French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to introduce controversial immigration legislation Thursday based on the idea of "chosen immigration." The draft bill is expected to include offering three-year working papers for highly qualified immigrants, active recruitment overseas of professionals working in targeted economic sectors, and preferential treatment for foreign students coming from poorer backgrounds. "We no longer want an inflicted immigration, we want a chosen immigration," Sarkozy told the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche in an interview on the subject. "That is the fundamental principle of the new policy I envision."The legislation reportedly will make it harder to obtain legal residency based on marrying a French resident, and end opportunities for illegal immigrants to become legalized after living in France for 10 years.
| And the reaction of the usual suspects? |