Comment by friendlyHornet

> There is talk of dropping this requirement, but I'll believe it when I see it.

I really hope it doesn't get dropped; it is unreasonable to live permanently in a country without speaking the local language

There are other types of residencies available if someone is an expat and doesn't plan on staying permanently

And it's not like they're asking for a high fluency; with B1, you can barely hold a simple coherent conversation