France to Waive Residence Permit Fees for Foreign Spouses of Citizens

This exemption costs the French treasury 21 million euros, reports the official website of the French Senate. Formulated in 2014 by Senator Richard Yung, this proposal was reiterated in 2016 before being unanimously adopted in the Senate on Saturday. For the initiator of the amendment, this tax represents "discrimination based on nationality".

After the recent terrorist attacks that shook the country, the Republicans had proposed tightening the rules for obtaining and renewing residence permits. They also wanted the State to eliminate the 30,000 annual regularizations and enshrine in the Constitution the principle of a legal immigration ceiling. They are also preparing to demand the obtaining of the residence permit and its renewal against an oral and written examination of the French language.