In terms of immigration policy, Berlin and Paris are moving away from each other.

While the traffic light government wants to transform Germany into a “modern immigration country”, France is tightening immigration laws again.

On Wednesday, the government cabinet in Paris passed a bill on “immigration control and improved integration”.

The aim is to intensify the fight against illegal immigration and the abuse of social welfare by foreigners.

"Good with the good and bad with the bad," said Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, summing up the philosophy of the legislative package.

Michael Wiegel

Political correspondent based in Paris.

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Darmanin is courting his former party, the opposition Republicans.

"We have taken up a large part of their demands," said the minister.

The aim is to no longer suffer immigration, but to “select” immigrants.

The text, which consists of 27 articles, is intended to facilitate the expulsion of foreigners who have committed criminal offenses in particular.

The murder of the schoolgirl Lola by an Algerian who was actually obliged to leave the country led to a heated debate about the lack of enforcement of exit notices.

One-year residence permit planned

The law is intended to address public outrage.

The deportation protection measures for foreigners who came to France before the age of 13, have lived in France for more than 20 years and are spouses or parents of French people are to be relaxed.

From now on, foreigners should be able to be expelled after a final conviction to ten years in prison or as repeat offenders to five years in prison.

In addition, foreigners who pose a “serious threat to public order” are to be deported.

To improve integration, the government wants to facilitate the regularization of undocumented workers already in the country.

Their fate is currently at the discretion of the prefectures.

A circular from 2012 applies, in which certain criteria are listed, but the assessment of which is decided on a case-by-case basis.

For example, in order to obtain a residence permit, an employee must prove that they have lived in France for at least three years, present at least 24 payslips and a confirmation of employment from their employer.

The government now wants to introduce a new one-year residence permit for sectors with a labor shortage.

Illegal immigrants with eight payslips and three years of residence in France

130,000 asylum applications in 2022

A “talent card” is also planned to make it easier for doctors, pharmacists, dentists and midwives to enter the country.

Asylum seekers from countries with a high protection rate should be allowed to work from the time they apply.

Before issuing a multi-year residence permit, the French language skills should be checked.

The parliamentary debate is likely to be another test for Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's minority government.

The governing faction is dependent on votes from the opposition.

For the opposition parties RN and Republicans, the tightening does not go far enough.

The planned one-year right of residence in shortage occupations as well as the "talent card" provoke a lot of criticism.

Republicans like RN fear that this could create new incentives for immigration.

“40 percent of foreigners in our country are unemployed.

Before we attract any more immigrants, we should first get them to work," Marine Le Pen told radio station France Info on Wednesday.

"We don't want a new residence permit," said the LR parliamentary group leader in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau.

the television station LCI.

France experienced a new immigration record in 2022.

The uncontrolled flows of migrants have thrown the country into "severe disarray," Retailleau said.

Interior Minister Darmanin has offered "quotas to limit regularization" to the right-wing majority in the Senate.

The draft law is to be discussed in the Senate from mid-March.

The left-wing alliance Nupes, on the other hand, complains about the “repressive character” of the draft law.

The examination of asylum applications is to be shortened.

In 2022, the number of applications rose to more than 130,000.

Migration researcher Patrick Weil criticized the draft law as superfluous because most of the provisions could have been issued by decree.

"It seems like a cover so people don't talk about what's wrong with immigration policy," Weil told L'Express magazine.

Essential questions of EU cooperation are taboo in the draft law.

“Most people arriving in France have previously crossed the territory of a neighboring country.

The majority of these migrants do not come by boat, but by land.” President Macron promised more effective EU migration controls six years ago.

"Without active cooperation with our neighbors, migration policy is not possible," said Weil.