France's migrant office scraps in-person French classes and replaces them with app

Local France

3 days ago

As France tightens up the language requirements for foreigners to qualify for a residency card, it has also scrapped the in-person classes provided by one of the biggest state agencies.
OFII French language classes will now be reserved for asylum seekers and people are complete beginners in both spoken and written French - everyone else will be directed to an online service to complete the compulsory hours of French learning.
Who does this affect?
The change affects anyone who is ordered to take French classes by the
Office français de l'immigration et l'integration
(OFII) - on arrival in France, most visa holders are required to go to an appointment at the OFII which includes an assessment of their French level.
People who do not have A1 (beginner) level French are assigned compulsory French classes - usually between 100 and 200 hours of classes in total. Certain types of residency permit holders are exempt from this requirement - full details
here
.
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:
OFII: Your questions answered on France's immigration office✎
The classes are free and, until now, have been provided in a classroom setting with a teacher.
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The change only covers OFII courses - it does not affect people who take other State-subsidised classes such as those offered by the
Mairie
or regional local authorities.
What changes?
From August in-person classes will be replaced for most people with an online platform. In-person classes will be reserved for only certain groups including asylum seekers, people who have limited literacy or those whose have no spoken or written French.
At the time of writing, the online platform and app have not been launched, the exact format of the online classes is not clear, neither is the start date.
OFII director Didier Leschi said only that the number of hours of learning on the platform "will no longer be limited" and there will be "checks on the learning process". He added that it is modelled on a similar system in Germany.
It is believed that people will be directed to either the website or an in-person classes, based on their interview with the OFII on arrival in France.
Will this be better or worse?
Didier Leschi said that the new system will be advantageous for people who are working - since it gives them flexibility to fit in classes around work - and those who live far away from teaching centres.
He
told the Info Migrants group
: "This new modality is advantageous for people who are already in work or who live far from the training sites, which would generate travel costs."
However
several groups have sounded the alarm
about what they believe will be a lower quality of teaching offered.
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Marianne Bel, in charge of French learning for the refugee organisation Cimade, also pointed to the apparent break between the end of in-person classes and the launch of the online platform.
She said: "The platform is not yet up and running, so during July and August there will be no more courses. The response to the call for tenders has not yet been officially published, and the service provider will have two months to configure its platform, which would postpone the start until September."
She also pointed out this will disadvantage people who have poor computer literacy or don't have the equipment, time and space to do at-home distance learning.
She said: "We believe that learning a language cannot be dissociated from welcoming and human interaction".
Why the change?
The changes comes in the context of a tightening of the requirements for French language levels in the 2024 Immigration law.
Among other things, the bill
raises the language levels required
for French citizenship and for long-term residency. Several parts of the new law have not yet come into effect, and it's believed that a lack of capacity to offer and enforce new language requirements was among the reasons for the delay.
Find the latest on the start dates for new language rules
HERE
.