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Hundreds of immigrants to France working on the coronavirus frontline have seen their service to the country recognized with expedited citizenship.
The Home Office has called on residents participating in efforts against Covid-19 to apply for expedited naturalization.
More than 700 have already obtained citizenship or are in the process of obtaining it.
They include healthcare professionals, cleaners, and store workers.
Frontline workers around the world have been exposed to Covid-19 at a high rate, with many dying from the disease, including doctors and nurses.
France is among the top 10 countries most affected by coronavirus infections, with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and nearly 62,000 deaths.
The Fast Track Citizenship Initiative was first announced in September. Seventy-four people have already obtained a French passport and 693 others are in the final stages. So far, 2,890 people have applied.
“Health professionals, housekeepers, babysitters, cash staff: they have all proven their commitment to the nation, and it is now the turn of the republic to take a step in their direction,” said the cabinet of Marlene Schiappa, a young citizenship minister, said Tuesday.
Normally, a successful candidate should have resided in France for five years with a stable income and demonstrated integration into French society.
But the government has said frontline Covid workers only need to live in France for two years to be eligible for citizenship in recognition of their “great service rendered.”
In 2017, France’s immigrant population was 6.4 million, including a significant number of former colonies, especially in North and West Africa, but becoming a citizen can be a long and difficult process. The number of people having obtained naturalization is decreasing, with 10% less in 2019 than in 2018.
This is not the first time that France recognizes courage and contributions to the nation with citizenship.
In 2018, Malian Mamoudou Gassama obtained French nationality after being nicknamed “spiderman” for having saved a little boy hanging from a Parisian balcony.
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