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Two draft bills of the French government regarding migration
Mariana Andrei - Communication Coordinator
18 August 2014
The French Government has recently revealed their reform plans in the field of asylum and migration, by introducing two draft bills to the Cabinet of Ministers.
The number of asylum seekers has almost doubled in seven years, reaching more than 66,000 cases in 2013. The accommodation possibilities are already exceeded, half of the asylum seekers being left to find solutions on their own. In addition the asylum procedure lasts for 2 years on average, which makes things even more complicated. The first aim of the reform is to reduce the processing time to 9 months, until 2017.
In this line the French authorities, namely the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) and the National Court for the Asylum Right (NADC) will employ more staff so that OFPRA would be able to process applications more rapidly and NADC to judge the case in five months instead of eight, as it is the case now.
The draft bill on asylum also provides that asylum seekers should be dispersed in accommodation units all over the country, and benefits should be cut in the case of aliens who refuse to go to a certain place or who abandon it.
The other draft bill on immigration is focused on measures to facilitate the access of foreign qualified labour force to the labour market. France attracts about 200,000 qualified workers from outside the European Union every year, an insufficient number for the needs of the French economy. The Government aims to replace the existing documents by "passports" valid for four years, for highly qualified workers. The problem of waiting lines at the offices could be solved by issuing a residence permit valid between two and four years, after the first document issued, valid for one year. The issuance of a residence permit after the first five years will be conditioned upon the applicant speaking French.
Both draft bills are currently subject to public debate.
Source: http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/france-monde/asile-immigration-le-gouvernement-devoile-ses-projets-de-ia0b0n2287865
The number of asylum seekers has almost doubled in seven years, reaching more than 66,000 cases in 2013. The accommodation possibilities are already exceeded, half of the asylum seekers being left to find solutions on their own. In addition the asylum procedure lasts for 2 years on average, which makes things even more complicated. The first aim of the reform is to reduce the processing time to 9 months, until 2017.
In this line the French authorities, namely the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) and the National Court for the Asylum Right (NADC) will employ more staff so that OFPRA would be able to process applications more rapidly and NADC to judge the case in five months instead of eight, as it is the case now.
The draft bill on asylum also provides that asylum seekers should be dispersed in accommodation units all over the country, and benefits should be cut in the case of aliens who refuse to go to a certain place or who abandon it.
The other draft bill on immigration is focused on measures to facilitate the access of foreign qualified labour force to the labour market. France attracts about 200,000 qualified workers from outside the European Union every year, an insufficient number for the needs of the French economy. The Government aims to replace the existing documents by "passports" valid for four years, for highly qualified workers. The problem of waiting lines at the offices could be solved by issuing a residence permit valid between two and four years, after the first document issued, valid for one year. The issuance of a residence permit after the first five years will be conditioned upon the applicant speaking French.
Both draft bills are currently subject to public debate.
Source: http://www.lavoixdunord.fr/france-monde/asile-immigration-le-gouvernement-devoile-ses-projets-de-ia0b0n2287865
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