France ups language level for residency: Here are the best European countries for English speakers

09.02.2024 - 09:29 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes

If you are an English speaker planning to move to Europe in 2024, you might want to find a country where you’re likely to be understood from the get-go.

Although learning the local language of your new home should be a priority, it takes time.

While you’re getting to grips with verb tenses and articles, it’s comforting to know you can still communicate in English if necessary.

In some European nations English is widely spoken, making them a safe bet. Other countries require knowledge of the local language just to apply for residency.

At the start of 2024, France announced changes to immigration laws including increasing language requirements. 

Applying for a multi-year or long-term residency card will now mean demonstrating a higher level of French than before. 

Native English speakers are notoriously poor at learning a foreign language. A study by the European Commission in 2020 found that 62 per cent of Brits surveyed couldn’t speak a second language. In the EU, 56 per cent of people can speak at least one.

In an InterNations study of expats’ concerns before moving abroad, the biggest fear was the language barrier.

So if you want to move to Europe but are worried about language barriers, it’s a good idea to prioritise the countries where English is widely spoken.

The English Proficiency Index released by the global education company Education First (EF) reveals the top countries in Europe for speaking English.

EF collated the English test results of 2 million people worldwide, including from 35 European countries, to make their classification. Each country received a ranking out of 800 points.

European countries took eight spots in EF’s top ten countries for English speakers.

Croatia makes it to number 10, but northern European countries dominated the ranking. Finland and Sweden come in 9th and 8th while Denmark makes it to the third spot.

In second place comes Austria, scoring 641 points out of a possible 800. The top spot is taken by the Netherlands, with between 91 and 93 per cent of Dutch people saying they are able to hold a conversation in English.

Out of the European countries, Italy came in the lowest place, so if you fancy moving there it’s worth considering language classes beforehand.

If you know you struggle with language learning, watch out for the countries that require foreign citizens to pass a language test in order to apply for residency.

France has just brought in a host of changes to its immigration laws, including concerning language requirements. Authorities have introduced language tests for certain types of residency permits and a higher language level requirement for citizenship.

While there will continue to be no language test for short-term residency cards, the multi-year carte de séjour