France Cutting LEGAL Immigration By 10%
On January 1st, new immigration rules took effect in France that will cut legal immigration by ten percent and make becoming a citizen more difficult. Interior Minister Claude Guéant plans to achieve the cuts by reducing the number of work visas given out each year and slowing family reunification.
“We accept 200,000 legal immigrants on our soil each year,” Guéant said. “That’s the equivalent of the population of a town like Rennes and it is two times the population of Perpignan.”
The new rules effectively cut in half the number of occupations open to non-Europeans. European Union nationals can usually acquire ten-year visas and permits to work. People from outside the EU usually get short-term visas without automatic permission to work.
The overall goal is to reduce the number of legal immigrants coming to France annually from 200,000 to 180,000. About 20,000 people are allowed to enter France on work visas each year and another 15,000 for family unification. Gueant also plans to step up efforts to remove illegal aliens and expel aliens convicted of a felony.
Last November, there were reports of protests from international students who were educated in France but refused work permits and being asked to leave the country. At the time, Guéant said, "The right to study in France does not equal the right to work in France."
The new citizenship rules require candidates to be tested on French culture and history, and to prove that their French language skills are equivalent to those of a 15-year-old naturally-born citizen. Candidates also will be required to sign a new charter establishing their rights and responsibilities.
Guéant described the citizenship process as “a solemn occasion between the host nation and the applicant,” and said that immigrants should be integrated through language and “an adherence to the principals, values and symbols of our democracy.”
Under a separate plan, Gueant proposes to require non-French children (i.e., those who were born in France and spent most of their childhood there) to formally apply for naturalization at the age of 18. The process is pro forma for these children now.
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