Overview
- Bruno Retailleau, France's Interior Minister, has issued a new circular tightening naturalization requirements for foreign nationals, effective immediately.
- Applicants must now demonstrate advanced French language proficiency, adherence to republican values, financial independence, and a five-year professional integration record.
- The circular reaffirms that naturalization is a discretionary state decision, not an inherent right, aligning with the government's broader immigration control agenda.
- This policy shift follows an 8.3% rise in French citizenship acquisitions in 2024, which the government attributes to a backlog resolution from prior administrative delays.
- Prefects are tasked with implementing these measures and must submit a progress report within three months, detailing the application of the new criteria.