Knowledge of the Catalan language is set to become a key condition for anyone hoping to move to Barcelona under new rules. According to Catalonia's regional president, Salvador Illa, language skills will be required to renew residence permits, with failure to show knowledge of Catalan likely to result in permits being revoked.

While newcomers will not need to prove language proficiency when first granted residency, they will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of Catalan within a year if they wish to stay. Mr Illa stressed that Catalan, one of the region's three official languages, is central to integration, describing it as both "practical" and "a sign of respect". The announcement comes as Spain rolls out a wider immigrant regularisation scheme backed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, which took effect this week.

To support the new rules, the regional Government plans to expand free language courses. An additional 50,000 places will be created, bringing the total to 150,000 for the upcoming academic year.

Spain's Government delegate in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, has backed the move, calling knowledge of the language as "an important factor in socio-labour integration reports".

It remains unclear whether the rule, which is not currently imposed on Spanish citizens, will be extended to include Spanish and Aranese - the region's two other official languages.

Catalan is a distinct Western Romance language, not a dialect of Spanish, and is spoken by over nine million people across Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Valencia (Valencian), Andorra, parts of Aragon, southern France and Alghero, Italy. It is the sole official language of Andorra.

Most inhabitants in Catalonia are bilingual, speaking both Catalan and Spanish. It is used as the primary language of instruction in schools in Catalonia, ensuring high proficiency at a young age.

The use of Catalan was forbidden during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco (1939-1975). Since the restoration of democracy in the late 1970s, Catalan has been revitalised and normalised, regaining official status and a major presence in media and public life.

Barcelona is the capital and largest city in the autonomous community of Catalonia. The city has approximately 1.6 to 1.7 million residents, with about 5.5 to 5.7 million in its wider metropolitan area.