French National Assembly votes for new immigration bill

The French National Assembly voted Wednesday in support of the immigration bill presented by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, which was aimed at tightening rules of foreigners' entry into France.

The bill was passed with a 367-164 vote in the National Assembly, the lower house of French parliament, and will be debated and voted in the Senate on June 6 and June 7.

The law, drawn up by Sarkozy, is based on the concept of "selective immigration" and creates a new type of residence permit, dubbed as "skills and talents permit."

The new permit, which is valid for three to four years and can be further extended, is open to foreigners with good educational and technological backgrounds. But rules for other migrants are tightened.

The bill abolishes the item that illegal migrants can get residence permit after residing 10 years in France. The rules are also tightened for migrants who move to France for family reasons. New migrants are asked to respect laws and regulations in France and make efforts to integrate into the French society.

France's current system of immigration has been drawing increasing attention from the French society. Results of recent polls showed that more than 60 percent of the French people are unsatisfied with the current immigration policy and most people agree to tighten the immigration law.

However, the bill drafted by Sarkozy drew criticism from left-wing parties and some social communities, who think some rules of the bill are discriminatory and will make the migrants' life more difficult.

Recently, demonstrators have taken to the streets across France, protesting against the new immigration law.

Source: Xinhua