Court of Justice of the European Union Rules States May Require Civic Integration Examination for Long-Term Residence Status (June 4, 2015) [1]
On June 4, 2015, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the Court) held [3] in P, S v. Commissie Sociale Zekerheid Breda that EU member states may require third-country nationals who have long-term resident status, as member states are required to grant under an EU directive [4] after five years of continuous residency, to pass a civic integration examination. According to the press release [5], “the Court holds that the directive does not preclude the imposition of the obligation to pass a civic integration examination, provided that the means of implementing that obligation are not liable to jeopardise the achievement of the objectives pursued by the directive.” In regard to the manner of implementing the civic integration examination, “the Court considers that regard must be had, in particular, to the level of knowledge required to pass the examination, to the accessibility of the courses and material necessary to prepare for that examination, to the amount of registration fees, or to the consideration of specific individual circumstances, such as age, illiteracy or level of education.”