The French government has adopted new measures aimed at “controlling migratory flows, in particular through the fight against irregular immigration” and “strengthening the integration of foreigners in France”.
In a circular to prefects, the content of which is revealed by the daily “Le Figaro”, the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, increased the duration of presence required on French territory from five years to “at least seven years”. for a foreigner who requests papers for exceptional admission to stay.
According to this document, “the exceptional admission to residence of a foreigner in an irregular situation can only take place in the absence of a threat to public order”, calling on the prefects “to systematically combine the refusal of residence with a measure requiring people to leave French territory.”
After a first circular devoted to the management of migration policies, a second on strengthening border surveillance and a third on relations with foreign consulates, as well as the reactivation of the ministerial committee responsible for migration affairs, then the appointment of a Special representative of the Minister of the Interior responsible for this issue, France wants to give a strong signal concerning admissions to stay on its territory.
According to the circular, “in order to guarantee effective integration, particular attention must be paid to applicants’ mastery of the French language”. And to add: “In this sense, proof of a French diploma or a linguistic certification, issued by a duly accredited body, or any other proof of mastery of the language must be favorably assessed.”
-Likewise, regularization is only possible if the foreigner – who cannot, moreover, be polygamous – “undertakes, by contract, to respect the principles of the Republic”, explains Le Figaro.
With regard to foreign workers, a list of professions in tension in France will appear in February, according to the same source, to regulate the exceptional admission to stay of professionals already employed by work in hospitals, nursing homes, catering, construction, agriculture or boilermaking.
According to Le Figaro, the Retailleau circular aims to reduce the flow of regularizations by around a third, to increase them from around 30,000 per year to 20,000.
