France recognizes citizenship to over 700 migrant workers
France recognizes citizenship: In France, more than 700 migrant workers have obtained citizenship as a form of thanks for being at the forefront of fighting the coronavirus pandemic. They are doctors and nurses, cleaners, and shop workers who have never closed during the most difficult moments of the lockdown in recent months. In France, as in the rest of the world, these workers have been exposed more than others to the risk of contracting Covid-19.
Many of them have died from complications related to the disease, including health workers. “Health professionals, cleaning men and women, child care assistants, shop staff: they have all demonstrated their commitment to the nation, and now it’s up to the Republic to take a step towards them,” said Marlene Schiappa, Undersecretary of Citizenship of the Elysée. Usually according to the French law, to apply for citizenship, a migrant must have been resident in France for five years, with a stable income, and have demonstrated integration into society. For workers on the front line against the coronavirus, a preferential route was allowed in recognition of their “great services rendered”.
An even more significant move in the moment that France finds itself opposing radical Islam following the attacks that have bloodied the country. The citizenship recognition of these seven hundred migrant workers confirms the will of Paris to welcome all those who accept and espouse the Republique ideals. A spirit certainly demonstrated by the workers on the front line against the pandemic. It is also thanks to them in fact that the French overcame the initial emergency.
According to the French Ministry of Interior official data, in 2017, France’s immigrant population was 6.4 million. The majority of which came from former colonies, such as Tunisia in addition to migrant workers from Subsaharan Africa. Recently, the number of people granted naturalization has been decreasing, with 10% less in 2019 than in 2018. France often uses citizenship to thank immigrant citizens who have distinguished themselves in some way. In 2018, the Malian citizen Mamoudou Gassama gained citizenship recognition after rescuing a child dangling from a balcony in Paris, climbing the building facade, and earning the nickname “spider-man.”
https://www.theworkersrights.com/france-recognizes-citizenship-to-over-700-migrant-workers/
