Recently, the upper house of the French parliament approved a new and tougher bill on immigration. The bill decreases the chances of unskilled immigrant workers to settle in the nation. Moreover, the new bill also removes the rights of illegal immigrants to stay in France after ten years. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who prepared the draft, said that the newly approved bill would enable France to effectively control the
influx of foreigners into the country. Mr. Sarkozy though was accused by critics as a racist due to his position.
Under the proposed bill, foreigners outside Europe are required to learn the French language as well as respect and adhere to the principles and laws of the
French Republic. The new immigration bill also lessens their chances of being able to get their families. Mr. Sarkozy argued that France also needs to choose the foreign workers it needs just like some Western nations. Currently, majority of the immigrants in France are of African descent. The proposed immigration bill was also criticized by officials in other regions like President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. It must be noted that recently, many European countries have resolved to reinforce their border security and have sought to reform their immigration law in order to address the influx of illegal immigrants in the continent.
