France granted citizenship to 12,000 COVID frontline workers this week in a show of gratitude for their efforts and sacrifices, Axios reported.
France grants citizenship to 12,000 COVID frontline workers
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 13, ARTSAKHPRESS: Immigrants comprise a quarter of the essential workers who remained active in the Île-de-France province during lockdowns, per data from a French health observatory.
"These frontline workers responded to the call of the nation," France’s citizenship minister, Marlène Schiappa, said in a statement. "The country pulled through thanks to them."
Under the special program, France sped up cases for 12,012 new nationals out of more than 16,300 people who applied for citizenship, and decreased the requirement for residency from five years to two.
Newly minted citizens include doctors, nurses, cleaning staff, cashiers and garbage collectors, according to Schiappa.
