The Spanish National Court has rejected an appeal by a Moroccan-born resident seeking Spanish citizenship through residency, upholding a prior decision to deny his application. According to Spanish media, the court ruled that the applicant had failed to demonstrate sufficient integration into Spanish society. Despite having lived in Spain since 2000 and maintaining professional ties, the court found that the man lacked adequate knowledge of the Spanish language and had not sufficiently assimilated into the country's cultural fabric. The applicant, a father of three, began the naturalization process in 2014 but has not been able to meet the criteria for citizenship through residency. In its decision, the court cited the integration exam, which revealed that the man struggled to understand, read, and write in Spanish, though he was fluent in Arabic. His overall knowledge of life in Spain was also deemed insufficient. The ruling emphasized that integration is not limited to language proficiency. It also involves aligning with social principles and values, participating in the country's economic, social, and cultural life, and demonstrating family ties, all factors the applicant failed to prove or that could not be inferred from the case file. The court also ordered him to pay legal costs. The decision can be appealed within 30 days of its notification.
