The Spokesperson for the Catalan Government, Francesc Homs, stated that knowledge of the Catalan language will be a very determining factor when issuing immigration certificates, such as family grouping or residency permits. Homs believes that if immigrants attain a certain level of knowledge of Catalan language, their integration into Catalan society will be easier.
After reading and listening to some opinions in Spanish media, it seems that, as usual, Spaniards do not agree the Catalan Government. Many of them believe that Spanish should be the only preferent language an immigrant should learn when coming to live to Catalonia. Although Spain usually displays itself as a multicultural country, reality is quite different: according to the Spanish thought, Catalan should be left as a "home-purposed" language to be spoken only with friends and family; Catalan should never be the preferent language over Spanish. This is an often controversial subject that eventually makes many Catalans to think that independence from Spain is the only way to protect the Catalan culture: if something is true is that a language having an independent State behind has more chances to survive than a language that is pushed into the background by laws that are on the side of a historically imposed language (in this case, Spanish).
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