Part IV - The reform agenda for recovered sovereignty
9 - Naturalization and nationality
Naturalization is a sovereign act of the national community: it is not an automatic right acquired through length of residence. The nation welcomes someone into its political community according to criteria it freely defines. The naturalized person must demonstrate that they are attached to this national community.
The standard path - four non-negotiable criteria
Four criteria must be met simultaneously: none can compensate for the absence of another.
The linguistic criterion first: mastery of spoken and written everyday French, attested by an objective standardized exam, not by self-declaration. The civic criterion next: proven knowledge of French history, its institutions, and its national values, evaluated by a standardized exam that eliminates all subjectivity in the processing of the file. The economic criterion: documented contribution throughout the period of residence, declared employment, taxes and social contributions paid. The temporal criterion finally: minimum period of stable and continuous residence, probably five to seven years, to be defined precisely.
These criteria met do not confer an automatic right to naturalization. The file is processed by the administration and the decision remains sovereign. The nation welcomes: it does not submit.
La voie exceptionnelle - le sang versé
Service in the French armed forces (the Foreign Legion in particular) constitutes the ultimate demonstration of attachment to the national community. No linguistic or civic criterion can rival risking one's life for France. "French by blood shed" is a deep and noble republican tradition: it is restored in its fullness.
Deux déclencheurs ouvrent cette voie. Le service honorable pendant une durée à définir (probablement cinq ans) donne droit à une naturalisation automatique sans examen ni procédure lourde. La blessure grave en service déclenche une naturalisation immédiate sans condition de durée : le sacrifice prime sur tout critère bureaucratique.
Birthright citizenship - abolished
Birth on French soil does not confer nationality automatically. Nationality is acquired: it is not received by geographical accident. One exception: if one of the parents acquires French nationality during the minority of the child, the latter is automatically naturalized at that moment.
Le regroupement familial - supprimé
Family reunification is abolished. This decision is consistent with the overall logic of the project: immigration has a moral function for refugees and a temporary economic function for workers and students. In both cases, it is not meant to extend to the applicant's family unit.
A foreigner whose presence is established and who contributes to the nation has a clear and honorable path to bring their family: naturalization. After five to seven years of documented contribution, they can become French and then exercise the same rights as any citizen, including that of bringing their loved ones. This is the normal path: not an automatic right linked solely to the fact of being present on the territory.
Le statut de Protégé de la Nation
To avoid any situation of statelessness - legally and humanly problematic - children born on French soil without nationality acquired by filiation or parental naturalization receive the status of Ward of the Nation. This status guarantees protection against expulsion during minority, access to public education and healthcare, and the issuance of a travel document by France. It does not open any right to vote nor access to public functions. It imposes in return stable and continuous residence, compulsory schooling, and compliance with French law: a serious breach may result in its revocation.
Upon reaching majority, the Ward of the Nation may initiate a naturalization process according to the standard path: the years spent under this status count toward the required temporal duration. If they do not apply for naturalization or if it is refused, they transition to the status of foreign resident in regular situation.
The transition - acquired rights respected
The transition to the new regime produces no retroactive effect. The rule is simple and universal: every file opened under the old regime is processed to its conclusion according to the rules applicable to it at the time of its submission. This applies to ongoing naturalization procedures, to residence permit applications, and to international protection files initiated before the entry into force of the new standards.
Pour les enfants nés sur le sol français, la règle est celle du droit commun : la loi applicable est celle en vigueur au moment de la naissance. Un enfant né avant l’entrée en vigueur de la suppression du droit du sol en bénéficie. Un enfant né après ne peut pas s’en prévaloir. Ce n’est pas une exception au principe mais son application stricte.
For family reunification, the same logic applies. Every file submitted before the date of entry into force of its abolition is processed to its conclusion according to the old rules. Every file submitted after that date is inadmissible. The date of entry into force is set publicly and in advance: no retroactive decision, no administrative surprise. A State that changes the rules mid-procedure for persons who have initiated proceedings in good faith betrays its word. The word given is a strategic asset and applies to foreigners in regular situation as well.