full in Le Livre de Citoyen.
The new law also makes it possible to refuse, withdraw or not renew certain residence permits for new reasons linked to a person’s behaviour.
Short-term residency card renewal
The number of times you can renew a short-term (one-year) card will be limited to three renewals after which you would have to switch onto either a pluriannuelle card or a carte de resident. It is anticipated that some of the parts of the law will be introduced by the middle of 2024.
If you would like more information or help in applying for any visa needed to come and live in France then contact us at info@franco-british-network.com