France Raises Language Barrier for Immigrants: Even Citizens Struggle with New French Exam

Stricter language proficiency standards spark controversy over challenges for both immigrants and native-born residents.

Starting next year, immigrants hoping to secure long-term residence or citizenship in France will face higher language proficiency requirements. However, even native French citizens who have spoken the language all their lives are struggling with the new, stricter French language exams, according to reports from The Guardian on February 14th.

Under the new regulations passed by the French government in January of last year, immigrants seeking long-term residence permits (ranging from two to four years) or permanent residency (with a 10-year validity) will now be required to meet higher French language proficiency standards. Additionally, immigrants applying for citizenship through naturalization must pass both written and oral French exams at a higher level.

These changes will come into effect on January 1, 2026, and will follow the European Union’s Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). For those applying for a long-term residence permit, the required language proficiency level will rise from A2 (upper beginner) to B1 (lower intermediate), while those seeking permanent residency will need to demonstrate proficiency at a B1 level. For citizenship applicants, both speaking and writing exams will be required, with a passing score of B2 (upper intermediate).

To test the new standards, France24 recently conducted an experiment by asking 10 native French-speaking volunteers—who had lived in France their entire lives—to take the new citizenship test under the same conditions as actual immigrants. Surprisingly, a significant number of them failed to meet the required level for citizenship. Although five participants achieved an overall passing score, they failed the writing portion of the exam. Two others failed to meet the citizenship standard entirely.

Out of the 10 participants, 9 had already passed the French high school qualification exam (Baccalaureate), and one had a master's degree. Even with such qualifications, many found the exam to be unusually difficult, with one participant mentioning that they had missed several questions.

Felix Gion, a teacher of French for refugees and asylum seekers, commented that the new language proficiency standards are “too high” for the majority of immigrants hoping to acquire nationality or long-term residency in France. According to The Guardian, a report submitted to the French Senate projected that about 330,000 immigrants would take the test in 2026, with roughly 60,000 expected to fail and lose their eligibility for long-term residence or citizenship.

Despite the concerns raised, the French government maintains that the new language standards are reasonable. Bruno Le Maire, the conservative Minister of the Interior, emphasized in a statement last month that if a foreigner has lived in France legally for several years and still struggles with the French language, it’s a result of their lack of effort to learn.