Bruno Retailleau will present a circular, applicable on Friday, January 24, hardening the regularization of undocumented migrants in order to “fight against irregular immigration”.
He wanted a firm line on immigration, and he sets it up. Bruno Retailleau presents a circular to the prefects on Friday, January 24, which hardens the tone in terms of regularization of undocumented migrants. The objective: “mastery of migratory flows, in particular by the fight against irregular immigration”, and the “strengthening of the integration of foreigners in France”, it is written in the circular of the Minister of the Interior , published by Le Figaro.
This measure aims to “respond to the aspiration of the French”, justifies the host of Beauvau on CNews on Friday morning, that is to say “decrease immigration”. And for that, he signs the end of the regularization “in turn”. “If we want to reduce this immigration, especially illegal, we must not regularize too much, because (otherwise) we give a bonus to irregularity, to those who have defrauded,” he added. The circular is applicable this Friday, January 24 and presented in the afternoon during a trip to the Yvelines.
This new circular reform that of Manuel Valls, written in 2012, which allowed a foreigner in an irregular situation to request an “exceptional admission to the stay” for family, economic or student reasons, at the appreciation of the prefect. The new instruction: tighten the screw. Thus, for an immigrant to access this exceptional admission, he will have to justify seven years of presence on the national territory, unlike five years ago.
Systematic OQTFs in the event of refusal of stay
Bruno Retailleau also wants better integration of foreigners in France, “in particular through their commitment to respect the values of the Republic”. He cites secularism, equality between women and men, personal freedom, freedom of expression and conscience … as well as the mastery of French justified by a diploma or a language certification – a more strict condition than previously.
Are excluded all applicants who have demonstrated a “threat to public order”: if a foreigner is subject to an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF), and that it has not been executed (which concerns more 90 % of them), this can justify the refusal to issue a temporary residence permit. In addition, any refusal of the residence request must be systematically accompanied by a measure having obligation to leave French territory, “said the Minister of the Interior.
In the end, the new circular aims to reduce the regularizations of undocumented foreigners by a third. From around 30,000 per year, it would bring them to around 20,000. It is mainly family immigration that should be impacted: according to a prefect questioned by Le Figarothere will be “8,000 to 10,000 less regularized under privacy and family life”.
On the foreigners side already working in France and asking to be regularized, their share should increase slightly. A list of professions in tension will soon be published to supervise the exceptional admission to the stay of professionals. In particular with hospitals, nursing homes, catering, construction, or even agriculture.