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Hundreds of immigrants in France working on the front lines of the coronavirus have had their service to the country recognized with fast-track citizenship.
The Interior Ministry invited residents who help with efforts against Covid-19 to apply for expedited naturalization.
More than 700 have already obtained citizenship or are in the final stages of receiving it.
They include healthcare professionals, cleaners, and store workers.
Frontline workers around the world have been exposed to Covid-19 at a high rate and many have died from the disease, including doctors and nurses.
France is among the 10 countries most affected by coronavirus infections, with more than 2.5 million confirmed cases and close to 62,000 deaths.
The early citizenship initiative was first announced in September. Seventy-four people have already obtained a French passport and another 693 are in the final stage. A total of 2,890 people have applied so far.
“Health professionals, cleaning ladies, babysitters, cashiers: all demonstrated their commitment to the nation, and now it is the republic’s turn to take a step towards them,” the office of Marlene Schiappa, minister citizenship, he said Tuesday.
Normally, a successful candidate must have resided in France for five years with a stable income and demonstrated integration into French society.
But the government has said that frontline Covid workers only need to live in France for two years to be eligible for citizenship in recognition of their “great services rendered.”
In 2017, France’s immigrant population was 6.4 million, including a significant number from former colonies, including those in North and West Africa, but becoming a citizen can be a slow and complicated process. The number of people granted naturalization is declining, with 10% fewer in 2019 than in 2018.
It is not the first time that France has recognized bravery and contributions to the nation with citizenship.
In 2018, Malian Mamoudou Gassama received French citizenship after he was nicknamed “spider-man” for rescuing a child who was hanging from a balcony in Paris.
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