The bill, which has been postponed several times, will finally reach the Senate chamber this Monday to be considered later in the week. It is a litmus test for a very controversial text with many political consequences, because if it does not receive the support of senators and deputies, the government will have to decide on the decree to approve and apply it.
First change: June 11, 2023 – 12:11 p.m
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The article that is causing the most resentment is Article 3, which proposes the legalization of undocumented workers in sectors where there is a labor shortage, such as construction, hospitality, agriculture or home care. However, this bill imposes some conditions, such as that the people concerned must have been in France for three years and have worked for eight months in sectors where there is a labor shortage.
The Senate chamber is controlled by the right, which wants the article deleted because it believes it will have a ripple effect on illegal migrants; and the centrists who believe the article should be rewritten.
This Monday, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne defended Article 3 of the text, calling it a “common sense” proposal. “The aim is to enable the legalization of people who have been living in France for years and are well integrated,” said Borne.
The bill also aims to facilitate the expulsion of foreigners who have committed crimes or offenses for which the penalty is ten years or five years for repeat offenders, even if they have been in France for many years.
As part of its efforts to speed up deportations, the French government is also proposing a structural reform of the system for processing asylum applications. The aim is to triple the number of possible resources when issuing an obligation to leave the country and to decentralize the national court for asylum law.
With the same goal of reducing immigration, the criteria for family reunification are being tightened. Applicants must prove a higher income if they want to bring their family to France. Moreover, they have to wait two years for this, and not one and a half. With regard to integration, the government wants family members arriving on French territory to already have knowledge of the French language. Parliament will also have the power to set annual migrant quotas.
According to Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, the draft law should be balanced. There is a repressive component to “take tough action against foreign criminals” and an “integration component” for “people who work,” he says. “The government’s line is to be tough on the bad guys and kind to the good guys,” the Interior Minister summarized a few months ago. It remains to be seen whether this argument will convince French senators. (with AFP)