The current migration procedures are inhumane and inefficient so they need be reformed, said the French president, who will submit to parliament a bill containing all the proposed changes in early 2023. The plan is to speed up the integration of foreigners and settle them in rural towns and villages, where the population is in decline.

France’s immigration policy must be reformed as it is inhumane and inefficient. This according to President Macron, who told prefects during a recent press briefing that he would table a new bill on asylum in early 2023. Mr Macron’s plan is designed to put an end to what he described as the country’s current absurd migration policies.

🔴 Immigration: Emmanuel Macron souhaite un „texte de loi” pour début 2023 face á une „politique inefficace et inhumaine” pic.twitter.com/Aaqm2QuI0C

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There are several problems with France’s migration policy, the president said. It is ineffective, because there are more illegal immigrants in France than in many other neighbouring countries, and it is inhumane, because the reception of immigrants is often inadequate due to migratory pressures.

Oftentimes it’s the poorest immigrant women and men who get settled in the most impoverished regions, which makes the situation even worse, the French president pointed out. He voiced his belief that the whole system of migration procedures needs to be reformed as soon as possible in order to make administration faster and more efficient. The change would make it possible to speed up the integration process and make it more meaningful, especially for those with good language skills and residence papers, Mr Macron said.

The head of state also mentioned a need for the better territorial distribution of foreign citizens, saying more immigrants should be settled in rural areas where the population is declining, adding that in some places the situation is already so serious that school closures may be necessary. Mr Macron believes that these regions will provide much better conditions to receive foreigners than areas that are already densely populated, and where massive economic and social problems are concentrated, adding that the French state also intends to place greater emphasis on French language learning and vocational training in the future.

The French president also touched on the issue of illegal migrants committing crimes. He said the government wants to improve its deportation policy in these cases, and has plans to make visas issued to foreigners conditional. The French government’s aim is to tie the granting of foreign visas to the willingness of the migrants’ countries of origin to readmit those who have been found to violate French laws or the country’s public order, because currently many of these so-called „countries of origin” refuse to issue the consular cards needed for the repatriation of migrants who have been handed a deportation order by France, Mr Macron said.