France considers migration pause while Spain grants legal status to 500,000 migrants
London: France’s justice minister has suggested a radical halt to immigration for “two or three years” to ease the pressure on jobs and wages and said the public should have a direct say over the number of people coming into the country.
Conservative Gérald Darmanin, who is gearing up for the next presidential election, outlined the idea in a television interview that sparked headlines when new figures revealed immigrant intake rose by 11.2 percent last year.
The row in France comes as the Spanish government has taken a completely different approach by accepting immigrants even if they break the rules, and this week it announced it would grant legal status to up to 500,000 people already in the country without approval.
The conflicting policies highlight the deep divisions over immigration in Europe and the issue’s potential to shape some of the biggest elections on the continent, including national votes in France and Spain next year.
Concerns about immigration are even shaping the debate about international stars choosing to live in France. A junior minister has admitted there was a “double standard” when film star George Clooney was granted citizenship despite not speaking French.
Darmanin, a former interior minister, has floated the idea of pausing immigration but does not have direct responsibility for setting the policy and will need the support of the National Assembly (the sharply divided parliament) for the changes to become law.
“Let’s imagine, for example, that immigration is suspended for two to three years,” he told French channel CNews, which is considered a conservative broadcaster.
“We could imagine this. I am among those who are talking about a moratorium. Why not?”
Darmanin did not lay out a detailed plan but argued that wages should be higher for French and existing foreigners and that immigrants take low-cost jobs.
Posting a clip of the television interview to distribute on social media, he said he wanted to consult with the French people on the establishment of a “quota policy” for immigration, along with a “two or three-year” suspension to help integrate foreigners into French territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron hopes to overcome challenges to the government led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu within the National Assembly, but all parties are poised to win the presidential election in April next year. Macron cannot run for another term.
Right-wing National Rally presumptive candidate Jordan Bardella wants to reduce immigration and is gaining ground in opinion polls; Only party leader Marine Le Pen can run for president if she overturns the conviction for embezzlement that disqualified her from running.
Darmanin is a senior member of Les Républicains, a conservative political party that forms part of the current government but will compete with Macron’s party, Renaissance, in the next election. He joined fellow former prime minister Michel Barnier in calling for a moratorium on immigration five years ago.
France’s interior ministry released figures on Wednesday showing 384,000 residence cards will be issued to foreigners in 2025; This number increased by 11 percent compared to 2024.
Student visas accounted for the bulk of inflows, with 118,000 visas issued during the year, and the number of humanitarian permits rose rapidly to 92,600. The number of permits for immigrants who came for economic reasons such as getting a job decreased by 13 percent to 51 thousand. According to Radio France Internationale.
Those who gained French citizenship last year included Clooney, his wife Amal, a prominent human rights lawyer, and their two children, who share a home in Provence.
France’s deputy interior minister, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, acknowledged on December 31 that this raised questions because Clooney acknowledged that he was I do not know French fluently.
“I personally understand some French people’s feelings about double standards,” he said. “We must be careful about the message we send”
However, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended the decision.
Amid debates over curbing immigration in France, the Spanish government is taking a different approach with its decision to submit to parliament a new law that would grant legal residence for at least a year to people currently in the country without permission.
Spanish Immigration Minister Elma Saiz estimated this could help 500,000 people living in Spain without permission.
The draft plan will give legal status to foreigners who arrived in Spain before December 31 last year and will be able to prove they have lived in the country for at least five months without a criminal record.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been a strong supporter of granting asylum to people fleeing persecution and has opposed immigration restrictions advocated by right-wing parties, setting up a major test of the issue in national elections in August next year.
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David Crowe is the European correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
